The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540586
20 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2025 He didn't have to wait long. Late in the third quarter against Wis- consin, with Michigan holding a 17-7 lead, Moore came streaking across the field to- ward the eastern sideline to pick off a ball heaved deep downfield by Badgers quar- terback Hunter Simmons. It wasn't just the safety himself feeling like he'd gotten reestablished after that one. "It feels like he's 100 percent," Sherrone Moore said. "I remember talking to him right before the game. He was like, 'I feel outstanding. I feel so good. I feel better than I've felt in a long time.' I think he's there. I think there's always going to be a little soreness, because you haven't played football in a year and a half, but to me, that looks pretty good. He's at a high level." Mentally, he's been there with the Wolverines all along. Voted a captain the past two seasons, Rod Moore provided a forceful voice for the defense even when he couldn't see the field. He also set an example for perseverance in the midst of deep disappointment. "I've learned a lot," his head coach said of him. "Young kids, they go through a lot of things, and people just want to quit. People just want to stop. He could have easily did it after the first setback. To watch a guy like this do what he's done — never give up, never quit, push, and support his teammates at a high level. Last year, I remember having him on the sideline. I heard somebody yelling at the defense, just going off. He was losing his mind. I thought, 'Damn, what coach is that?' "It was Rod, just ripping the whole de- fense. Everybody's laser-focused on ex- actly what he was saying. To watch him in his journey and what he's done, and his family is here, I couldn't be more proud of this young man to have him as a part of our football team. For me as a person, I can learn from him — as a leader, what he's done. He not only leads on the field, he leads off the field. Everything you want, he does it the right way. "He's special. He's really special. He's going to help us win a lot of games, and whatever team gets to draft him in the NFL, they're going to be very lucky to have this man on their roster." Moore has been voted a team captain the past two seasons, providing a forceful voice for the defense even when he couldn't see the field because of injury. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL