Five convincing questions about Sherrone Moore being the head coach

Everyone knew Moore would be the next man up.

After Jim Harbaugh’s departure to Southern California, Sherrone Moore was widely considered as the future head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. It took less than 48 hours to officially declare the choice, and the majority of admirers agreed that he is ready to move forward.

He went 4-0 as acting head coach for the Wolverines during the 2023 championship season. Two of those wins were over Penn State and Ohio State, the most important regular season matchups.

Moore’s appointment as head coach has many positive aspects, but there are still some questions regarding Michigan’s future. Here are the five questions we have about Moore taking over for Harbaugh.

1) How much of this staff will be retained and who will be promoted?

This is the question that everyone wants to know. When Moore was revealed as head coach on Friday, the majority of the staff expressed their excitement on social media. That is clearly a good sign for what is to come.

Moore also stated that he wants to retain as much of the present staff as possible, which is a wise decision given the national title they delivered to Ann Arbor. That will also be important for retaining this present roster, as fresh faces will not have an impact on who leads the players.

Moore mentioned in his first news conference that he wants to maintain Ben Herbert, the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Harbaugh loved Herbert and what he brought out of the guys all year, so Moore may prioritize retaining him.

Moore will also need to appoint a linebackers coach and potentially a defensive coordinator. Jesse Minter is reportedly on his way to Los Angeles to become Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator with the Chargers. Moore will undoubtedly have his hands full in the area of head coaching for the next while.

2) Was the success in 2023 more about the team or Moore?

This was the first question I had once Moore’s hiring was revealed. Moore will be a first-time head coach, heading the reigning national champions in 2024, which will look very different from the team that just won it all.

As much credit as Moore gets for directing the squad to victories over Penn State and Ohio State, that team believed it would win the national championship. Several players returned for that specific reason.

How will this team respond to adversity without the majority of those leaders and the vast quantity of talent that is leaving? It will be interesting to see if Moore can maintain the mentality and ethos of the 2023 club into the next season and beyond.

3) How will this impact recruiting?

In terms of recruitment, this is somewhat of a double-edged sword. Let’s start with the positives: Moore has been the primary recruiter for many of the Wolverines’ current targets and prior great players; he has consistently been ranked as one of the greatest recruiters in college football, and he is unlikely to receive attention from the NFL every season. We could see a significant increase in recruiting elite talent to Ann Arbor.

But Moore isn’t Jim Harbaugh. Part of the appeal of playing at the University of Michigan is that the head coach has done nothing but produce NFL players and even coach in a Super Bowl. Harbaugh also held firm on player compensation and developing college football in a more equal path. He was a proven talent, a sure thing, and if this team fails with its incredibly challenging schedule in 2024, are players going to be racing away from a first-year head coach?