The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 21 Rod Moore makes certain to list his parents — Roderick Sr. and Janice Moore — in the list of credits. "It was really tough, mentally," Moore said. "After the first surgery I had, I thought I was going to … maybe not play, but be in a better position than I was coming back to that same time this year. I kind of leaned on my parents, teammates, and all my friends, keeping my spirits up. And really, God, and stay- ing positive with everything. Sometimes you'll come back on this journey and there are a lot of negatives — and I dealt with a lot of negatives. You can't let your emotions take over that, especially when you're trying to have a good day of prac- tice, and taking the next step every day. "I think it was just keeping in good spirits, and talking to the people who are really close to me in my circle." That circle begins with those who helped inject the no-quit spirit in him initially. "There were little conversations that popped up with my parents, like what can I do to stay positive and not quit," Moore said. "If you have a negative at- titude toward something like that, it's harder to come back from. It was them being in my ear every day, staying posi- tive. "It's probably from when I was a kid. There'd be something hard, when I was playing sports. I'd want to quit, and they wouldn't let me quit. I was doing some- thing bad at a sport, but they always told me, if you start something, you never quit. That's really when it started." FOCUS ON THE FUTURE Moore knows all about the why of his perseverance. He's locked in on a future that speaks success, both in the short and the long term. The clock is ticking on col- lege football, and he wants all he can get. "It's a lot," he said. "For one, I love the game of football. So, I just wanted to come back and play football again. Being raised in the household I was, with my mom and dad, not quitting, just keep pushing for- ward. Doing everything for my parents. They sent me here to come get an educa- tion and be successful. That's what I al- ways leaned on. "Then my grandma, who passed a couple of years back, I always told her I would go to the NFL. That's my why. One of my friends passed, as well. We always had a talk about being successful in sports. That's really what keeps me going, every day." He's determined that Michigan keep going as well. The loss at USC proved a gut punch, but Moore insisted he and his teammates carried the right mindset going forward. "Everybody on the team already has that attitude," he stressed prior to the home game with Washington. "We're 4-2 right now, six games into the season. We have six more opportunities to win out and go 10-2. It's not over. With the Playoff bigger now, there's still room for a team with two losses, especially if you went out and win the biggest game at the end of the year." The team at the end of the regular sea- son never seriously recruited the stal- wart safety from Dayton, Ohio. Since then, he's been a part of four straight wins over the Buckeyes, playing a key role in the 2022 and '23 victories, and encouraging endlessly throughout Michigan's stunner of a win in Colum- bus last year. He's kept a defiant outlook through- out, even casting a gaze back at the year he lost to injury. "If we work our a--es off, stay the course, and win the games we're sup- posed to win," Moore mused, prior to this season. "Shoot, go back to last year. We lost to frickin' Illinois, Washington. I can say we were supposed to lose to Texas and Oregon, but Texas was early, and we should have beaten Oregon, I don't care what anybody says. Just win the right games, and take it day by day. If you look forward, you're going to miss things that are right in front of you." Right in front of the Wolverines now lies a season to finish. For Moore, it's op- portunity. What it might bring in terms of wins and losses, or a shot at the NFL, nobody knows at this point. There's a constant involved, however. Come what may, he's not going to pack it in. ❏ Michigan Players From Ohio Serving As Buckeye Killers Michigan's winning streak against Ohio could reach five games come the end of Novem- ber. That would represent a career highlight for Michigan veterans, including grad safety Rod Moore. Here are a half-dozen Wolverines on the present roster and recent ones who came out of Ohio and helped to extend the streak. 1. Rod Moore, grad, safety, Dayton, Ohio: Moore's interception near the end of the 2023 contest won't soon be forgotten by fans on either side of the series. The pickoff not only locked down Michigan's 30-24 win, it sent the Wolverines forward in a national champion- ship run. 2. Jordan Marshall, sophomore, running back, Cincinnati, Ohio: Marshall made a 3-yard carry and returned kickoffs in Michigan's 13-10 shocker over the Buckeyes in Columbus last season. 3. A.J. Barner, 2023, tight end, Aurora, Ohio: Barner transferred in from Indiana for the national title season, contributing 2 catches for 25 yards, and he played on special teams against OSU in the national title year. 4. Erick All, 2021, tight end, Fairfield, Ohio: All snagged a 7-yard pass in Michigan's home win over the Buckeyes in 2021. 5. Joel Honigford, 2022, tight end, Sugarcreek, Ohio: Honigford appeared in U-M's win over the Buckeyes in Columbus in 2022. 6. Brad Robbins, 2022, punter, Westerville, Ohio: Robbins kept the Buckeyes bottled up in the Wolverines' 45-23 victory in the Horseshoe in 2022. He averaged better than 40 yards per punt, forcing 5 fair catches on 5 kicks. — John Borton ❱ Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore on Rod Moore "He's a coach on the field, he's a coach in the meeting room. You just feel his energy when he's on the field. It's different. It's special. Guys like him don't come along much."