Would An MSU Win End Sherrone Moore's Michigan Career?
Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore had a pretty sweet deal.
No, I'm not talking about the five-year, $6 million per contract he inked in September. Moore inherited a Michigan team that had all of the makings of a winner. Not national championship, but very close. A roster that was about as good as it gets when it comes to stability.
The best cornerback in the country (Will Johnson), the best defensive lineman (Mason Graham), the best tight end (Colston Loveland), and one of the best running backs in Donovan Edwards. On top of that, a solid recruiting class. The culmination of solid recruiting classes, actually.
Moore inherited a national championship culture. Yes, Jim Harbaugh was gone. So too left JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil, Roman Wilson and other key players. But the foundation was still there. There was even talk this season's defense would be stronger.
With a powerful NIL collective backing Moore and a championship culture/foundation, plenty of star talent, basically no penalties from the NCAA over multiple scandals, and experience thanks to last season's stint at the helm -- all the first-year coach has to show is 4-3 record.
And that isn't a rising 4-3 record, like the Michigan State Spartans.
The Wolverines are fresh off of getting embarrassed by Illinois 21-7. The quarterback situation that has plagued them all season looks no better with Jack Tuttle. They are running out of options. The Spartans are clicking at the right moment, with a momentous victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Commanding is another word to describe the Spartans' win. Head coach Jonathan Smith is in his first year and he has the Spartans playing at a level above what they thought possible. Or perhaps they believed this all along -- they have world-class coaching. And Smith does what needs to be done.
Smith, with a 19-year-old quarterback, a patchwork offensive line, a banged-up defense and an 18-year-old as his best offensive weapon, will take the field in Ann Arbor on Saturday with a very good chance of winning. This was a team projected to win four, maybe five games at best.
The first year of a new regime trying to establish a new identity and culture for a program. A year of implementation, not evaluation.
Yet here we are. The Spartans are on the upswing, and their excitement in East Lansing is palpable. The Wolverines started on third base this season, and things get bleaker by the week.
Fans are already giving up. The heat is on athletic director Warde Manuel (who put Michigan in this spot in the first place). Moore and his staff seem to have no answers for it. It goes beyond poor quarterback play, too.
He was given the keys to a perfectly fine car. If he can't find a way to start it, who is at fault?
A loss against so-called "Little Brother" -- and potentially more on the horizon in No. 1 Oregon and the season-ending bout with No. 4 Ohio State (in the indomitable environment known as "the Horseshoe", no less), might just be enough to count Moore out before his reign even started.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
