Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was in the news last week after reports detailed he would be taking a two-game self-imposed suspension due to the NCAA’s case regarding Connor Stalions.
When it comes to his on-field performance, Moore is not getting a lot of love in the national media. In USA Today’s list of top head coaches in college football entering the 2025 season, he doesn’t appear in the top-25. The same goes for The Athletic’s list.
While it’s not surprising he’s not getting a lot of love in the national rankings, he’s also not getting a lot of love in the Big Ten either.
When it comes to USA Today’s Big Ten rankings, Moore appears at No. 14. Here’s what they had to say:
The jury is still out on Moore after an up-and-down debut season that ended with a flourish: Michigan closed with another win against Ohio State and then beat Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. That’s a very positive sign for 2025 and beyond. He’s recruited well and has already taken the necessary steps to beef up last year’s woeful offense, so Moore could climb these rankings by this team next year.
It’s nice they at least acknowledge Moore could climb these rankings by next season, but No. 14 still seems low given what the team had to go through, including missing Colston Loveland and Will Johnson for major parts of the season. The Wolverines also lost a ton of talent to the NFL after winning the national championship the year before, and Harbaugh’s departure put Moore behind when it came to recruiting and the transfer portal.
Moore is behind the likes of Luke Fickell at Wisconsin, Greg Schiano at Rutgers, and first-year Purdue coach Barry Odom. I know Moore is young, but it seems a little crazy to put him in the very bottom tier given what Michigan accomplished at the end of last season.
The thing that bothers me the most about these rankings is they don’t focus on the most recent successes. Fickell is still riding his success at Cincinnati, but he hasn’t been able to develop an offense at Wisconsin. He’s even criticized for moving Wisconsin away from its identity. He finished 3-6 in the Big Ten last year and 5-7 overall. It seems wild to keep him ahead of Moore when Fickell’s stock is falling and could be on the hot seat.
Similarly, it seems several coaches are given credit for what they’ve done in the past, more so than what’s happened at their current school. The rankings have MSU’s Jonathan Smith ahead Moore despite the Wolverines winning head-to-head last fall and the Spartans missing out on a bowl appearance again.
Again, while Moore’s still early in his head coaching career, it’s a little ridiculous to not credit him for his recent successes and praise other head coaches for things they did several years ago.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
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