Much has been written about Michigan’s offensive woes last year. The defending champions in the first year of Sherrone Moore never got going offensively. Of course, the narrative has been about the number of QBs the head coach deployed under the center. 4 in total. The offense never got fixed, and it showed in the metrics. The Wolverines’ total offense ranked 103rd nationally, notching just 22 points per game. Even the rushing offense for which Michigan is known was ranked 70th nationally, garnering just 157.2 yards per game on the ground. However, despite all these issues, there was a bright spot, too.

Call it the brilliance of Wink Martindale or the defensive continuity of the 2023 season led by Sherrone Moore as DC. But Michigan’s defense didn’t disappoint and helped pull out some wins from the jaws of defeat (for instance, against Ohio State). Having the total defense ranked 17th nationally, conceding just 19.9 points per game, was huge, and that helped tone down some criticism, which otherwise would have been intense for Sherrone Moore. But now?

Sherrone Moore is losing his grip on the same frontier that might have saved him last year. Why? The CB room has lost some key starters, including Will Johnson and Keshaun Harris, and the replacements in turn haven’t come in the numbers to offset their loss. The result then is a new arena where depth concerns are plaguing Sherrone Moore and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. He even echoes some of these concerns in a recent press briefing.

“We need to get some of these younger guys ready to go, because, you know, our lack of depth there at corner, especially. But it’s always exciting when, as a coach, to just see where it all comes out, and you know everybody’s got the same chance,” said Martindale. Moreover, Martindale’s concerns are real, too, since apart from Jyaire Hill and Zeke Barry, the CB room lacks quality.

Hill showed promise last year and appeared in 12 games of the season, registering 26 crucial tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and a sack. Zeke Barry, on the other hand, played all thirteen games last year and showed his quality, notching up 27 tackles. Apart from them, the room does have the sophomore Jo’Ziah Edmond and the red-shirt freshman Jeremiah Lowe.

But neither has seen significant snaps to make a case for themselves. Lastly, Sherrone Moore brings Caleb Anderson from Louisiana on a transfer, although it remains to be seen how he adapts in the Big 10. Now, one would think this would be the only concern plaguing Sherrone Moore, right? Not quite !!

A lengthy road ahead for Rod Moore

Coming in as a 5-star, 97-rated recruit by On3, the now-redshirt senior safety became pivotal for Michigan as they lifted that national title in 2023. Not only did he register 21 tackles, but he also provided incredible depth in the safety room at the time. So, naturally, in 2024, everything looked great for him, and he was raring to make an upgrade from his 2023 season. However, as spring ball came, Rod Moore’s dreams lay shattered after suffering a season-ending injury. But now, one would expect him to make a comeback, right?

Wink Martindale showed some reservations about specifying an exact date of Moore’s return and said, “I mean, I could give you the BS answers. He’s right on schedule. You know what I mean?” said Martindale sarcastically as he continued. “What’s the schedule? I don’t know. But he’s looking like he should (be coming back) because the way he’s been working, he’s been working his tail off….whether it’s put him in bits and pieces whenever he’s ready to go, you just don’t, we’ll see it, but he looked good today in a walk-through,” concluded Martindale.

All in all, despite some of these concerns, Michigan is surely bringing defensive continuity and would not feel intense pressure in that area. The primary area would be the offense needing to step up. That may happen as Bryce Underwood starts his CFB journey.