Sherrone Moore responds to report he's coaching Michigan without a signed contract

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore offered reassurances on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday that he’s committed to the Wolverines, and vice versa. The topic was broached after it was confirmed by athletic director Warde Manuel that Moore is coaching without a signed contract.

While that is not entirely uncommon in coaching, as schools and coaches will work under memorandums of understanding (MOUs) while the finer points of a contract are finalized, the news did spark some concern. And that concern is evidently something Moore sought to downplay.

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“I’m committed to Michigan, they’re committed to me. I am getting paid and I am — I am under contract. So we’re in a good place,” Moore said.

The specific “under contract” language Moore used might not be perfectly precise, as Manuel had confirmed to MLive that the parties were working from a MOU.

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Moore was hired by Michigan to replace Jim Harbaugh in January of 2024. At the time, he and Manuel both signed a memorandum of understanding for Moore to be the coach for five years and earn $30 million, terms that would be baked into the eventual contract.

Back in 2021, Harbaugh had signed a memorandum of understanding in January that preceded nine-month process to get a new contract officially signed. So, this time frame isn’t unheard of at Michigan.

“They just don’t happen overnight, and there are things that have popped up,” Manuel said. “But they’re being worked on. Sherrone knows our commitment to him; we know his commitment to us, and same thing with the assistant coaches.”

Moore has been at Michigan since 2018 when he joined the school as a tight ends coach. By 2023, he was the team’s offensive coordinator and filled in for Harbaugh in the final three games of the regular season when he was suspended, making Moore one of the most important coaches on the staff for its national championship run. When Harbaugh moved to the NFL, Moore made sense to earn the promotion to head coach.

As Manuel explained, the athletics at Michigan have been dealing with a lot of different issues lately and that has added to why signing the contract officially is taking time.

“They are being worked on as we speak,” Manuel said. “I’ve signed a couple of the assistant coaches (to contracts). We had not only a transition in football (but) we had a transition in basketball, we’re dealing with NCAA matters, we’re dealing with the situation with our apparel provider and bringing on Legends as shortly as Saturday. These things take time, the contracts.”

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.