By Micheal Germanese
Uncertainty describes Michigan’s offseason under former coach Jim Harbaugh. Like the 4th of July, Thanksgiving or Christmas, rumors of Harbaugh heading to an NFL team became a yearly tradition. The rumors brought instability to the program. The consistent unknown of whether Harbaugh would be in Ann Arbor had a negative effect on recruiting, the lifeblood of every program.
Harbaugh would dismiss the rumours, but they would start back up the minute an NFL job appeared to be opening, leaving Michigan in limbo until he dismissed them again. It’s hard to earn players’ commitments when the coach has one foot out the door. The instability around the head coach was the reason Michigan wasn’t able to recruit at the level it should have.
Moore took over the program on Jan. 26, 2024, after performing very well in his live audition. Moore led the program during Harbaugh’s second three-game suspension during the 2023 season. The truth of the matter is everything going on with the NCAA, Michigan should have never brought Harbaugh back after winning the national championship.
Moore’s first task after being named head coach was to stabilize the roster and Harbaugh’s recruiting class by keeping as many players as possible from entering the transfer portal. He accomplished that goal and because of it hopes were high for 2024. However, it became clear the talent level was nowhere near where it needed to be shortly into the 2024 season.
The lack of talent was because Harbaugh put his desire to coach in the NFL over building a sustainable and competitive program. The man who claimed to love the program had no problem putting his ambitions over it. The blatant lack of talent had many questioning if Moore could recruit at the level needed to be competitive with the top programs in the country.
Ambition Over Sustainability
During National Signing Day in February 2022, instead of being in Ann Arbor Harbaugh was interviewing for the Minnesota Vikings’ head coaching job after the Wolverines’ their first Big Ten title and a trip to the College Football Playoff. While most coaches would have been building on that success Harbaugh was focused on his aspiration to head back to the NFL.
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Is it a bad sign when your coach chooses National Signing Day to interview for another job? Asking for a friend. https://t.co/tFSLa2f6C7
— MichiganPodcast (@MichiganPodcast) February 1, 2022
Michigan won the Big Ten and a national title in 2023 and with it, Harbaugh was off to the NFL. He headed there despite telling Director of Athletics Warde Manuel that the NFL would not be a recurring issue after interviewing with the Vikings.
The truth is Harbaugh is a very egotistical individual and only cared about Michigan’s success while he was there. Because if he actually cared Michigan would have done better than the 15th-ranked recruiting class in 2021, 18th in 2023 and 16th in 2024. The only class that resembled success on the field was the 2022 class which was ranked ninth.
Moore inherited a program that legitimately didn’t have a quarterback who should start at the Power Four level. Now, he has been blamed for not going out and getting a better option in the portal or when he was the OC. But he was also handcuffed by Harbaugh’s archaic approach to recruiting of being transformational, not transactional.
Moore Wins on the Field
Michigan’s first year under Moore was a down one on paper, going 8-5, which should never be acceptable at Michigan. Doing it after a national championship and three straight Big Ten championships made it look even worse. In reality, it’s miraculous Moore somehow found a way to win eight games considering Michigan was without a quarterback. The Davis Warren story is incredible but he should have never been a P4 starting QB, and the same can be said for Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle in 2024.
Moore took a completely one-dimensional offense and found a way to beat then No. 11-ranked USC, then the then-No. 2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, as a 20-plus point underdog. Finally, for the second time in a calendar year, beat Alabama who was ranked No. 11. Michigan also beat in-state rival Michigan State making Moore the first coach to be both rivals in his first season. The question rivals should be asking is, if Moore can find a way to win eight games without a QB, what could he do with just an average one?
Moore Wins Off the Field
When Moore was hired, he brought stability to the head coaching position. Something Michigan lacked since Harbaugh had been there. Its that stability that also helped bring in many of the resources Michigan needed to win on the recruiting trial.
Moore convinced the right people to move from the transformational to the transactional. The move gave Michigan the ability to go toe-to-toe with the best programs for the best players in the country for the first time. And unfortunately for the rest of college sports, Michigan has “gone from being the Royals to a team that should be at least in the ballpark of the Dodgers and Yankees,” according to Michigan basketball coach Dusty May in regard to NIL.
Dusty May: Michigan has gone from 'Royals' to 'ballpark of the Dodgers and Yankees' in NIL (h/t @CurryHicksSage)
Story: https://t.co/dmx2ydE0Ez pic.twitter.com/mDHU9Tve2h
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) June 30, 2025
Moore has taken that stability and turned it into the No. 6-ranked recruiting class in 2025, and has Michigan up to No. 10 in the 2026 class. Moore’s ability to connect with the alumni has let him use their success to help in the NIL era of college sports. Because of it, Moore has gone and taken talent from Columbus, Death Valley, Athens, Ga. and even Tuscaloosa, Ala. and brought them to Ann Arbor instead. It’s something that wouldn’t have happened under Harbaugh’s leadership.
Many believed when Harbaugh left Michigan was going to fall off but the truth is Michigan is actually better. Moore now has back-to-back wins over Ohio State, a win over Alabama and possibly two top-10 recruiting classes. Michigan, as long as Moore is there, will compete with the top programs in the country.
