Michigan Football: Three things we learned about Sherrone Moore in Year 1

Chris Breiler | Jan 6, 2025

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2024 season for the Michigan Wolverines was a season of ups and downs. And while the low points certainly raised some eyebrows in Ann Arbor, the high points have left everyone feeling a tremendous sense of optimism for the future of the program under head coach Sherrone Moore. Now that the 2024 season has officially come to a close, here are three things we learned about Moore in his first year as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

1. He's a phenomenal recruiter

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In spite of the fact that Michigan failed to qualify for the 12-team playoff in 2024, Sherrone Moore put together another top 10 recruiting class nationally in his first year as head coach. Moore's first recruiting class is headlined by five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall prospect nationally in the 2025 class. Underwood is joined by five-star offensive lineman Andrew Babalola, the No. 2 overall offensive tackle in the nation. Add in other elite recruits like cornerback Shamari Earls, wide receiver Andrew Marsh, and defensive lineman Nathaniel Marshall, it's clear that Moore and his staff are fully capable of competing with any program in the country on the recruiting trail.

Oh, and his willingness to fully embrace the wild world of NIL is also quite helpful.

Here's a look at all of Michigan's top 10 recruiting class composite rankings over the last 10 seasons, including the top player in each class:

• 2016 composite: No. 8 - Rashan Gary (Harbaugh)
• 2017 composite: No. 5 - Donovan Peoples-Jones (Harbaugh)
• 2019 composite: No. 8 - Daxton Hill (Harbaugh)
• 2020 composite: No. 10 - Braiden McGregor (Harbaugh)
• 2022 composite: No. 9 - Will Johnson (Harbaugh)
• 2025 composite: No. 9 - Bryce Underwood (Moore)

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2. He's not afraid to make difficult decisions

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sometimes coaches can be loyal to a fault, almost to the point where that loyalty is actually counterproductive to team success. That isn't Sherrone Moore. Make no mistake, Moore has a ton of loyalty to the guys who make up his staff and his roster, but he also proved that he's willing to make difficult decisions if he thinks it will help the team.

As an example, look no further than the quarterback situation throughout the 2024 season. Moore began the season by awarding the starting job to senior QB Davis Warren, who won the head-to-head battle over Alex Orji during fall camp. But as Warren continued to struggle with ball security through the first three games of the season (tossing six interceptions), Moore made the switch to Orji heading into the Week 4 matchup against USC. Orji was given plenty of opportunities to jumpstart the struggling Michigan offense, but his limitations as a passer became evident after just nine quarters as the starter. In Michigan's first road matchup against Washington in Week 6, Moore made the switch to seventh year veteran Jack Tuttle. But after a solid performance against the Huskies, Tuttle's disastrous performance a week later against Illinois forced Moore to go back to square one - naming Davis Warren as the starter for the remainder of the season.

In an ideal world, you wouldn't need to cycle through three different starting quarterbacks through eight games. But given the struggles that were taking place at the position, it became clear that Moore wasn't afraid to make difficult decisions in an effort to improve the results... and that's encouraging.

Another example of this is with former offensive coordinator, Kirk Campbell. Moore and Campbell obviously developed a close working relationship having served on Harbaugh's staff together in previous years, but Michigan's offense often looked sluggish and lacked the type of explosiveness that's necessary to compete at the highest level in today's college football. After serving just one season as the offensive coordinator, Moore made the difficult decision to move on from Campbell after the 2024 season.

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3. He's the right man for the job

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Whenever you lose a legendary head coach like Jim Harbaugh, you wonder what type of impact that will have on a football program. Early on, it looked like there were some serious concerns with the Wolverines as they struggled to become bowl eligible for much of the season. Poor performances against Texas, Washington, Illinois, and Indiana had many within the fanbase questioning if Moore was the right hire - with some going as far as to call for Moore to be fired. That feels like a lifetime ago at this point.

Michigan closed out the 2024 season with two massive wins against No. 2 Ohio State and No. 11 Alabama, proving that the championship culture in Ann Arbor is still alive and well. It also proved that Michigan got it right with the hiring of Moore. The foundation of Michigan's success from 2021-23 consisted of a physical and mental toughness, with all of the guys in the locker room being bought in and pulling in the same direction. In spite of the struggles throughout the season, you could see those same traits in the 2024 squad - and Moore deserves a ton of credit that.

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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