Sherrone Moore: Elite line play is now ‘the standard’ at Michigan … talks center battle, more

When Sherrone Moore took over the Michigan offensive line duty, he had yet to coach it anywhere else. He played the position in college, but nobody knew how it would translate. 

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They know now.

Moore has become one of the top young coaches in the country, both as a line coach and a coordinator, having led Michigan’s line to back-to-back Joe Moore Awards for top line in the country. He’s got an experienced and talented group returning in year three and a chance for a threepeat if all goes well. 

“Now it’s just the standard — not necessarily winning the award every year, but the level of play,” Moore told Jon Jansen on his recent In the Trenches podcast. “We feel like we’ve raised the standard, raised the bar, and kind of brough it back to the Michigan lines of old … the great O-lines that have been here. 

“That was my No. 1 goal when I took over the position.I told our guys that the standard we’re holding ourselves to is not accountable to the greats that have played here. That’s really what we’re trying to do and what we’ve been doing the past two years, and that’s not going to change.”

Especially this year, he said. The Wolverines have enough talent to field two No. 1 lines — that’s not hyperbole — and Moore believes it’s the deepest group he’s had yet.

“Easily,” Moore continued. “I think we’ve had really good lines in the past few years. The ‘21 year I thought the line was outstanding. I thought we had our weak points at times, especially in depth. Last year I thought we were a little bit better, and we showed it. 

“But this year I feel like both the first and potentially second — we just call them 1a and 1b  because we feel like both groups are ones. Everyone knows if you step in you’ve got to play to the same level. Whether you line up with the first group or the second group, you’re all starters. You’ve got to manage your way and attack it like that.”

Some expected a few to leave in the offseason given how crowded it has become. But as head coach Jim Harbaugh said in the offseason, more want to come than leave. That’s the state of the program and why LaDarius Henderson (Arizona State), Drake Nugent (Stanford), and Myles Hinton (Stanford) all jumped on board knowing the talent in the room. 

“Just what we build … the culture in the room, they all want to be part of it,” Moore said. “They don’t really want to leave. That’s really a credit to the players and what they’ve done … the standard they’re all holding themselves to. 

“The guys see that if they go somewhere else … they might not be held to that standard and won’t feel the same way. Everybody loves winning championships, beating those teams we know we’ve got to beat. They love to be part of that.”

Moore will continue to evaluate many positions on the Michigan line, starting at center

More importantly, Moore added, it’s a sign of what they’ve accomplished and the culture in the room. Two of the three portal additions were captains for their teams, giving him more leaders that have played a high level of football.

All three of them will compete for time this spring. 

But Moore also has several veterans returning who have waited their turn, as well, along with a pair of guards who could play anywhere in the country in Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter. Both chose to return after flirting with the NFL.

“I’m very, very close with those guys, so we talked a lot,” Moore said. “They leaned on me a lot. I was just open and honest with them. Like coach [Harbaugh] would tell them, explore, see what it looks like and understand if you were to come back, know the things we have in front of us. Both guys made decisions best not only for us, but the team.”

Behind them, junior Giovanni El-Hadi continues to push as one of the Big Ten’s top young linemen. He and Reece Atteberry, frosh Amir Herring, among others, have been patiently waiting and continue to improve. 

“It’s just continue to perfect his craft … study the game outside of football,” Moore said of what he can do to make up ground. “Not just in the building, but as much as you can outside. 

“All of these guys have really bought into that. I get text messages and calls at night about stuff they’re watching. It’s crazy sometimes … dude, it’s 11:30 and you’re texting about this? But that’s what I want, and that’s what they’re doing. I think Gio … one, it’s just follow those guys and watch what they’ve done to get to level they’re at. Two, be patient, understand your time as the guy will come. Three, perfect the craft and attack every day.”

The same can be said for the centers, he added. Both Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson had “outstanding springs,” Moore said, and have matured mentally.

“But more importantly, physically,” Moore continued. “I watched both of them walk into spring ball … first of all, their backs. [Strength] coach Herb [Ben Herbert] emphasizes that so much. Their shoulders, how wide they are, but also how much more fast twitched and confident they are. 

“I think both of those guys had really, really good springs inside. I’m very excited about their futures and what they did.”

At tackle, Henderson, Jeff Persi, and others will battle Trente Jones and Karsen Barnhart to play or start.

“It’s tight. It’s going to be fun,” Moore said. “Fall camp is going to be super fun.

“Last year was a battle until the end. Trente started, got hurt, then Karsen never let it go. Right now it’s up in the air, who is going to be the starting tackle. I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. I know we’ve got four dudes, five that could start anywhere in the country.”

The same can be said for many positions, a luxury the coach won’t take for granted.

“I’m just excited to figure out how the pieces fall,” he said. 

We’ll all know in just a few more months.