A new era is upon the Michigan football program following the recent news that Jim Harbaugh was becoming the next head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Fortunately, Warde Manuel moved quickly to name offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore as the new head man.
As with all coaching changes, there will be some apprehension, especially considering the recent success Michigan has had. Harbaugh was the central figure of Michigan’s dominance over the last few seasons, so how should the team and fans feel moving forward with such a drastic shift?
Well, if there’s one thing (among many things) to be positive about, it should be Michigan’s re-commitment to success on the recruiting trail. Moore mentioned in his introductory press conference he plans to be aggressive in recruiting both high school and transfer portal prospects, where he has been successful in the past.
Michigan will need more of that success in the future to compete with the likes of Ohio State, Oregon and USC in the new-look Big Ten. Today, we will take a look at Moore’s track record and talk about some of his biggest wins on the recruiting trail.
J.J. McCarthy
This is certainly a good one to put at the top of your resume. Five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy was a member of Michigan’s 2021 recruiting class following the abysmal 2-4 2020 season. Player-wise, he has been the face of Michigan’s turnaround and was heralded by Harbaugh as the best quarterback in Michigan program history.
It’s hard to think of a player who entered school with more hype than McCarthy, and he was able to deliver on most, if not all of the expectations laid in front of him by winning a national championship. Not only was McCarthy a big win on the trail individually, but he proved to be a valuable commodity for his ability to recruit other players, as well as his efforts in keeping the 2021 class and fanbase together in the midst of a poor 2020 season.
Daxton Hill
During a time when Michigan wasn’t pulling in many five-star prospects, safety Daxton Hill was a huge get. If fans remember, the Hill recruitment was something of a roller coaster. Hill committed to Michigan in Sept. 2018, but then flipped to Alabama a few months later. Fortunately for Moore and Michigan, they were able to sway him back and he eventually signed with the Wolverines on National Signing Day.
