Looking Back at Sherrone Moore's Humble Beginnings, While Looking Ahead to his Mission as Michigan's Head Coach

Moore, Raised by Military Parents in Small-town Kansas, is Revered by the Wolverines for his Fire, Passion, Impact and His Favorite Football Action Word: 'Smash!'

Photos Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography

Wolverine football coach Sherrone Moore, smiling in his maize and blue suit and tie during Saturday morning’s introductory press conference, is flanked on his right by Chrislan Fuller Manuel, wife of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, and on his left by wife Kelli and daughters Shiloh and Solei.

Sherrone Moore enjoys taking in a moment while addressing the media Saturday at the Junge Center located between Crisler Center and Michigan Stadium.

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Sherrone Moore was all smiles Saturday morning, when introduced as the successor to Jim Harbaugh as Michigan’s 21^st head football coach. There had to be times when he wanted to pinch himself because his rapid rise to become one of the nation’s top college coaches has been an unlikely and incredible journey.

The son of a master sergeant and nurse, Moore wanted to play college basketball but ended up getting his start in college football at a small Kansas community college before transferring to Oklahoma for his first whiff of the big time.

Moore, 37, was pretty much an unknown to Wolverine fans when Harbaugh hired him in 2018 to coach tight ends – the same role he’d been filling for Central Michigan. But he rose to become the offensive line coach of two Joe Moore Award-winning blocking units in 2021 and 2022, and also the offensive coordinator of the undefeated 2023 national champions.

When Moore addressed fans at Crisler Center Saturday night during halftime of a basketball game with Iowa, he finished with a flourish after noting eight home games were slated for 2024: “Be as loud as you can so we can smash everybody every game!”

“Smash!” is his favorite verb, and a word he emphasizes in practices and games. It will be his calling card.

Upon getting a five-year contract ($5.5 million for ’24) Friday night, Moore said, “I want to thank Coach Harbaugh for the faith that he has displayed in me over the past six years and for supporting my growth as a football coach during that time. Thanks to athletic director Warde Manuel for putting his faith and trust in me to be the next leader of this football program. I also want to thank president Santa Ono and members of the board of regents for believing in me as well. I am excited to reward that belief and trust as the program’s next leader.

“I have been preparing my entire coaching career for this opportunity and I can’t think of a better place to be head coach than at the University of Michigan. We will do everything each day as a ‘TEAM’ to continue the legacy of championship football that has been played at Michigan for the past 144 years. Our standards will not change. We will be a smart, tough, dependable, relentless, and enthusiastic championship-level team that loves football and plays with passion for the game, the winged helmet and each other. We will also continue to achieve excellence off the field, in the classroom and in our communities. I am excited to start working in this new role with our players, coaches and staff.”

Moore and his wife, Kelli, have daughters Shiloh and Solei, and the family life they all have was inspired by the way his parents, Debra and Michael Moore, raised him in Derby, Kan.

His father was a master sergeant who played soccer and boxed, and his mother was a nurse. Both are retired from the military, and he described them as being “organized” and “strict but not too strict” as parents.

“They go about their business the right way,” Moore told me last year about his parents. “And they really impacted my life and coaching and everything.”

He initially had his sights set on college basketball, but became the first in his family to play football as a junior at Derby High. Moore ended up playing on the gridiron for the Sooners and standout coach Bob Stoops – a significant mentor and now a huge supporter of his.

So, that decision to focus on his new sport worked out as well as possible.

Communicating and caring are at the root of his success, and he discussed the lessons learned from his parents.

“The biggest piece of it is being humble,” said Moore. “You know, I am a gentle soul. You know, I do yell, ‘Smash!’ a lot [in football], though [laughter]. I try to be humble, be polite, do things the right way. And from the teaching standpoint, it goes back to the coaches I’ve had.

“There was Coach Stoops at Oklahoma, my high school coach, Tom Young [who won three state titles and 343 games] and Troy Morrell, the coach at my junior college [154-22 in 15 years and a Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee].”

Then he noted Harbaugh’s significant impact on him.

“Watching those guys communicate is what really helped me,” said Moore.

Harbaugh says Moore is like a “brother” to him.

“It’s gone to a different level between us the last couple years,” said Moore. “But I knew when I got here that this guy was special. He challenges you, but gives you the ability to be you.

“That’s a unique quality that he has, and I admire him for everything he does and who he is. I love him like a brother.”

Harbaugh had this to say about Moore: “He’s knocked it out of the park at every step. Checked every box. Players love him, respected by all. It motivates me, and I know the other coaches, too.’’

Moore exhibited their tight bond for all to see and hear after he substituted for Harbaugh in the 24-15 win at No. 10 Penn State on Nov. 11. Harbaugh was suspended the night before that game by the Big Ten for the illegal opponent scouting allegations – which Harbaugh was never actually connected to.

And when that victory was over, Moore was in tears, hugging his players and praising Harbaugh during an interview on Fox TV with Jenny Taft that included some colorful language.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve,” Moore said at the post-game press conference. “I work extremely hard, as we all do…It was built up. I was thinking of our players and how hard they’ve worked through all this craziness…And watching it come to fruition against a great football team.  I was just thinking about Coach [Harbaugh], man. I love that man with all my heart.”

Moore sprung a seven-man offensive line on the Nittany Lions at times, surprising the home team, which had a raucous crowd supporting them. He called runs on every one of Michigan’s final 32 plays, rolling to 227 yards with a 4.9 average per carry.

“Up front,” said tailback Blake Corum, “we’re going to dominate – push, man. Fight! Fight! Fight! We’re going to run hard and something’s going to break.”

That win made a statement.

Then Moore led the Wolverines to close wins at Maryland and over Ohio State to finish the regular season on quite a roll.

That may have put him over the top as the choice to replace Harbaugh, who got a five-year contract with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers that will pay him $12.5 million per season.

“Sherrone stepped up this fall and served as the interim head coach when the program and especially the team needed him,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel. “Sherrone handled that situation in a way that sealed my already-growing confidence in him. He didn’t make it about him, it was always about the team! We are thrilled to have Sherrone and his wife, Kelli, and the entire Moore family step into this new role for our football program and university community.

“Sherrone has proven to be a great leader for our football program, especially the offensive line and players on the offensive side of the football. He is a dynamic, fierce and competitive individual who gets the best out of the players he mentors. The players love playing for him and being with him in the building every day.”

His players swear by him.

I asked his starting offensive guards, Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, about his greatest attributes.

“I think it’s his ability to rally his players toward one goal,” said Keegan. “That goal is to be great, be successful – not only on the field but off the field, too.

“He’s made us such better people with our family, and we see how he interacts with his family. It’s more than just football with him; there are a lot of off-the-field lessons. He’s taught me to play loose and be yourself.”

Zinter noted Moore’s top trait: “It’s the way he’s able to communicate to us. A lot of coaches will tell you how to do it, but he can actually show us as well. He played the position. I think the way he words it, we’re able to relate to him really well.

“He really does care about us and is like a second father, and the way he’s able to develop us as players as well. Backups also come in when we have injuries and enable us to play up to our standards. That’s a big credit to Coach Moore and how he prepares us.”

Both guards stressed that they can go into Moore’s Schembechler Hall office to talk about anything and everything – from pulling guard plays to pulling out all the stops in life.

“It’s special,” said Keegan. “There are a lot of coaches who do this for themselves, the paycheck. But he’s really just a down-to-earth guy that really only cares about his players. He passes everything by us to make sure we’re OK with it, and it’s really nice to see how much he cares for us and how much he wants us to be really good.”

Zinter added, “He’s always energetic, excited. But he will get on you if you mess up. But it’s with a lot of love. He loves us like his own. He’s definitely that coach that you can go to talk about stuff off the field, too. It is a lot of trust we have with him, and he always knows what to say. If you need a little help, need a little love, he’s great on that.”

He’s made a difference for so many Wolverines in so many ways.

Keegan, prior to the Rose Bowl, was asked to detail how Moore toughened up the O-line upon arriving.

“Most definitely,” said Keegan. “It was after COVID. We went 2-4 [in 2020]. We were not a good football team. We weren't tough. We were sloppy. Nobody cared. Nobody wanted to be in Schembechler hall. It was some dark days because you're playing for Michigan and you're supposed to be on the biggest stage and you're seeing what fans are saying, you're seeing what the media is saying, you're seeing that our coach might get fired and stuff like that.

“You've got the constant, you can't really be with the guys outside the facility because it's COVID. There were some really dark days that we had to get through. After the season, Coach Harbaugh sent us a long e-mail saying that we're going to change this program together. Our first team view was you're getting on the train and moving or you're getting off. Some guys decided to transfer. Since then, we've been working our tails off to get where we are and have the success we've had.

“I think it pays tribute to Coach Moore as well. When he first got in here, he told us straight up front and addressed the elephant in the room that the offensive line has to be the leaders of the team. They have to be the tough ones. The team only goes as far as the offensive line goes.

“Just him as a young coach, his drive and determination to get to where he is. When I got in here, he was the tight ends coach. So just seeing his success, I mean, going to O-line coach, going to co-OC and now offensive coordinator and getting head coaching job offers all around the country, it's really special. Just how hungry he is, it really affects us, and we see that. So it's cool.”

Moore leads by example, leads with fire and passion, and now leads the whole kit n’ kaboodle that is Michigan football.

Moore by the Numbers:

He was the Wolverines’ tight ends coach his first three seasons (2018-20) before coaching the offensive line the past three seasons (2021-23). He shared co-offensive coordinator duties during the 2021 and 2022 Big Ten championship seasons before taking over the sole responsibilities in 2023, and was the only Power 5 offensive coordinator to also mentor the offensive line last season.

Moore was a finalist for the 2023 Broyles Award given annually to the nation’s outstanding assistant coach. He directed a unit that ranked top 10 in seven offensive categories and was top 30 in 10 overall metrics. The Wolverines were 14th nationally in scoring offense (35.9 points per game) after finishing sixth with 40.4 points in 2022.

Michigan this season tied for the NCAA lead with 40 rushing touchdowns, was third nationally with a 72-percent passing completion rate, fourth with only 3.2 tackles for losses allowed per game, and eighth nationally with a 165.77 pass efficiency rating.

Moore prioritized ball security and his Wolverines delivered with the third fewest turnovers in the nation with eight – five interceptions and three lost fumbles.

All five offensive line starters earned All-Big Ten recognition in each of Moore’s three seasons with six first team selections. Center Olusegun Oluwatimi became Michigan's first Outland Trophy winner and also received the Rimington Award as the nation's best center in 2022. Zinter in 2023 and Oluwatimi in 2022 were consensus first team All-Americans.

The Wolverines have had rushers exceed 1,200 yards three consecutive seasons with Hassan Haskins (1,327 yards, 2021) and Blake Corum (1,463 yards in 2022 and 1,245 in 2023). Corum nearly had another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2021 with 952 and Donovan Edwards ran for 991 yards in 2022.

Six tight ends combined for 119 receptions for 1,611 yards and 13 touchdowns in Moore's three seasons leading that position group.

Moore before Michigan

He came here after four seasons at Central Michigan (2014-17). He mentored Chippewas tight ends those years and became an assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator in 2017.

Moore spent five seasons at the University of Louisville as a graduate assistant coach (2009-11) before becoming tight ends coach (2012-13). The Cardinals had a 23-3 record in his two seasons as a full-time assistant with a BCS bowl appearance and Big East championship in 2012.

Moore played two seasons on the offensive line for Oklahoma (2006-07) and graduated with a communications degree in 2008. He saw action in 14 games at offensive guard and helped the Sooners win two Big 12 championships. Moore also was a two-year starter at Butler County (Kan.) Community College, earning second team all-conference honors. He was a member of two conference championship teams there that posted a 20-3 record.