It’s one thing to lead a blue-blood program as a head coach. It’s another thing to lead a blueblood program that’s yet to find steady ground after a controversy. Had Jim Harbaugh not headed off to the Raiders, Sherrone Moore might not have been given the prestigious cap of Michigan football’s HC. But he’s here now and is tasked with ridding the program of its bad name this season. After orchestrating some of the best offenses for the Wolverines as OC, this will be a redemption year for the second-year head coach. Are greater things on the line for him this season?

“I have been preparing my entire coaching career for this opportunity,” Sherrone Moore said when Michigan named him the Wolverines’ head coach. He inherited a program that became the most polarizing topic in college football over the past two years. In the 2024 season, the Moore era at Ann Arbor started on a good note, 3-1 in the first triad of games in the season. Then came a testing time for the Wolverines, with losses to Washington, Illinois, Oregon, and Indiana. Michigan went from being the National Championship title defenders to a team that failed to make the playoffs.

That’s why the stakes are high for Sherrone Moore this season. He went big on recruiting in the 2025 cycle, finishing among the Top 10 classes. With whatever he has in his arsenal now, it looks like Moore will get Michigan back to its glory days, at least in the Big 10. Ahmed Fareed, in a July 10 episode of NBC‘s Rushing the Field, said that Sherrone Moore was among his choices for the Big 10’s Coach of the Year award. “It’s very hard to win Coach of the Year at Ohio State, or at Penn State, or at Michigan. Because you’re expected to be [No. 1]. And if you’re not one, then it was a disappointing year. And if you are one, it was like, ‘Well, that, yeah, that’s what you were expected to do,’” he said.

Michigan has 4 coaches who have won the prestigious award. The legendary Bo Schembechler won it six times, and his influence led to his name being lent to the title. The other winners are Gary Moeller, Brady Hoke, and Jim Harbaugh. “They’ve been recruiting well here. Not necessarily for this past year, although they got Bryce Underwood. But they’ve been beefing up some talent. If they exceed expectations this year, and who knows, maybe – they’re Michigan. They could win the whole Big 10 with a freshman quarterback. I think that [this] narrative could be for him,” Fareed added.

On3’s Phil Steele ranked Michigan’s 2025 squad as No. 3 in the Big 10. Towards the end of the season, Moore had an important win over Ohio State and a brilliant bowl win over Alabama. If that momentum persists, and his phenom of a QB lives up to the hype this season, there’s no stopping Sherrone Moore in cementing himself as a head coach worthy of being in such an elite program. The Wolverines’ HC has a mammoth task ahead of him. He will lead a program that is on the verge of being awarded some brutal punishments from the NCAA.

NCAA’s timeline of Michigan verdict will affect Sherrone Moore’s 2nd season

Sherrone Moore is now taking Michigan to calmer waters, after braving the storm that was the sign-stealing scandal. No matter how much Michigan fans try to get away from attacks, Moore is a part of this scandal. He and Michigan are not getting away with that. The NCAA has already announced a punishment for him: Moore will be banned for two games this season. But the bigger picture is still a hazy one for Michigan. The NCAA committee on infractions has yet to announce its verdict on the scandal. This will be another storm that will soon rock Michigan’s boat.

In a July 11 episode, RJ Young of the Adapt & Respond podcast sounded an alarm for Sherrone Moore. The NCAA said that the verdict will come within 30 to 90 days of the hearing, which was held in June. “You do your simple math: July, August, September, we would figure something out. I think they’re going to time this so that it gives Michigan just enough of an opportunity to do something before the season starts,” he claimed. There is a high chance that Michigan’s season will be impacted by the judgment. It comes at a time when the cards might line up for Sherrone Moore. He has an easier schedule compared to last year, and a game-changing quarterback all fired up to wreak havoc.

The Michigan HC has more on his plate compared to other football coaches in the conference. He has the pieces to get Michigan to a great spot this season, but the impending backlash coming from the NCAA threatens to have everything he worked for go in vain. Will Sherrone Moore emerge as the coach of a blueblood program, or will the NCAA verdict double down on his career?