Sherrone Moore quick-hitters: Michigan injuries, regression from last season, offensive line starters, more

Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore met with the media Monday afternoon ahead of his team’s game against Michigan State. Here are bullet points on the most noteworthy things he said.

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Sherrone Moore quick-hitters: Michigan State week

• “We’ll see as we practice this week,” was Moore’s response to what Michigan’s plan is at quarterback for the next game.

• Junior tight end Marlin Klein left the Illinois game with an injury. Moore said he thinks Klein will “get back into it tomorrow or Wednesday.” That’s positive news considering Klein was carted off and returned to the field in street clothes Saturday.

• The “execution on offense” and “turnovers” were the most disappointing aspects of Michigan’s 21-7 loss to Illinois last week. He said there has been some “good but not good enough” offensively. He said the Wolverines “have to take care of the football at all costs.”

• On the most disappointing aspect of the season so far, Moore said Michigan isn’t “happy with the record and the losses.” He wants the players to “be in a good place mentally, spiritually, so that’s where we are. We’re 4-3, but our job now is to get better to be 5-3 this week.”

• Michigan has been protecting the ball “way better in practice,” but it’s “not translating.”

• “We’ll see again this week” on junior cornerback Will Johnson‘s status, and fifth-year senior left tackle Myles Hinton, who’s missed the last two contests with an injury, “is trending in a really good direction.”

• Michigan’s punt game has “gotta be better” with more distance. Moore noted that senior Tommy Doman has been better with a higher yards per average mark in the past and that he must get back to that.

• “It’ll still be” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell calling plays, Moore said when asked if he’s considered taking over the duties.

• When asked how he’d explain the Michigan program’s regression in performance since last season, Moore harped on how the Wolverines must take care of the football. “I can say it tirelessly,” Moore said. He mentioned that last season the Wolverines hardly had any fumbles or interceptions.

• On signs of growth that he’s seen since the start of the season, Moore pointed to the defense bouncing back from being put in tough positions time and time again. He also said the defense tackled better against Illinois, and that sophomore cornerback Jyaire Hill had a bounce-back performance.

• The Michigan team is “down” about the Illinois loss but “excited” to play Michigan State. Moore said it’s a “big game” and a “state championship.” He said the players “take a lot of pride in keeping the Paul Bunyan Trophy here.”

• Asked if it’ll be difficult to keep players that won the national championship last season engaged after they’ve suffered their third loss of the 2024 campaign, Moore pointed to junior defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant playing hard until the end at Illinois, even down two scores in the fourth quarter. He said that “guys aren’t going to stop playing” just because of Michigan’s current record.

• Moore was asked why he didn’t add a quarterback from the transfer portal this offseason. Here was his response: “There are a lot of different factors and things that we can talk about, but ultimately for us right now, we gotta focus on today, focus on who we have on the roster and make sure that we can do everything we can to win.”

• Moore said the next game is a “huge game” because “we’re playing Michigan State.” He added that “everything is on the line” and that there’s a “lot of pride in the rivalry.”

• Graduate quarterback Jack Tuttle‘s arm strength is at “about 95 percent” of what it was before he was injured, Moore estimated.

• Asked what he wants to see out of Michigan freshman quarterback Jadyn Davis, Moore said, “just continue to learn the system, learn the play book, which I think he has done a good job of, and continue to improve his strength and his things in his tool box.” He said that he’s “definitely progressed.”

• Junior offensive lineman Andrew Gentry “played well overall” in his first career start. Moore mentioned that there were a “couple technique falters,” but that “you could see the effort, you could see the strain.” He said that he’ll continue to stay as the starter, as will senior Greg Crippen at center.