From the time the final whistle blew on Michigan’s 30-24 victory over Ohio State, few doubted Sherrone Moore was the heir apparent for the Wolverines if Jim Harbaugh decided to leave the program. It’s likely many knew even before that Nov. 25 game that he would wind up being the next head coach.
With Harbaugh officially headed back to the NFL, Moore is officially expected to be the next head coach at Michigan, TheWolverine’s Chris Balas reported Wednesday night.
Moore is the obvious candidate for the job. He’s been with the program for the past six seasons, guided the offensive lines to two straight Joe Moore awards, and was a driving force behind Michigan’s undefeated, national championship-winning 2023 season. By keeping Moore, Michigan should be able to keep in place what Harbaugh built, hire an up-and-coming coach, and retain players that otherwise might leave in the transfer portal had the Wolverines turned to an external hire.
However, don’t expect to hear Moore named as the head coach right away, even if everyone knows it’s coming. There’s a simple reason why fans will have to wait until the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach mantle officially passes from Harbaugh to Moore.
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When will Sherrone Moore be named Michigan’s head coach?
There’s a law in the state of Michigan that prevents the University from moving too quickly. Michigan has to have the head football coach job posted for seven days before it can officially be filled, per the school’s standard practice guide.
Because the job calls for working 20 or more hours in a week, it meets the particular criteria. Jobs that call for fewer than 20 hours do not need to meet that seven-day count.
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There is a chance the university can get him approved sooner than that. Michigan can request a waiver saying that “the legitimate business needs of the unit outweigh the University’s intent to provide notice of employment opportunities to the University community and others through the posting process,” per the policy.
The Wolverines could argue that the 30-day transfer portal window, which opens as soon as Harbaugh officially leaves Michigan, is a reason to make the quick hire. Alabama was gutted by the transfer portal after Nick Saban retired, and Michigan will hope that by making a quick decision, it can retain players that might leave the program.
There are some factors that will likely work in Michigan’s favor, even if it can’t make the official announcement until later. The first is that Moore has long been assumed to be the next head coach, even before Harbaugh left. The next is that the players in the program — and many outside — have already seen what Moore can do at the helm. As the interim head coach while Harbaugh was suspended, he went 4-0 with wins over Bowling Green, Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State.
Because Moore is a current employee of the University, he can still work to maintain contact with recruits and players to assure them to stick around. A coaching candidate from the outside, because they would not be officially hired, would lose out on those seven days of being able to talk with active players and pitch them staying with the Wolverines.
Assuming everything goes as planned, Moore will be the next Michigan head coach. It’s just going to take a few days for the news to be official.