‘Our standards will not change’

ANN ARBOR — Sherrone Moore, who helped shape Michigan’s offense the past three years as a coordinator and went undefeated in four games as acting head coach last season, is now the Wolverines’ head coach.

The announcement was made by Michigan’s athletic department in a release Friday night. Moore, according to Michigan, has signed a five-year deal with a starting salary of $5.5 million.

Moore, 37, is Michigan’s first Black head coach and the 21st head coach in the history of the storied football program. He replaces Jim Harbaugh, who spent nine seasons at his alma mater and led the Wolverines to a national championship earlier this year, before returning Wednesday to the NFL as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

“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,” Moore said in a statement. “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.”

This was not a surprising promotion by Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, who, in a statement Wednesday night following Harbaugh’s departure, said Michigan was “moving quickly” to hire the next coach, “and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together.” With Moore at the helm, clearly Manuel and Michigan believe this move will limit the typical upheaval after a coaching transition because of Moore’s familiarity with the program.

“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,” Manuel said in the Michigan release. “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.”

Moore joined Harbaugh’s staff in 2018 from Central Michigan. Harbaugh, in a conversation Thursday night with the Detroit News, said he fully supported Moore’s promotion to head coach.

“I’ll always be a loyal Wolverine,” Harbaugh told the Detroit News after returning from Los Angeles. “But not a better man to coach the team than Sherrone Moore. He has my vote, my support wholeheartedly. I feel like it’s in great hands.”

Running back Blake Corum, who set Michigan records for career and single-season rushing touchdowns, voiced his support of Moore during an interview Thursday on the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio.

“I mean, because he’s a Michigan man,” Corum said when asked on the show why Moore is the best choice to take over. “He’s been in the program for a long time, he’s been a great [offensive coordinator], and he has top-10 wins under his belt already as a head coach [against Penn State and Ohio State]. So, I think he’s shown that he’s the guy for the job. He’s learned under Coach Harbaugh and he’s already had experience being a head coach when Coach Harbaugh was suspended. So, I think Coach Moore is definitely the man for the job. I think we go in-house with this one and keep the culture going down in Michigan and make sure everyone’s on the same page. Coach Moore would make a great head coach, and I think he is the guy. I think we all know that.”

Among Moore’s first orders of business is to determine his coaching staff, and some of those decisions likely will be a result of which coaches might accompany Harbaugh to the Chargers. A huge shakeup is not expected, since the goal, as Manuel pointed out, was to keep the previous staff together.

The NCAA transfer portal opens for 30 days after a head coach leaves, so Michigan players who choose to transfer have through Feb. 23 to enter their names in the portal. Once a player enters his name in the portal, he can be contacted by other schools, but also Michigan no longer is required to honor the scholarship.