Sherrone Moore: Michigan will be 'similar' to program under Jim Harbaugh, but 'I'm going to run it my way'
University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel hired a new football coach last week, but he’s similar to the old one, Jim Harbaugh, and he was a big part of what the program has become. Sherrone Moore was an assistant at Michigan for six seasons, most recently serving as offensive coordinator and line coach, before earning the promotion.
Moore is on the road recruiting, even taking his virtual interview with the Pat McAfee on his phone in the car. He was asked what questions he’s receiving from prospects and their families while on the trail, and his answer provided some insight into what the program will look like going forward.
“The biggest thing people want to know is how I’m going to run the program compared to Coach,” Moore said. “I’m going to run it my way. We’re still going to be tough, we’re still going to be smart, we’re going to be dependable, we’re going to be relentless in everything we do, continue the enthusiasm.
“The energy, for me, is a big piece of it. I want to be someone that the kids that can rely on, that can be a vessel for [them], to be open for them. My philosophy in coaching is, I coach hard, but I love harder — and they’re going to feel that.
“The program and how we’ve done it and how we’ve built it is going to be the same. There are going to be bits and pieces that are the same. I’m going to be me. I can’t be Coach. Don’t want to be Coach. Coach is his own person. I love him. I’ve got mad love for him and always will, and respect him and have learned so much for him. But I’m going to run the program my way.”
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It’ll still be Michigan football, but with Moore’s twist on it, just like Harbaugh’s was on the program the previous nine years.
“The toughness, the blue-collar mentality, how hard we work on the field, off the field, the academic standard,” Moore said of what will be similar. “Everything we do, we’re definitely going to present ourselves in a high-class manner and continue to do that the exact same way.
“As far as a football team, you want to keep that as similar as possible. The results speak for themselves. So, we want to continue to play at that high level with that physicality, with that toughness, and do everything in that manner.
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“But things on a day-to-day basis might be a little different, and as we go, we’ll figure out what those things are.”
Michigan is losing most of its starters on offense and some on defense, after winning the national championship last season. Moore is excited about some new blood playing key roles for the Wolverines and also pointed out that there was talent waiting in the wings behind veterans.
“It’s really exciting,” the Michigan coach said. “We knew that we were going to have an influx of guys that leave the program, and we knew that we’d have the chance to be really good this year. You never know how good, but players proved to be really good. I’m very excited about the guys we have behind them, and I think we have a really good group behind them ready to go and ready to compete and ready to go try to do it again.”
The Wolverines are 40-3 in their last 43 games dating back to 2021, and no program in the country has won more over the last two seasons. There’s pressure that comes with the Michigan job, but Moore isn’t focused on it.
“I try to really not look at the future too much of what’s going to happen, and really focus on today, because you can’t really control it,” he said. “Trying to worry about and stress about what’s going to happen next year or next game is not going to put us in a great position as a program, me, to be where we need to be. Just really focusing on today, and that’s it.”
