The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 25 the first time Moore stepped in and stepped up in the absence of a head coach. Sure, Butler versus Coffeyville isn't Michigan-Ohio State, but the feeling's the same, Jirgens stressed. And when Moore performed for Butler as a lanky offensive lineman, both schools were top-five nationally in the junior college rankings. In fact, head coach Troy Morrell guided the Grizzlies in nine national title contests during his tenure at the El Dorado, Kan., football dynamo. Moore helped protect quarterback Zac Taylor, now head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. During a particular showdown week, a motivating story came out demeaning the Butler staff, Jirgens recalled. "There was a story that came out that the Coffeyville offensive line coach was better than what Troy and I were," Jirgens recalled. "Coffeyville was our huge rival. We had a particularly poor day at practice, and I lost my mind in the meeting room, watching tape. Troy and I walked out." They didn't walk away, though. That's not what happens during a rivalry week. The coaches remained intensely interested in how their charges would react to the emotion of the moment. "We peeked back around the corner, and the guys had stayed," Jirgens noted. "Sher- rone was leading the meeting. That Satur- day, we ran the ball for roughly 300 yards against Coffeyville, which was ranked in the top five in the country. "It's like you guys and Ohio State. You don't wear red, you don't have anything that says Ohio on it. Nothing. That was our 'love' for Coffeyville." Moore's love for football and his team- mates matched Butler's disdain for Cof- feyville, Jirgens assured. "In practice when guys sloughed off, Sherrone would be the first one to chew them, and the first one to pat them when they did well," Jirgens said. "If one of our guys scored, he's down there, picking them up." Working His Way Up Moore arrived at Butler already well im- mersed in motivation, discipline and foot- ball savvy, not only from Derby (Kan.) High School coach Tom Young — whom Jirgens describes as "a helluva coach," but also from his parents. "They are very, very disciplined," Jirgens observed. "Both his folks are military. His dad was a master sergeant, and his mom was a nurse. Sherrone was very cognizant about not only what was going on with football, but what was going on with the world. He'd come in and talk to his coaches, because his dad was getting deployed. "As a player, Sherrone would always