Since the sign-stealing debacle, Sherrone Moore has been steering the Michigan Wolverines through choppy waters. With Jim Harbaugh now in the NFL, Moore is firmly in command. And despite the turbulence, the atmosphere in Ann Arbor remains sky high. Michigan finished 8-5, but topped it off with a bowl victory over Alabama. Yet his biggest reins have been off the field. Now, with a fresh offensive coordinator in Chip Lindsey and blue-chip quarterback Bryce Underwood added to the mix, fans of Michigan are abuzz with the possibility of a return to Big Ten supremacy.

But Moore is a little more cheerful this time around (barring the sign-stealing debacle). Since he has finally settled on the right pieces in his lineup. And if you thought Michigan was all about slamming the rock and running through defenses, that’s not it. Moore’s got some tricks up his sleeve. In a conversation with The Michigan Insider, Moore’s eyes lit up as he discussed the unit he’s assembled in the wide-receiver room. He’s going full-scale size this year. At the top of that list?

“The guy that stood out the most is Donovan McCulley in camp,” Moore says in an exclusive 1-on-1 conversation with Sam Webb on the 11th of July. “And people didn’t get to see much of him in the spring game, and that was on purpose.” To start, Moore can’t stop raving about Donovan McCulley. He continues to say, “He’d done some dynamic things in spring ball. And excited to see where he goes and earned the number one because of it. And that’s a number that we’re going to take a lot of pride in and make sure you can’t just get.” Once a high school quarterback, McCulley converted to wide receiver at Indiana and gradually became a nightmare for Big Ten defenders.

By 2023, he was piling up All-Big Ten awards, ending the season with 48 receptions for 644 yards and six touchdowns, highlighted by a stretch in which he hauled in 28 balls for 420 yards and five touchdowns in five games. Following a coaching transition and a depth-laden receiver corps, McCulley’s playing time decreased, and an ongoing nagging injury wasn’t helpful. So, when he entered the transfer portal, Michigan jumped. McCulley earned the No. 1 jersey, a number that, in Moore’s words, ‘you can’t just get’. It’s a statement that the staff believes McCulley is to be the man in a receiver room that hungers for a new star.

Moore’s also being bold with comparisons. “It was pretty evident when the defensive guys are looking over me and saying yeah, like I think he’s that guy. So caught a couple post balls on people. We’re just like, ‘Okay, all right. ’ We hadn’t seen that since Nico. And he, that’s what he reminded us of a little bit. So, I am excited for him,” he says. This kid’s been the buzz of camp, so much so that Moore says he’s a little bit like Nico Collins, the Wolverines’ departed star, now an NFL sensation. A name that continues to excite Michigan fans. Aside from McCulley, Moore has a whole group he’s looking forward to seeing.

Fred Moore had a coming-out party in the bowl game, and the staff is anxious to see him. Then there’s Andrew Marsh. A freshman who’s already making waves, flashing bits that have you believing he has “next” written all over him. Next is Channing Goodwin: Resembles Ronnie Bell with his sure hands and ability to be always in the right spot. And don’t sleep on Kendrick Bell, Ronnie’s younger brother. He’s returning from a knee injury but is back at full speed and is set to prove what he is capable of after making the position change from quarterback to receiver. The receiving corps is deep, hungry, and poised to take on the added responsibility. Particularly as the offense seeks to get even more explosive with Chip Lindsey calling the shots.

Breaking Down what sets Bryce Underwood apart

Sherrone Moore lit Michigan’s hype train ablaze with his most recent hot take on Bryce Underwood, and in all honesty, that has fans thinking about championships again. Moore didn’t merely poach some quarterback. He pulled the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit out from under LSU’s grasp. Acquiring a kid who’s been described as a “generational talent” since he was a freshman in high school. Underwood’s high school résumé is crazy: consecutive state championships at Belleville, 2,888 passing yards his freshman year, and 2,762 yards and 37 touchdowns his senior season.

On The Michigan Insider, Moore dissected what made Underwood so unique in recruiting. “In recruiting, we saw the arm talent, the ability, the physicality when he ran with the football, his athleticism. First of all, he’s a large human being. He’s 6’4. He’s almost 230 lbs.” But what took everyone by surprise was Moore’s comparison. He added that Underwood deals with pressure better than any freshman he’s ever coached. Apart from perhaps J.J. McCarthy, Michigan’s recent first-round NFL draft pick, and the player who guided the Wolverines to a national championship.

Moore says, “I mean, he handles the pressure better than any freshman I’ve ever been around. And probably the closest was JJ (McCarthy), and JJ handled it really well.” That’s not just coach-speak. That’s Moore saying he sees the same poise, work ethic, and hunger for greatness in Underwood that made McCarthy a Michigan legend. And for a program desperate for quarterback stability after a rocky 2024.