Can Sherrone Moore Keep Up with Ryan Day?

It seems an odd question to ask, but can Sherrone Moore hang with Ryan Day?

Michigan fans are shaking their heads right now, but it’s an interesting question. We know Jim Harbaugh could not only hang with the Ohio State coach, but he beat him the last three times they played. And Harbaugh led his team to a national title while Day still tries to fill the massive shoes left by Urban Meyer.

But does Moore have a chance in key areas? Can he out-recruit Day at the high school level? Harbaugh couldn’t, so I can’t imagine Moore has a chance. How about the portal? Harbaugh did a better job using the transfer portal than Day did, and that became evident, especially in the trenches.

But Day, and perhaps the Ohio State collective, have stepped up their game in the portal in a massive way, landing players like RB Quinshon Judkins, QBs Will Howard and Julian Sayin, and DB Caleb Downs. If Ohio State wants to, they can dominate the Wolverines in the portal as well.

What about on-field coaching? After all, Moore was the head coach when Michigan beat Ohio State this past season, and Harbaugh was suspended. But let’s pump the brakes on that one for a second, as this Michigan team was very experienced and player-led. An extravagant game plan wasn’t needed to win yet again. Moore didn’t outcoach Day; he just took over a death machine for a few games.

Roster retention? Day has done an amazing job bringing back key players like WR Emeka Egbuka, RB TreVeyon Henderson, DLs JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, DB Denzel Burke, and many others. Meanwhile, Michigan made their run to the national title, and most of the NFL Draft eligibles are following Harbaugh to the NFL.

Culture is arguably the one spot in which Moore can gain an advantage over Day. While Day bragged on his team’s physicality and called out Lou Holtz after the win over Notre Dame, the culture at Michigan easily outdoes the one in Columbus. This was a player-led team on a mission, and that will be passed along to those coming back. While Ohio State has star power returning, Michigan has the next wave of leaders ready to step in.

So can one area, culture, lead Michigan to yet another win over the Buckeyes and a Big Ten title? Perhaps. But while people love to make fun of Ryan Day for being born on third base and losing big games, right now, he has a massive advantage over his new rivals at Michigan. And we will see if Moore can come close to hanging.