By Michael Germanese
Michigan’s Sherrone Moore faced pressure to win since being named the head coach back in January. Now
after two late top 15 victories to end the 2024 year, the pressure just spiked on Moore to win in 2025.
When Moore accepted the job, he understood the pressure that came with it to accomplish expectations.
The problem was that the expectations to beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, and win another national
championship in 2024 didn’t match the talent left by Harbaugh. But after beating two top-15 teams to end
2024 and a run on the recruiting trail, fans expect 2024 to be the anomaly and to get back to winning in
2025.
This past season, it didn’t take long for the lack of talent to become very apparent to fans, and as the
season progressed reality set in, 2024 would be a lost year. Moore faced more criticism and pressure with
each loss to fix the problem but lacked the necessary talent to solve the problem. Moore started the season
as a fan favorite but by week 10 was drawing comparisons to the Rich Rodriguez/Brady Hoke era. And already had some fans questioning if Moore was the right man to lead the program.
Despite the lack of talent, Michigan found a way to beat their rivals and finish the season 8-5. Only
getting eight wins should never be acceptable at a program like Michigan. But after defeating Michigan State,
Ohio State and Alabama with no quarterback fans were happy they got that far. Michigan’s last two wins
came against No. 2 Ohio State and No. 11 Alabama, and they did it with 137 passing yards combined. It’s because of the strong finish that Moore has cooled the criticism but now faces high
expectations for the 2025 season.
If Michigan is going to accomplish any of the expectations in 2025, they need a strong offseason and high-level talent acquisition. Michigan already put together a top-10 recruiting class highlighted by Bryce
Underwood, the number one recruit in the country. Additionally, they are ranked fourth in the transfer portal according to
On3, as of publication.
Michigan now has every resource necessary to win on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. Those
resources will bring top talent to Ann Arbor like Underwood, the number one recruit in the country.
It’s because of those resources Michigan was able to flip Underwood from LSU to Michigan and it told the college football world Michigan wasn’t going anywhere and are ready to
compete. Michigan turning from transformational to transactional means they finally deciding to compete
in this new college football world.
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Moore’s emphasis on acquiring top talent and having the financial resources necessary to do it will have
Michigan competing on and off the field with the top programs in the country. Michigan finally buying
into NIL is a direct result of a disappointing 2024 season. The powers around the university don’t want a
repeat of 2024 and don’t want to live through another Brady Hoke/Rich Rod-type era in Michigan
football.
Moore’s now on the clock to prove he is the right person to lead the program. The expectations are simple
in 2025 – 10 wins and a trip to the college football playoff, in 2026 a Big Ten Championship and a trip to
the semifinals and in 2027 they need to play for a national championship. The expectation to play for a
national championship in three years may be lofty but you don’t pay a rumored 10 million dollars for a
QB just to beat rivals and win Big Ten Championships.
