The Wolverines finished 8-5 last season in what seemed to be a massive downgrade after Jim Harbaugh led the team to their 2023 natty win. But was it? Sherrone Moore, in just his first year of being the head coach, slayed Ohio State, trumped against Lincoln Riley’s offense, and finally topped it up with a thumping win over another new head coach, Kalen DeBoer, in the Bowl game. All of it merits celebration, as it was quite hard to do in a program reeling with attrition and multiple accusations of NCAA violations. But this season presents a stern test, and it seems all may not be well for Sherrone Moore after all.

Before even going into the 2025 season and producing those on-field heroics, Sherrone Moore has to do the same in recruitment and transfers. Moreover, convincing his top players to stay in a world marred by NIL and the transfer portal won’t be easy. In the spirit of that, the head coach brought on Bryce Underwood in a sensational move and produced a 6th-ranked recruitment class in the country. That looks like something, right?

Well, it is something, and more impressive than that are Sherrone Moore’s transfers. The head coach has roped in 17 transfers that include talented players like Justice Haynes (RB) from Alabama, TJ Metcalf (Safety) from Arkansas, and Brady Norton (IOL) from Cal Poly Mustangs. But one position still looks inexperienced and lacking in depth, and that is the cornerback position. Moore has Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry as the CBs, but apart from them, the team still needs some more solid players, especially at LCB. Moreover, we also saw players like Ja’Den McBurrows and Kody Jones entering the portal, leaving the CB room depleted. But now, there might be another blow coming.

Sherrone Moore was getting a talented CB in Brian Nelson II, who recently entered the transfer portal from North Texas Mean Green. The program had reached out earlier to the CB about his commitment back around April, but now it seems they are being edged by Purdue and have a slim chance of landing the guy.

Aidan Sen, the Michigan Insider from Rivals, posted on his X account. “Michigan is no longer in the mix for Texas State transfer Brian Nelson II, per his representative @_iamjflare_. The 6’0″, 190 lbs cornerback visited NC State yesterday and is scheduled to visit Purdue next week. Decision expected soon”.

Nelson at Michigan would have been an exceptional player due to the heroics he showed last season. The CB executed 53 total tackles last season with four interceptions. Even throughout the season, Nelson played a pivotal role for his team as he executed a game-clinching interception against Temple in their final game of the regular season. Moreover, even in North Texas’s loss against the Army, the player recovered a fumble and also intercepted a pass. So the talent was always there. But now, with Purdue’s visit in sight, the prospect of landing him becomes slimmer than ever.

Roster limit comes to dampen Sherrone Moore’s glamorous plans?

Sherrone Moore might have gotten the right players to finally make a playoff run this season, considering his transfer class and the freshman class. But what good are these players if you are limited by rules to play them? Context? The House v NCAA settlement brought in sweeping changes in college football, one of which was roster limitations. So, the Michigan head coach is facing the same dilemma: to accommodate players and follow the roster limit, too.

Warde Manuel, the Michigan AD, recently gave his stance on the roster limits being imposed. “Kids have made a lot of decisions. Some have transferred, some have not. We’ve already made budget decisions, in our case, expecting to have almost 140 fewer student-athletes. When it came out yesterday, I asked my staff to run the numbers about what it means and what we have to put back into the budget. It does have a financial implication.”

It appears that the AD is getting ready to implement the roster limit, which makes sense. Manuel has long been a proponent of introducing roster limits gradually. But now, with the settlement just around the corner, preparing beforehand may well be prudent and pragmatic, and Manuel knows that. But this will greatly affect Sherrone Moore, who is aggressively recruiting and roping in players left, right, and center.