Sherrone Moore details 'seamless transition' to co-coordinating with Matt Weiss

Michigan football will feature a different look offensively this year, at least in how it is coordinated. Offensive line coach Sherrone Moore and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss take on co-coordinator duties after Josh Gattis departed this offseason for Miami.

Moore and Weiss’ dynamic is still being worked out, but it is going to be a collaborative process between the two. So far, so good with spring football in full swing.

“Seamless transition, just because we all know each other, we know each other’s voice, we know each other’s thoughts, we know how we work together,” Moore said during a Wednesday media availability. “Very good and very fluid and been a lot of fun for us.”

Weiss is in his second year with the program after coming over from the Baltimore Ravens last offseason. He coached the quarterbacks in 2021 and his analytic aptitude is welcomed on the coaching staff.

“He’s cerebral,” Moore said. “He’s like Goldeneye in there, he’s always looking for different ways to get better. Pushes us, pushes me, so it’s exciting, we love it. We’ve got a great dynamic of how we work. Just excited to keep progressing and make this offense the best it’s ever been.”

One of the things that Michigan’s coordinators will be tasked with is not only continuing the balanced success of 2021 but also peeling back new layers. Moore is looking forward to the opportunity to put the ball in the hands of the playmakers.

“We have the ability to change,” Moore said. “We’ll do some things that are the same and some things that are different. But, ultimately, it’ll be about what our players can do and what they’re best at. We’ll continue to put our playmakers in a place to make plays.”

Michigan’s offensive line spots up for grabs

Moore has the bones of college football’s best offensive line in 2021 returning for this season. Ryan Hayes, Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter are locked into three of the five spots in the lineup. A battle rages on at right tackle, where the Michigan assistant sees progress through spring football. A pair of fourth-years lead the way with Trente Jones is in front and Karsen Barnhart competing.

“Trente has had an outstanding seven practices,” Moore said. “He’s been really, really good. Karsen has had really good practices, too. Trente just has the edge right now, but we’ll see. We’ve got a long ways until we hit August, hit September, so if they keep pushing each other, everyone keeps pushing each other, competition is healthy and fun.”

Michigan has a leadership void to fill with Andrew Vastardis and Andrew Steuber moving on. Zinter is a player that is mentioned as a potential leader heading into his third year on the line.

“He had a really good practice yesterday, but he’s taking the next steps,” Moore said. “Trying to get him more of a leader because, as a sophomore, with two older guys like V and Stueber, he didn’t feel like he needed to be the leader, but now trying to push those guys to be leaders. So he’s done a tremendous job and it’s been good to have him there.”

The left side of the line is relatively stable with Hayes and Keegan holding down the tackle and guard spots, respectively. Moore says he feels great about what Michigan has returning there.

“Those guys obviously had a really good year, especially were together last year,” he said. “You can kinda see the growth when you see two guys that have played together for a long time or even one year, what it looks like. They’re very confident. Sometimes they do things than I don’t want them to do but is actually right, because they just trust each other what to do. So that’s been really good. We all know that at any point, if you don’t execute, your job can be taken. So they still execute at a high level so it’s been really good.”

A battle at center

Replacing Vastardis and what he brought is no easy task. However, Michigan feels it has a plug-and-play solution potentially available in Olu Oluwatimi, who was a Rimington Award finalist at Virginia last year. He is not being handed the job and will be in competition with sophomore Greg Crippen.

“Right now, it’s still working,” Moore said. “Still trying to figure out — it’s been good. Olu’s done a great job for us. He’s come in, got assimilated very fast. He did a lot of studying when I was out on the road and when I came back. Crippen’s been doing a great job for us, too, so excited to see as those two go how it keeps going.

Some believe that Oluwatimi could be preparing instead for the NFL Draft, so that he is in competition may be a surprise. However, Michigan is confident in the player it brought in.

“Experience [is what stands out], first of all,” Moore revealed. “He’s big, he’s strong. He’s played a lot of football and he’s very, very smart. Hard worker, he just goes about his business. He’s been great for us, very excited about his future here. Just keep progressing every day with him.”