Jim Harbaugh, the national champion coach, left to join the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, so Michigan is looking to a well-known individual to take over as head coach.
The university of Michigan announced on Friday that Sherrone Moore, an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, will take over as head coach of the Wolverines.
Moore, 37, took over as Michigan’s interim head coach for four 2023 games. He defeated Bowling Green, Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State in his 4-0 record.
Moore received praise for his play-calling during his final three games in charge while Harbaugh was suspended for alleged infractions involving illegal in-person scouting, especially in the Wolverines’ 30–24 victory over coach Ryan Day’s Buckeyes.
2024 will see Michigan play a tough schedule that includes games against the Buckeyes, USC, Texas, Washington, and Oregon.
Prior to joining Harbaugh’s staff in 2018, Moore held coaching positions at Central Michigan and Louisville. The Derby, Kansas, native attended Oklahoma for his college career from 2006 to 2007.
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Report: Michigan Promotes Sherrone Moore To Head Coach
Sherrone Moore was promoted to head coach of the Michigan Wolverines on Friday, taking Jim Harbaugh’s place.
The next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines has been named.
The Wolverines are elevating Sherman Moore, their offensive coordinator, over Jim Harbaugh, according to several reports. Following his successful season leading Michigan to its first national championship since 1997, Harbaugh announced his acceptance of the head coaching position with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers early on Wednesday night.
The 37-year-old Moore served as interim head coach during Harbaugh’s two suspensions during an unbeaten regular season. Moore has never held a permanent head coaching position. During that time, he went 4-0, winning the final three games against Penn State and Ohio State, two teams ranked in the top 10.
Moore joined the Wolverines’ personnel in 2018. In 2021, he was elevated to the position of co-offensive coordinator after Josh Gattis left for Miami. Moore won the Joe Moore Award in 2021 and 2022 and assisted Michigan in elevating their offensive lines to new heights in the Big Ten during that time.
Under his guidance, the Wolverines also made three straight College Football Playoff appearances and won three Big Ten championships.
Under Moore’s play calling, Michigan has placed among the top 15 scoring offenses in each of the previous three seasons. Thanks to Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards’ reliable play, the Wolverines dominated the run game, which frequently made the offense seem “nitty-gritty.”
Corum had consecutive seasons with 1,200 or more rushing yards, and he went on to become Michigan’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns. Edwards averaged at least 4.2 yards per run in the previous two seasons, and he will return as the lead runner in 2024.
Given the timing of Harbaugh’s departure, Michigan wasn’t expecting their search to take a long time. During the last two offseasons, the nine-year veteran coach had expressed interest in rejoining the NFL. He even had a face-to-face meeting with the Minnesota Vikings on National Signing Day to discuss their head coaching opening.
Other candidates that were thought to be in the running were Brian Kelly of LSU, Matt Rhule of Nebraska, Lance Leipold of Kansas, and Matt Campbell of Iowa State.
Over the last three seasons, Ohio State—which concluded the 2023 campaign with an 11-1 record—has been at the mercy of Harbaugh. Following a five-game losing streak, Michigan has won its longest winning streak against Ohio State since 1995–1997 under head coach Jim Harbaugh. This has resulted in three conference titles.
On August 31, Moore will play his first game as a member of the Wolverines against Fresno State. Ohio Stadium will host the Buckeyes’ 2024 season opener against Akron.
