The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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28 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW end — [athletics director] Warde Manuel, the president, the fundraising and all the other things head coaches have to deal with. That's a challenge for guys who have never done it. "Sherrone can absolutely do it, and I think he'll do a really nice job. We're not going to know until a few years from now, when the dust starts to settle on this transition, and the staff is fully his. "That's not to say it's not now. It is. He owns the whole thing. But it's going to be a year or two before we find out how he handles all these new responsibilities, because it's so much different. I've heard from friends that are coaches over the years, that being a head coach is vastly different than being a position coach." It doesn't hurt having seen Moore in the middle of a national championship effort, Skene acknowledged. "That's why my expectation, and that of so many others, is that he's going to do well and he's the right hire," said Skene. "He was there, sitting right next to Jim in those staff meetings, developing the strategies, understanding the big deci- sions, being a part of those decisions and then making the play calls on the field. That's why I expect he'll do very well. "When you're around success and you see how it gets done, and you're part of it, when it's your turn to sit in the chair at the end of the table, the big head chair, you know what it looks like. You get to make the final decisions. Having been there before absolutely should help him. "He knows exactly what this looks like. He just has to keep it going." Skene himself turned it back to the Penn State game, in terms of getting an indicator on where the players stand con- cerning Moore. Many of them stepped up to say he needed to be the next head coach after Harbaugh departed. Onlook- ers saw why they felt that way amid the overflow of emotion in State College. "I saw one thing I always look for," Skene said. "After a game, when the team has had success, or maybe didn't have success. I always look to see if that coach is having a connection. Is there a bond between the coach and his players? "After the Penn State game, Sherrone had the emotional moment, and he was tearing up. In the biggest of moments, not just the offensive line, but multiple players were coming up and embracing him, hugging him. These are indicators that the players really, really like him and have strong feelings about him as a coach. I would expect that to be the same. "It's important that the head coach be able to press on guys, and push guys, but they also need to know the head coach cares about them. I get the feeling that these players know Sherrone cares about his guys. That's another thing that's a good indicator that he'll do well." Ready To Rumble As to those with much bigger misgiv- ings, Moore lifted the veil a bit earlier this summer in a speech at the Sound Mind, Sound Body Foundation event in Detroit. He told athletes in attendance that "your haters are holding their breath for you to fail. Your job is to make their asses suf- focate." He seems to sense in Michigan's re- turnees from a title run the sort of edge that can keep them competitive, despite massive personnel losses from the cham- pionship team. Moore noted he appreciates "the ma- turity and the level of not-satisfied. They want more. They always have that chip on their shoulders. "You would think people would be so satisfied that we won the natty, and that's it. That's not it. We want more. That's going to be what we keep doing. That's just what they want. They want it all. They want to continue to win. "They know what it feels like to win, and they're going to work their tails off to continue to do that and carry on the tradition for Michigan." Moore's a family man, with wife Kelli and young daughters Shiloh and Solei at home. Meanwhile, his work family sits atop the college football world. Having won the 2023 championship, coaches and players returning from that roster un- derstand what it takes to compete at the highest level. "I think it's huge," Moore said. "We all know the work and what it feels like to get to that point. We all know what it feels like. We all know what it took. "I think it's huge for us, huge for peo- ple that were in this building, huge for the people that saw it from the outside and especially the players that are here. They're the ones that are doing all the work." Moore is doing plenty himself, say those scrutinizing him on a regular ba- sis. Michigan football radio play-by-play man Doug Karsch has gotten up close and personal with the new boss, and he senses a calming assurance regarding Moore's decision-making ability. "Sherrone has told me stories about play calling that are fascinating, of the number of options you have at the line of scrimmage out of the same formation, based on the look a defense gives you," Karsch said. "At times, they took candy from a baby, because when a Michigan quarterback looks over a defense, they have a solution. Some of the bigger plays of the season were a result of looking at a defense and saying, 'We'll just do this,' or 'We'll just do that.' They made it look easy. "I want to see them do it with different personnel, because they had elite person- nel. Michigan has had some good play callers — but my early read is that Sher- rone is the smartest and best play caller that Michigan has had — ever. "There were times last year he was do- ing it while also serving as the O-line coach and the head coach. He was still looking at the menu and killing it against good defenses at the end of last year. "Taking that kind of smarts to the next level and giving him more bodes very well for Michigan. We won't know until it is fully his program, but I think it is aw- fully promising, in terms of what kind of coaching acumen this coach is bringing to the position at Michigan." The other half of Michigan's radio team, analyst Jon Jansen, knows what "It's important that the head coach be able to press on guys and push guys, but they also need to know the head coach cares about them. I get the feeling that these players know Sherrone cares about his guys. That's another thing that's a good indicator that he'll do well." DOUG SKENE, FORMER ALL-BIG TEN LINEMAN AT MICHIGAN