Since Michigan football’s 2-4 pandemic-shortened 2020 season, they’ve experienced a remarkable turnaround, winning three Big Ten championships, one national title, and amassing a 40-3 record over three years.
Now, with Sherrone Moore, who transitioned from tight ends coach to the program’s head coach earlier this year, there’s a new responsibility to uphold that success. Moore recently shared insights on how Michigan has evolved since their challenging season on The L.A.B., a podcast by Champions Circle hosted by Jake Butt in collaboration with Wolverine Boots.
After the 2020 season, which was arguably one of the darkest periods in Michigan football history for many of us, the players stepped up and took ownership of the program.
It became even more of a players’ program, with the coaches supporting and facilitating while allowing the players to lead and elevate the team to new levels. That’s when the real transformation and turnaround occurred.
Before, there were leaders on the team, but none quite like Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Ross, Hassan Haskins, and Andrew Vastardis. These four individuals sparked a new direction and changed the course of the program.
The players truly embraced ownership, and each year, new leaders emerged. This past year, players like Mike, Blake Corum, Trevor, Zinter, Kris Jenkins, and Michael Barrett observed and sought to emulate the leadership set by their predecessors, ultimately surpassing it.
I believe that’s what truly elevated this program.
Some may attribute it to the scheme. Offensively, our base schemes remained the same, but we executed them with greater precision and efficiency. On defense, there was indeed a scheme change that proved beneficial, coupled with the arrival of excellent coaches. However, what truly made the difference was the players’ belief in the scheme and their ability to execute it at an elite level.
Ultimately, it all boils down to the mindset of the players. They were the ones who propelled the program to new heights.
Watch as Sherrone Moore joined Jake Butt on The L.A.B. to discuss the beginning of his head coaching tenure and the U-M offseason. Watch in the video player below, or scroll down for a table of contents:
0:00-0:48 Intro
0:49-2:55 Life as Head Coach
2:56-4:14 Wolverine Boots Partnership
4:15-5:45 Feeling of Being Named Head Coach
5:46-7:38 New Responsibilities
7:39-11:00 Leaders That Changed Michigan Football
11:01-14:44 Recruiting Philosophy
14:45-18:38 “SMASH” Origin
18:39-21:58 Coaching Progression
21:59-23:45 Defense
23:46-25:11 Offense
25:12-27:36 Tackling in the Spring Game
27:37-29:40 Impact of Champions Circle
29:41-32:10 Finding Leaders
32:11-33:39 Best Part of Being Head Coach
33:40-34:40 Flipping the Switch
34:41-36:08 Conclusion
