Sherrone Moore quick-hitters: Michigan QB Jack Tuttle's backup, bye week improvements, Illinois, more

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore met with the media Monday morning ahead of his team’s game against Illinois this weekend. Here are bullet points on the most noteworthy things he said.

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Sherrone Moore quick-hitters

• Michigan fifth-year senior left tackle Myles Hinton, junior EDGE Derrick Moore and senior center Dominick Giudice are all “trending in the right direction” after missing the last game with injuries. Moore expects all of them to practice Monday. He said that senior center Greg Crippen, who started at Washington in replacement of Giudice, appears to be on track to cementing himself as a full-time starter.

• In addition, Moore said that senior Jeffrey Persi, who opened the game at left tackle, is competing at other spots, most likely alluding to right tackle. He said there’s “always competition.”

• Watching the film of the 27-17 loss to Washington, Moore said the “little things” hurt Michigan offensively, and taking bad “angles” hindered the defense’s ability to make plays and prevent explosive plays. He said fundamentals were lacking.

• During the bye week, Michigan worked on fundamentals and technique. “The little things make the big things,” Moore said. He noted that the team practiced Sunday after having Friday and Saturday off, and he was pleased with how it went.

• Sophomore cornerback Jyaire Hill needs more “confidence.” Moore noted that he’s played well on big stages before, but having more confidence and using better technique will help him in the future.

• Graduate quarterback Jack Tuttle had already been a leader before taking over the quarterback job in the Washington game. Moore noted that he has a lot of experience.

• Moore called Tuttle on the phone the day after he turned the ball over twice in the Washington game, just to let him know that the team is “confident in him.”

• It wasn’t a “crash course” to get Tuttle up to speed before the clash at Washington, since he had been in meetings and out on the practice field despite not being able to actually practice. Timing with receivers and even on handoffs were things that had to come along, though.

• Moore didn’t commit to who Michigan’s backup quarterback will be, but did say that junior Alex Orji will “have a role.” He also listed senior Davis Warren as in the mix.

• Moore was asked if the program is still having “fun” despite having lost two games already this season, and he said “you gotta enjoy this, you can’t dread this.” He explained that there were non-fun times in the past even when Michigan was losing, too, so it’s not as if they haven’t been challenged before.

• Senior safety Rod Moore is “still progressing,” but Moore said he can’t speak on an exact timeline for his return.

• Moore said if one watches the film, they’ll notice that Michigan isn’t blitzing more than past seasons. He said the pass defense has come down to the “little things,” and that they can’t point fingers while searching for solutions.

• Michigan general manager Sean Magee is working on the roster for the future, “compiling names and data” for both college and high school players. He said they’re doing a “good job” with the 2025 recruiting class and will “continue to bring in the pieces needed to help immediately to replace and do things and sustain the success that we need to get.” Moore said Magee has done a really good job of managing the numbers and the roster, adding that they will have to get down to 105 players before next season due to the impending House vs. NCAA settlement. He said Magee is “forward-thinking” while the coaches do “the football stuff.”

• Michigan has only one freshman, linebacker Cole Sullivan, who’s burned his redshirt so far. Moore said that wasn’t by design, it’s all about who’s “ready” to impact now.

• Moore told the team after the loss to Washington that it was time for coaches and players alike to “evaluate.” The bye week allowed the coaches to self scout.

• Michigan alum and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said he would sign a future U-M quarterback to a hefty NIL deal. He’s also said that he’s spoken to Moore about it. Asked about Portnoy’s public comments, Moore said he doesn’t want to comment about it at this time.

• The bye week was “much needed” after Michigan’s trip to Washington. Moore noted that they set up the schedule to resemble a night game in the Eastern time zone (it was a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff), but that they didn’t get home until 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

• Illinois is “well-coached” under head man Bret Bielema, along with being “tough” and “detailed.” Quarterback Luke Altmyer has gotten “so much better” from last season. Last week against Purdue, the Fighting Illini played more quarters coverage and two-high safety looks, even though they’re mostly a one-high team.

• More confidence and knowledge of the system will help Michigan junior wide receiver Amorion Walker see the field more, after having a 22-yard catch at Washington.