Michigan safety Rod Moore 'in a good place' with recovery, will be 'Coach Rod' for now

Michigan Wolverines football senior safety Rod Moore has been crucial in some of the program’s biggest wins in recent history, including when he sealed a 30-24 victory over Ohio State to cap off an undefeated 2023 regular season. Moore suffered a torn ACL this March, though, and will now have to make his presence felt in a different way.

Clearly, he’s off to a good start, with his teammates voting him one of four team captains, along with senior running back Donovan Edwards, senior fullback / tight end Max Bredeson and graduate safety Makari Paige.

Moore underwent surgery in April and spent some time rehabbing in California, before jumping back in to the Michigan program and impacting as a coach of sorts. He’s been praised by coaches and teammates alike for his positive attitude through a difficult situation.

For the time being, that’ll be Moore’s role.

“I think it could be potentially both, player and coach Rod,” Moore said of this season. “We’ll see how it goes in the future, as far as player-wise. But for now, I’m Coach Rod, continuing to push the guys going forward.

“I’m in a good place. Recovery is going good. We’re kinda just attacking it each and every day, physically. My leg is getting stronger. I’m walking just fine, you can see, so that’s the good thing about it.”

Moore added that there isn’t a timetable on his return yet.

The Clayton, Ohio, native is honored to be a Michigan captain, and he has high expectations for the Maize and Blue in 2024.

“It feels great,” Moore said. “It’s a feeling I can’t explain. I didn’t think growing up that I was going to be a captain at the University of Michigan.

“I expect a lot from this team. We have a great schedule, great opponents, and I expect us to go do what we did last year — go back to back.”

Moore has helped younger players and incoming transfers transition into the program.

“You gotta control what you can control and attack it,” the Michigan safety noted. “Whatever it is that’s in front of you, just attack it that way. Kinda just pushing everybody and getting the best out of them, because that’s what I would want from somebody if they were in my position.”

Moore was a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023, appearing in 12 games with 11 starts. He logged 38 tackles, including 1 for loss, and 2 interceptions.

How Rod Moore tore his ACL, processed the injury

Moore had big plans, big ideas for himself in 2024. He opted to return to Michigan rather than take the jump to the NFL. After getting off to a slow start due to a knee injury in 2023, Moore was ready to prove himself this fall.

“I cried, I ain’t gonna lie, because this was a season that was really on the schedule — I circled it,” Moore said. “It was a season that I wanted to come out and show who I really was as a player. Especially as a leader, too.

“Truthfully, at first it was really hard, especially going down in the spring. I wanted to get better; that was the time for me to get better. I took some time to myself, and my family told me that I just have to take this and turn it into a positive and just look at the bright side of everything. And I just took my role of being a leader and vocal guy and pushed forward from there.”

Moore recalled the play in which he went down.

“It was in practice, and it was a special teams drill,” he said. “I was running down, and somebody was coming full speed this way and I was trying to slow down. I just planted, and it felt weird. I was like, ‘What was that?’ I put my leg back down, and it gave out on me. I got the MRI, and it said it was a torn ACL.”

The Michigan standout said it took some time to process.

“I would say it probably took me a month to really realize like, OK, this is the situation that you’re in, you’re going to have to deal with it and go forward,” he stated. “Ever since then, it’s just been great. I went out to Cali for a couple weeks for my rehab and stuff, so that was really good for me, especially to get away and get my mind off of football a little bit. And then coming back and refocusing, it’s been good ever since then.”