Rod Moore once thought his knee would never feel normal again, but after two years of grueling rehab, the Michigan safety is finally preparing to rejoin his teammates in practice. Two months ago, the safety for the Wolverines announced that he would return for his sixth season with the Wolverines. Now, Moore has revealed more details about his recovery from the injury. 

In a recent interview, he said he feels better than ever and can’t wait to start playing again with the boys. “About to be back in practice here soon,” said Moore. So, probably felt the best that I have ever felt since I tore my ACL. So, you know, that’s the trajectory here. Just, you know, build on what I’m at right now and then go out and play.”

The 4-star recruit from Ohio became a key player during his freshman season after getting his first start against Penn State. He finished the campaign as the team’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Moore followed his freshman season with an impressive sophomore year that saw him register 71 tackles and four interceptions in 13 games.

Moore was equally influential during Michigan’s national-championship run in 2023. However, just as he was looking to have a final year before going to the pros, tragedy struck the DB.

In March 2024, the DB suffered a torn ACL while participating in a special teams drill during spring practice. That kept him out of the entirety of Sherrone Moore’s first year at Ann Arbor. And you can gauge his impact in the locker room from the fact that he was named a team captain despite being on crutches.

Moore medically redshirted the 2024 season and opted for the traditional redshirt during the 2025 season. That meant that he had another year of eligibility left, and when the NCAA granted him the waiver, the Michigan safety was elated with what lay ahead for him.

“Super excited,” Moore said. “There’s been times where I didn’t think my knee would ever feel normal again, but I can finally sit here and say, like, I talked to my parents and I was like, ‘I can finally say that I’ll be back now.’”

Kyle Whittingham’s message to Moore

Rod Moore’s full campaign for Michigan after the injury will be under a new head coach as Kyle Whittingham replaced Sherrone Moore. The new HC still believes a long recovery lies ahead; he remains optimistic about his DB.

“He’s not doing a lot, but he’s on the field,” Whittingham said Thursday. “He’s doing some individual drills and moving around, and we’ve still got a ways to go. But we think it’s progressing and trending in the right direction, and that’ll be a huge plus for us if he’s able to go and be in the lineup on September 5.”

With almost 2/3 of spring practice done, the head coach is pleased with the 10 sessions and calls them “very productive” with steady improvement on both sides of the ball. Both offense and defense are making good progress and are avoiding any major setbacks after the loss of running back Micah Ka’apana to a lower-leg injury.