I supported Sherrone Moore's hiring in 2023. Like most Wolverines, it made sense to me in context: Moore had served as head coach during several games when Jim Harbaugh was suspended, including the victories over (№ 10) Penn State & (№ 2) Ohio State, & given the lateness of Harbaugh's decision to return to the No Fun League, there were not many top-tier candidates seemingly available. Moore was seen as the Harbaugh continuity hire, the way to maintain the momentum of three consecutive B1G Championships (2021, '22, '23) & a National Championship ('23). No, Moore did not have a coaching resume that on its own would merit him receiving the Michigan job (he'd never been a head coach before, not of a whole program), but he was the best coach that Harbaugh wasn't taking as a package deal to the N.F.L.
I did not publicly call for Moore to be fired in either '24 or '25. Those who had to suffer through my dyspeptic rants during football games (principally my father & my old chum, Red Patton) know that I had concluded Moore was not up to the job, but I still believed he deserved to succeed or fail on his own merits, not just in comparison to '21-'23. In fairness, the deck was stacked against Moore in his first season: He got a late start due both to Michigan playing in the National Championship Game & Harbaugh taking additional time before deciding to leave for the N.F.L. Also, this was his first time ever putting together a staff. Nevertheless, 2024 was a disheartening debacle (8-5, B1G 5-4), especially the valiant Wolverines' almost total lack of an offense, but the year was redeemed by the final two victories over (№ 2) Ohio State & (№ 11) Alabama*. Moore showed signs of learning from his mistakes, firing his offensive coordinator & hiring a new, more proven coordinator.
Alas, the hopes engendered for '25 were dashed. The valiant Wolverines' record improved (9-4, B1G 7-2), but without any improbable victories. Team 146 defeated all the lesser teams they played, but weren't even remotely competitive against of the upper tier opponents: (№ 18) Oklahoma, Southern California (unranked at the time, but finished № 20), (№ 1) Ohio State, & (№ 13) Texas. It was those losses that convinced me Moore was not the man for the job, because of the tentativeness with which he coached & the lack of attention to detail with which the valiant Wolverines played. The games they won they won on talent alone; the games we lost were against equally talented or more talented teams with much better coaches.
Then came the firing. Out of the blue, Sherrone Moore was fired for cause, for conducting an extramarital affair with an Athletic Department employee, reportedly his secretary. This shocking news was followed by even more shocking news, preposterous but true: Moore was arrested! Apparently, he menaced his erstwhile paramour in her home, blaming her for "ruining his life." No, son, you did that yourself. Rarely have a seen so dramatic a fall: one day, a man is the head coach of a major college football program, earning millions of dollars; the very next day, he is in the county jail, having revealed the full extent of his lack of character after being dismissed for cause. Sic transit gloria mundi.
Please pray for Mrs. Moore & the children, who are innocent victims in all this; pray also for the paramour, for her repentence; & for Moore himself, for his repentence.
Bonus! Song o' Sherrone Moore
Less Than Jake, "The State of Florida" from GNV FLA (Mike Papa Wolverine)
Commentary:
"Too much, too soon, too little, too late…"
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