Inside early spring practices at Michigan: 'Not satisfied' mentality, breakout players, more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football held its first spring practice Monday and hit the field again Wednesday. Simultaneously, there are a lot of similarities and differences in the program from 2023 to this year.

• The head coach still wears a skinny ‘M’ on his hat, but it’s Sherrone Moore sporting it now, not Jim Harbaugh.

• Glick Fieldhouse is lined with banners from championships past but has two new additions, with the Wolverines winning the Big Ten for the 45th time and their 12th-ever national title.

• Over 20 players and a slew of coaches have departed the program for the professional ranks, but there’s still a strong core returning.

Moore is settling in as Michigan’s head man, taking over for one of the program’s all-time legends as both a player and coach. He’s been a bit more behind the curtain as he’s started out. Moore says it’s by design, but it’s also because 1) he’s not Harbaugh, one of the most well-known names in football and 2) the Wolverines are coming off winning the national championship. He’s in a much different spot than Harbaugh was when he took over in 2015.

“I don’t want the attention on me; I want it on my players,” the Michigan coach said. “Everything that has to do with the players, that’s what it’s all about. I’m going to stay low, hidden as much as I can, and let the players get the credit and the limelight and allow them to flourish. And work as hard as I can in the background to make sure they’re successful.”

Among his other qualities that include his offensive mind and ability to coach the offensive line, Moore has been known for his work ethic. That looked different as an assistant coach, though. His responsibilities have evolved now that he’s in charge of the entire program, the challenges grown.

“The biggest thing is I don’t get to watch as much football as I used to,” Moore said with a smile. “I was deeply entrenched in the meeting room — door closed, music on, candle lit. And that was it — it was ball all the time. Players were coming in and out. It’s just different, dealing with all the other things. It’s been fun, though. I love every minute of it. I wouldn’t want to do it at any other place.”

Sherrone Moore impressed with mentality of his Michigan team

It’s natural for there to be a letdown and some complacency after reaching great heights with last year’s national championship, but Moore said those haven’t seeped in with his Michigan squad.

“Probably the maturity and the level of satisfied, but not satisfied,” Moore said of what’s stood out about his group. “They want more. They feel … they’ve always got that chip on their shoulder. You win the natty, you would think people would be so satisfied with, ‘We won the natty. That’s it.’ That’s not it. We want more. That’s gonna be what we keep doing. Not trying to make it a pun on my name at all, either, by the way. That’s just what they want.

“They want it all. They want to continue to win. They know what it feels like to win, and they’re going to work their tails off to continue to do that and carry on the tradition of Michigan.”

Having returning players that knew what it took to win it all — and were a big piece of why Michigan did so — like senior running back Donovan Edwards, junior cornerback Will Johnson, senior safety Rod Moore, junior defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — has been a key piece.

“For us, to have the nucleus of players that are coming back to lead … you’ve seen guys step up in leadership roles,” the Michigan coach explained.

Seeing Edwards’ growth puts a smile on Moore’s face.

“Probably, for me, the coolest part is to watch a guy like Donovan Edwards become a leader on the team and take action on and off the field,” he said. “It’s been awesome to watch him. It’s crazy to think that he’s a senior now. I remember his recruiting video, when he had his hat in the winer and his big, puffy jacket on. We were just wishing and hoping that we’d get Donovan — we kind of knew.

“But for him, guys like him, guys like Rod Moore, Will Johnson, Colston Loveland — a younger guy, and Will is a younger guy — Mason, Kenneth, all of those guys taking leadership roles, that’s really the piece that’s helped us. We’ve found that the best teams are the player-led teams, and that’s the kind of team we want.”

Players that have impressed Sherrone Moore so far

Michigan needs others to step up, too, and spring is a great time for that process to begin. The Wolverines have top-end talent on defense but are attempting to build more depth, and Moore has liked what he’s seen from a pair of players at two different spots, cornerback and EDGE.

“[Michigan sophomore corner] DJ Waller [Jr.] played a little bit last year, but he’s been awesome,” Moore said. “He’s been super impressive — super long, super athletic. I think he’s going to be a phenomenal player.

“[Fellow sophomore cornerback] Jyaire Hill — we call him ‘Sug.’ He’s phenomenal. He made two big plays yesterday. He’s been awesome.

“There’s a countless number of guys who have really stood out. Obviously, the guys that you’d think — the Colstons [junior tight end Colston Loveland], the Masons, the Donovans, all those guys, the quarterbacks are all competing and playing at a high level that’s been bumped up.

“It’s pretty cool to watch those two young guys really flourish. Those guys got some playing time, but it’s cool to see.”

At EDGE, senior TJ Guy and sophomore Enow Etta have flashed. Guy has waited his turn in a very deep room but is emerging. He’s made some plays late in games throughout his career, including with sacks against Maryland in 2021 and versus Michigan State in 2023. Etta, meanwhile, redshirted last season, playing in just three contests.

“TJ Guy is one who’s had a really good first two days, and then Enow Etta, super excited about what he can do,” Moore said.

Moore wouldn’t comment on breakout players on Michigan’s offensive line. He’s the head coach now, but he’ll always be an offensive lineman himself, having played the position at Oklahoma and coached it the previous three seasons at U-M.

“I reserve judgment on the offensive line, like I always did, until the pads come on. They get mad at me for that, but that’s OK,” he said with a smile.”