Matt Hartwell, who covers Michigan football for Maize n Brew and manages their social media, emphasizes the importance of team culture, player development, and recruiting the right individuals. Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore understands this well, thanks to his experience under Jim Harbaugh. This strategy has been key to Michigan’s recent success.
On this week’s edition of The L.A.B. podcast by Champions Circle, hosted by Jake Butt, Moore discussed the importance of maintaining Michigan’s successful recruiting strategy. Despite some criticism over recent classes, he remains committed to prioritizing cultural fit over traditional “star” ratings.
Moore shared insights from a conversation with Derek Jeter, emphasizing the importance of character and cultural fit in recruiting.
“You look at the types of guys we just won a national title with — we didn’t have a whole bunch of five-stars,” Moore said. “We had some. We want to have elite talent, don’t get me wrong, but I think there’s enough of it out there that you can find that also fits the culture.
“Got the chance to talk to one of the greats in any sport, Derek Jeter, the other day. He talked about alignment, he talked about the whole unit that he had when he was playing with the Yankees. It was really about the mentality that they all had. They said that they would have first- or second-round draft picks coming in and say, ‘Well, you’re not gonna fit here, you’re gonna have to leave.’ It’s all about the culture, the fit, and the alignment of the university, the organization, and even the business.
“We’re definitely going to try and bring in the right type of guys here, the right type of families to become Michigan Men and Michigan Women, and continue to keep this program at the highest level.”
Moore also acknowledged the evolving landscape of college football and the crucial role of NIL in recruitment. He praised Champions Circle for supporting student-athletes.
“You have to have a plan for NIL,” Moore said. “That’s the game now, that’s where college football is. There are a lot of other things with revenue sharing that we’re all for here, I’ve always been for it, and I know (Harbaugh) has been for it. I think the players deserve to get a piece of it. NIL is a part of it.
“Champions Circle has done an outstanding job with all that, and the fund to keep our players here who have excelled at the highest level and took us to where we are. They deserve it. They deserve to be rewarded for that. We’ll use it as a tool and to help us as we go forward.”
Moore stressed the importance of continuity and experience in maintaining Michigan’s defensive scheme by hiring defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
“I wanted to make sure that I kept that scheme, kept those intact,” Moore said. “I think, one because our players are really good at it and they’re really good players. I wanted to make sure that they were comfortable first. And two, that you wanted to keep that scheme there and bring somebody in that can run the scheme. And why not (bring in) the person that it really originated from? That’s how bringing coach Martindale came about. And he’s a wonderful human being — a great, phenomenal coach, but even a better person.
“And then all the support staff, all the guys around him, the assistants around him. Coach Brian Jean-Mary, Lou Esposito, and LaMar Morgan, they’re all phenomenal. And all of those guys have been coordinators and called plays, which gives you even better insight, too.”
On the offensive side, Moore expressed confidence in the team’s ability to build on their success. Having coordinated the offense himself, he highlighted the strong chemistry and alignment within the group.
“I was so close to them last year, and we worked hand in hand and developed such great chemistry as a staff, but also from an offensive perspective, we were completely aligned as a group, as a unit, as a staff, and with all the players,” Moore said. “Super excited for coach (Kirk) Campbell. I know he’s going to do a heck of a job. And all those guys on that side of the ball are phenomenal coaches, phenomenal people, phenomenal recruiters. And it’s going to be really cool to watch those guys really elevate this even more, be better than I was calling plays and doing things. I’m super stoked for them.”
