The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542067
JANUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 65 O n Dec. 10, Michigan foot- ball terminated former h e a d c o a c h S h e r ro n e Moore for cause due to an "inappro- priate relationship with a staff mem- ber." The fallout since then has been incredibly sad. Moore was arrested hours after he was fired for, accord- ing to prosecutors, forcing entry into the woman staff member's apart- ment and threatening that he was going to kill himself and make her watch. Fortunately, that did not hap- pen. Moore instead left the apart- ment, was later detained by police and arraigned on three charges, in- cluding a felony. This series of events will have a devastating impact on too many individuals, particularly fam- ily members and staff. However, in the interest of keep- ing the focus of this column on what happens on the field rather than off it, the sudden end of Moore's tenure should have a net positive impact on Michigan. When Moore was selected to be Michigan's head coach in January 2024, it was no secret that he was a continuity hire. The Wolverines had just completed an undefeated national championship season, and the program was at an all- time high. They had won with culture, toughness and, of course, superb play. Michigan wanted to maintain that after Jim Harbaugh's departure for the NFL and keep in place as much of what had been successful as it could. Moore, who had landed huge wins as an interim, seemed to be the best fit, especially af- ter the coaching carousel came to a halt. Although Moore was a continuity hire, the Wolverines' elite level of play did not maintain continuity under his watch. In fact, it dropped off quickly in Moore's first season as head coach. After 10 games in 2024, the Maize and Blue were 5-5 and abominable on offense. Only awe-inspir- ing efforts from their excellent defense in upsets at Ohio State and against Alabama salvaged an 8-5 record and some hope. Moore had been given a mulligan for his first season because some of the of- fensive woes were not entirely his fault. That Michigan did not have a service- able quarterback after J.J. McCarthy de- clared early fell at Harbaugh's feet more than Moore's. Harbaugh did not recruit the position well after McCarthy, and by the time both Harbaugh and McCar- thy left, the winter transfer portal was closed. There was very little that Moore could do to bring in a game-ready quar- terback for 2024. The mulligan, though, would last for only one season. Moore needed to land a quarterback for 2025, and he did so by swaying homegrown, No. 1 overall pros- pect Bryce Underwood from LSU to the Wolverines. Although it was understood that Underwood could not shoulder everything as a true freshman, Moore needed to demonstrate the Wolverines were on a trajectory back to the top. However, even though Michigan im- proved its regular-season win total from seven to nine this past season, U-M was not sharp. The Wolverines were sloppy, often making head-scratching mis- takes or miscues at inopportune times. While some of this was due to youth, much was due to coaching. Moore often butchered game-, clock- and timeout- management decisions in late-half sit- uations. The special teams units, which were premier under Harbaugh, be- came a liability — U-M is currently ranked 124th in Special Teams SP+ out of 136 FBS schools. The defense was not nearly as disciplined. T h e m a i n rea s o n M i c h i ga n achieved nine regular-season wins was due to its soft schedule. U-M beat only one team in the top 40 of the SP+ (No. 16 Washington) and only two opponents in the top 60 (No. 46 Nebraska). Contrast that with 2024 when Michigan actually beat four top-30 SP+ teams. On the other hand, when U-M played its best competition this year, the Wol- verines not only went 0-3 against OSU, Oklahoma and USC, but they also were largely unable to make those contests close. As such, Michigan did not improve from 2024 to '25. In 2024, Michigan finished 26th in SP+. As of Dec. 15, U-M stood 27th in SP+. U-M is the same or slightly declined relative to the field. This would have been troublesome go- ing into 2026 when Michigan's schedule is much more difficult. Six of U-M's op- ponents next year are in the top 20 of the current SP+ rankings. Even with slight improvement under Moore, Michigan likely was looking at no more than 8 wins. Unless there was drastic improvement, which would have been unlikely given all the problems happening in Schembechler Hall, U-M likely would not have made the College Football Playoff in Moore's first three seasons, and the foundation of his tenure would have begun crumbling. However, due to the off-the-field events, Moore's foundation has already been demolished. Michigan's search for the next head coach is underway. Al- though the controversy surrounding the program is embarrassing and a black eye for the Wolverines, moving forward into a new era now, rather than in one or two years when the hole likely would have been bigger, is for the best. ❑ INSIDE THE NUMBERS ❱ DREW HALLETT Moore's Departure Is For The Best Sherrone Moore's tenure at U-M was terminated 11 days after he coached in The Game, a 27-9 loss to Ohio State Nov. 29. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Drew Hallett has covered Michigan athletics since 2013. Contact him at drew.c.hallett@gmail.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @DrewCHallett.