Michigan Football: Sherrone Moore Can Be the Next Kirby Smart

Arguably Michigan football’s top assistant coach the past two seasons, offensive line coach Sherrone Moore has had some buzz around his name as a potential head coaching candidate. However, Moore is in an ideal situation to replicate the strategy demonstrated by Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart.

The “head coach in waiting” moniker is consistently overplayed by fans, for a good number of reasons. Timelines change for the head coaches in place causing the assistant to look elsewhere, the assistant occasionally falters, or any number of circumstances leave this idea as more of a “fan fiction” idea than anything set in stone at top Division programs.

And that idea has started to be circulated about Michigan’s rising assistant Sherrone Moore, co-offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach.

The former Oklahoma offensive lineman first came to Michigan football in 2018, accepting a job as tight ends coach after Jay Harbaugh moved over to running backs coach. Moore had a strong run as tight ends coach, then shifted to the offensive line in 2021 after the departure of Ed Warinner, adding the “co-offensive coordinator” tag as well.

Now, Moore is one of the hottest names in the assistant coaching ranks, thanks to back-to-back Joe Moore Awards for the top offensive line in college football, garnering a lot of buzz from behind-the-scenes insiders like Bruce Feldman (The Athletic), Steve Wiltfong (247Sports), and Adam Rittenberg (ESPN). His name came up for jobs such as the Stanford Cardinal, Purdue Boilermakers, and Cincinnati Bearcats vacancies. However, all of those were filled by different coaches.

Moore will almost certainly garner more interest as a head coaching candidate down the road. However, Moore’s recent comments suggest he’s not exactly itching to leave for just any job.

At a press conference for the upcoming Fiesta Bowl, Moore told reporters “…when the time comes, the time comes. But I’m in no rush to leave this place, this great university, these students, and Coach Harbaugh.”

Moore absolutely has the right idea, and he could stand to gain a lot by following the example of another Playoff participant’s head coach, that being Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Moore could have the idea to do what Kirby Smart did

Prior to taking the Georgia job, one of the top five or six best jobs in college football no doubt, Smart was the long-tenured defensive coordinator for Nick Saban at Alabama. He got the coordinator role in 2008 and stuck around all the way until his alma mater came calling in 2015 when they needed to replace Mark Richt.

And along the way, many pondered whether Smart was simply Saban’s head coach in waiting or just being patient. Despite the growing trend of prominent coordinators leaving for one of the first head coaching offers they would get, Smart was patient and waited his time, not content to take just any ole head coaching job, but waiting for a top-tier job well suited for him.

And now? The results show that Smart’s decision clearly paid off. Well, several other Saban coordinators rushed off to take head coaching gigs elsewhere, such as Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee (fired) or Steve Sarkisian at Texas (currently just 13-11 on entering 2023 already on a bit of a hot seat), Smart is a very good contrast. He has Georgia as the premier program in college football at this point in time, national champions in 2021, and now 13-0 and the top seed in the playoffs this year. It certainly proved to be a good call for Kirby Smart.

Moore can follow the same path with Michigan football

Moore should aim to do the same at Michigan. He built up an incredibly physical and imposing offensive line and has taken on a larger and larger share of the play-calling duties as he has stuck around. He has the offensive line in an incredibly strong position next season as well, bringing in a handful of impact transfers to replenish the offensive line.

Moore’s ability to maintain his success at Michigan looks very certain, and thus, he should rest in the comfort of that while waiting patiently for the right job, not just any job.

And with Michigan’s success this season, one would have to imagine that Michigan’s coaching staff will be in line for a raise. Moore’s current $800,000 salary could easily reach seven figures this offseason, leaving him very well set to wait things out for a bigger opportunity elsewhere. Patience has shown to be advantageous. Kirby Smart is now running the best program in college football because he simply sat patiently at the feet of his master until the right opportunity came calling, not simply the first one.

Michigan football and Sherrone Moore are a duo that certainly could benefit from sticking together for a few more seasons.