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Sherrone Moore on Michigan GM Sean Magee: 'He's been outstanding for us'

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•04/18/25•

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Sherrone Moore
Michigan Wolverines football head coach Sherrone Moore ahead of his team's win over MSU. (Photo by Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Sherrone Moore took the job as the Michigan Wolverines football head coach in January 2024 and soon thereafter identified the need to hire a general manager. He pinpointed Sean Magee — who had been an administrator with the program from 2017-21 — as the man for the job. Magee, who spent two years as the chief of staff for the Chicago Bears from 2023-24, had other options but wanted to return to U-M.

Michigan’s recruiting efforts have kicked into overdrive, with Moore, Magee and Co. landing the No. 6 class in 2025, highlighted by No. 1 overall recruit and five-star+ quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Joining On3’s J.D. PicKell on The Hard Count, Moore discussed what Magee has brought to the Michigan program.

“When I first got the job, it was just a thought process of forward thinking of knowing where the world is and what we have to do to be successful in this space,” Moore said. And we have to adapt — we always say, ‘adapt or die.’

“He was the first person that came to mind. I previously worked with him here, I knew the kind of work that he did when he was here and what his goals were of what he wanted to be. He was my first call for that position, and it was very easy for me to make that decision.

“He’s been outstanding for us and helped us in so many ways and been such an impactful player for this team and for us to build this roster.”

Roster building is extremely difficult in today’s college football, especially with the upcoming approval of the House v. NCAA settlement. The Wolverines have become a major player with pay-for-play through their NIL collective, revenue sharing is coming this year and roster caps may be implemented.

While Michigan is embracing the new landscape, Moore still wants to build strong relationships and bring in culture fits.

“The biggest piece is you have to have those same conversations with recruits that you’ve always had,” Moore said. “And if the first thing they’re asking about is how much money they’re going to make, it’s probably not the type of player you want.

“Every family is going to ask about that at some point in a conversation because it’s just part of college football now. You have to have a way to take advantage of it and have a way to make sure that you have a plan for each player that comes in, that’s here, and that they can see the value and what’s gonna happen.

“But at the same time, if that’s all you’re worried about, then we’ve got a problem. We’ve got to have a standard that you want to play for this university, you want to play for Michigan, you want to wear the maize and blue, be a part of this culture, be a part of this tradition. If that’s not the case, then we probably need to look at why that’s not the case. And if you really don’t want to be a part of this culture and it’s all about money, then you probably don’t need to come here.

“That has to be a part of our standard and how we built it. That’s what Jim did, and we built a pretty successful program here. And obviously, we’ve had the changes and have had to adapt because of things that change with the college football landscape.

“So for us that’s always going to be a piece of it of, you gotta want to play here, you gotta want to be a part of this thing, because when it’s 3rd and 1 in that snowy, rainy game or it’s 3rd and 10 and you’re covering the best receiver or whatever it is, you gotta want to be in that situation.

“And then the way we practice, man — we practice physical, we practice hard, so it’s gonna get tough. It can’t just be about the money — you gotta want to be here.”

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