Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Media Jumping the Gun to Anoint Moore, Ignoreing Michigan’s Precarious Future

The next Michigan coach will step into an uncertain future and the enormous shoes of Jim Harbaugh.

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Nov 11
Nov 11

By Rock Westfall 

The next Michigan coach will step into an uncertain future and the enormous shoes of Jim Harbaugh. 

If Everyone Thinks the Same Thing, is Anyone Thinking?

Upon the announcement that Jim Harbaugh was leaving Michigan for the NFL Los Angeles Chargers, there was a rush to judgment from the media. In what seemed to be a “Hey, look at me” contest, it was universally proclaimed that Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore should be anointed as Harbaugh’s replacement.

The media rationale for hiring Moore at this minute is that he would provide continuity and stave off transfer portal losses. Additionally, Moore did a fine job as an interim head coach this season while Harbaugh was suspended, including the final three and most critical games of the regular season.

Previously, Moore joined Harbaugh’s staff as tight ends coach in 2018. From 2021-22 he served as its co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. And then this year, he was the lone OC coach while keeping his offensive line duties as well.

By all accounts, Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel rave about Moore. Certainly, Moore knows the Michigan program, its leaders, insiders, and power brokers. He knows key recruiting and portal contacts, and he knows the current players. Moore is highly popular with and respected by the Michigan roster. Indeed, it seems like a perfect fit. But is it?

The next Michigan head coach, whoever it is, will face profound challenges. In the best of times, Michigan is not the place for a head coach to receive on-the-job training. And this is not the best of times. Indeed, Michigan faces the possibility of being impeded for years to come.

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An Unimaginably Profound Difference 

Sherrone Moore deserves all the accolades he has received for his stint filling in during Harbaugh’s suspension. But let’s keep it real: he won all games in a program, culture, and infrastructure built by Jim Harbaugh. It was a loaded vehicle that just needed someone to keep it on the road. To Moore’s credit, he did just that.

Michigan’s next head coach will face an avalanche of additional responsibilities at one of college football’s most scrutinized programs. Of major concern is that Michigan is on notice from the NCAA for potential discipline. There is the real prospect that Michigan could have severe penalties levied against it. Harbaugh has left behind a potential mess. The next coach could end up holding an empty bag.

Under these circumstances, Moore would be a rookie HC responsible for an entire program that lost its larger-than-life national championship-winning head coach. That means taking on tasks that he has never had to manage. 

Moore would oversee recruiting, the portal, selecting assistant coaches, dealing with the media, and being compared to past Michigan legends in what could be an unfavorable environment. Finally, Moore would be responsible for the program culture and expectations after three consecutive playoff berths and a national championship season.

Remember, when Moore filled in for Harbaugh, the entire Michigan program was built by the HC. Harbaugh was still allowed to run all team meetings, practices, and game plans during the week, leaving the interim coach to take over from kickoff to the final gun. Thus, Moore had much of the burden lifted from him. That will not be the case if he is named HC.

Are There Better Candidates?

LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who was also HC at Notre Dame, Cincinnati, and Central Michigan, is often mentioned as a good replacement for Harbaugh. Certainly, Kelly knows the area recruiting map well.  

But a deeper dive shows that Kelly faces fewer academic restrictions at LSU, where he also has a much greater recruiting pool. Additionally, Kelly knows that Michigan may get hammered with NCAA sanctions. Finally, it makes no sense for Kelly to leave perennial power LSU, especially with Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama.

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold is often mentioned as well, but Leipold has had other good opportunities to leave KU. So far, he has chosen to stay and has the opportunity to put his stamp on a reborn program that is finally investing in winning football. Leipold is from Big Ten country but would be inheriting Jim Harbaugh’s program and the potential disorder that comes with that. At Kansas, he could end up parking in front of his statue someday.

Beyond Kelly or Leipold, there are no name brand HCs that would make sense or want to depart their current situations. Thus, the timing could not be more perfect for Moore.

Also, if an outsider were to be hired, he would face a backlash from fans, media, and, most importantly, the players. He would be walking into a hornet’s nest. The negative outweighs the positive for anyone who would come in from the outside.

The Right Man at the Wrong Time?

There is nowhere to go but down for Michigan. Since 1947, they won half-a-natty in 1997 and then took the whole enchilada in 2023 under the cloud of scandal. Michigan may eventually have to vacate its title.

The perpetually entitled and privileged Michigan fans are celebrating with gusto and don’t seem to care about the future. But they soon will. A precarious future awaits, and it’s not fair to expect a rookie head coach to overcome what lies ahead.

So while it makes some sense to hire Sherrone Moore, the probability of success is debatable. No coach could be prepared for what lies ahead at Michigan. And once the fans sober up, .500 seasons and losing to Ohio State will not be tolerated. It won’t be long before fans forget and demand more. They always do.

Perhaps Sherrone Moore is the best of some highly questionable alternatives. In the case of this coaching hire, timing is everything. As Jim Harbaugh laughs all the way to the NFL and bank, Sherrone Moore’s dream job likely awaits. 

Moore would face one of the biggest challenges in college football history. And the challenge of being the man that replaces The Man at a time when the NCAA roof could soon cave in.  Through no fault of his own, Moore’s dream job could quickly turn into a nightmare.

In the gambling world, one of the first things you learn is never to follow the masses and that there is no such thing as conventional “wisdom.” That adage seems apropos for the Michigan coaching situation.

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