Drake Nugent details Michigan HC Sherrone Moore's philosophy: 'It's all built on trust'
This time last year, Michigan Wolverines center Drake Nugent was earning his way into the starting lineup after transferring in from Stanford. Now, he just wrapped his time at the 2024 NFL Combine after a successful year that culminated in a national championship.
Nugent discussed his path through Ann Arbor and being on the doorstep of the NFL during the showcase in Indianapolis over the weekend.
“I knew they had a lot of guys coming back, upperclassmen and all the defensive guys,” Nugent said. “It was kind of a perfect fit. And I went on my official just to hang out with the guys really. I knew immediately that I could be a part of the room, and they’re my kind of dudes. So, I enjoyed my time with them, and I knew that we were going to have a hell of a year as soon as I got there.”
During the combine, Michigan’s offensive line prospects were praised for their advanced knowledge of the game. Nugent felt it too, and thinks that now-head coach Sherrone Moore did a wonderful job preparing them for success.
“From an X’s and O’s standpoint, I think Coach Moore did a great job,” Nugent said. “He was the OC too, so he kind of knew what we were going to call and stuff. But I think he did a great job of giving us the reason why we’re running certain things, certain looks, why we’re doing certain drills to prepare ourselves in the week for the game.
“It was like giving us the tools and insight why he’s calling certain things. And I feel like he almost turned us into offensive coordinators ourselves, in a sense, just because of how he approached each meeting and coached us up during those meetings.”
Moore earned an opportunity to be the head coach at Michigan and Nugent was proud to see him get the job, even if it seemed like a formality.
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“I was so happy for the guy,” Nugent said. “I was sitting in my room in Dallas and everyone kind of knew it was going to be him. But to just to finally see him get that title was awesome. All credit to coach Harbaugh too. He did a great job, but Coach Moore earned his stripes. He was always in the room working with us. He was always in the film room late at night, early in the morning. I couldn’t be more happy for the guy.”
Moore’s ability to explain the goal of each drill or playcall is what endeared him most to Nugent, who felt an enormous amount of trust with the man leading the position group and calling Michigan’s plays on offense.
“I think it just creates a lot of trust,” Nugent said. “Especially for me going in there, like I was a new guy around the offense, especially at center. I’m making a lot of the calls. But he still trusted me a lot to make the right ones. He kind of gave me the ability to kind of direct that line a lot, which I loved.
“I think it’s just all built on trust and the guys that love him to death, they all trust him. They trust his play calling, even all of our trick play. At times during the game, he would just throw out trick plays versus Purdue and Indiana and we’re already up big. It’s just creating moments like that where guys are into it and loving the game and playing for the guy they love.”
