The position coaching job will be filled eventually, but for now, every coach is stepping in to assist.
Once again, Moore must go back to the drawing board and find a replacement for Scruggs in the middle of spring ball.
“We’ll move swiftly, but carefully, and do what we need to do to get that to happen, but we have a collective unit coaching the d-line and (I am) super happy with these past couple of days while that was going on,” Moore told the media on Thursday. “So the whole different staff will be all hands on deck as we all are, coaching every position, so (I’m) looking forward to keeping it moving.”
The sudden departure of Scruggs has thrown another curveball at the program. But in the immediate term, the staff is rallying together to fill the void with an emphasis on collective effort and leveraging the strengths of the current team.
“I think it’s life as a head coach, you’re gonna deal with ups and downs and things are gonna happen,” Moore stated. Therefore, you must be prepared to adapt and improvise. We’re just working through it at the moment. Without a doubt, Coach Wink is assisting with that. And as we proceed, we’ll sort out the details of the analyst piece.
The situation has become much more complicated with the departure of important assistant coaches to the NFL, including Steve Clinkscale, Jay Harbaugh, and Jesse Minter. Moore also needed to find a swift replacement for Steven Adegoke, who had intended to take a job coaching defensive backs at Michigan but ultimately chose to remain in the NFL with the Houston Texans. In addition, Moore had to take over for veteran running backs coach Mike Hart, whose resignation was declared on March 8.
However, Moore views these transitions through a positive lens, emphasizing growth and opportunity.
“It’s hard not to want to go with that man (Jim Harbaugh), Moore said. “He’s special in every way, special human, special coach. So you get it and obviously the opportunity to coach in the NFL so those things happen. So you always prepare for that and I wish them all nothing but luck and love. I talk to them all so I am happy for them and their opportunity. It just creates another opportunity for somebody else here.”
In addition to creating immediate logistical issues, Scruggs’ departure presents the Wolverines with a chance to once again demonstrate their resiliency and flexibility. Not only will Moore and his group’s handling of this phase affect how well they perform in the spring, but it may also establish the team’s future ethos and culture.
In order to keep the program competitive and appealing to coaches and players alike, Michigan will need to be able to maintain consistency in coaching quality while taking advantage of these shifts as chances for renewal.
