Sherrone Moore: This is what changed Michigan football after 2020

The 2020 Michigan football season was a write-off, essentially. The Wolverines missed a lot of practice due to COVID-19, had games canceled and key players sit out the games that were played, including three in the NFL. 

RELATED: Michigan football, the 3-2-1 — Thoughts at the start of spring camp

RELATED: Michigan football 3 spring football storylines: Wide Receivers

That said, something was obviously wrong with the culture. Receiver Ronnie Bell, edge Aidan Hutchinson … they all talked about it as though the memory were a nightmare. Bell flat out said this year there were some guys who needed to move on (they did) and that those who stayed were going to be held to a higher standard. 

Several, us included, have credited Jim Harbaugh’s coaching hires for the change, and it certainly played a part. But offensive line coach/coordinator Sherrone Moore credited his players more than anyone for the change. 

“We knew the talent we had … knew the players, and we knew what we had, the ability our players had,” Moore said. “So just helping them, putting them in the position to develop the mentality, really the culture and everything and the brotherhood was built by the players. They bonded together and said, ‘you know what? You don’t want to be here, don’t be here. But you guys that are going to be here are going to work like this. This is how we’re going to do it; this is how we’re going to prepare. This is how we’re going to fight, and this is how we’re going to play.’

“That really carried over from then until now.”

Even then, Moore admitted, he didn’t envision the success they’d have the next two seasons. They had goals and aspirations and tried to envision what it could be, but with both the offensive line and the team, they exceeded his expectations … and they were extremely high to begin with.

“You see things in the future, what you want, but never did I think we’d go back-to-back and win the Joe Moore Award,” Moore said. “That’s a credit to the players; that’s a credit to everybody in the building, not just the players in my room, but every other room, too. That’s what that award is all about, and what they’ve done and what they’ve put on film. It’s very exciting, and I’m excited about the progress we’re still making.”

Moore, Jim Harbaugh were committed to physicality

To do it, they got back to head coach Jim Harbaugh’s roots, which Moore has always embraced. A former offensive lineman himself, Moore was all aboard when the Wolverines entered the 2021 season with more of a commitment to the running game. 

The offensive linemen were too, of course. 

“The physicality and what we do is what coach’s identity is, and it’s really my identity, as well,” Moore said. “So that’s what’s meshed, and it’s meshed so well because one, we’ve got the best head coach in the country, but he lets us be us. He lets us coach how we want; he lets the players play how they want and allows me to develop the identity of this room. 

“What we’ve tried to do in our building is let the team know and understand the offensive line are the leaders of the team. We run the team, and I think that mentality was really taken upon the team and helped us get to where we are today … our players developing that mindset of physicality, which they had, but a lot of things fundamentally you’ve got to get better at, and that’s what we did.”

They were embarrassed, Moore admitted. The goal was to do everything in their power to make sure that wouldn’t happen again … to let everyone know that was not the identity of Michigan football. 

It was a learning experience for all of them. None of them wanted to have that feeling again, and the beginning of spring 2021 was a new beginning.

“We pushed ourselves through and changed the atmosphere of what we are and who we are as Michigan football. We don’t ever want to go through that again,”Moore continued. “You mention that to the players and coaches … you’ve kind of got this thing on your shoulder you never want to feel again.

“I learned as a coach and a player a long time, if your life is right off the field, it will be right on the field. Whether it’s making your bed, cleaning your room, going to class, getting good grades. Doing the right things and following the Lord, which we all do … those are the things that really helped us and pushed us to make sure that now you can focus on the things on the field and make sure you’re really good at football.”

When you don’t have those distractions off the field, Moore added, it makes it a lot easier to get better at what you really want to do — get better results on the field. That s what they’ve done and continue to do, making them likely favorites to win a third Big Ten title in a row.