This week, two-time captain and safety Rod Moore joined Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast. Moore has dealt with an injury over the past two seasons after returning to school following the 2023 national championship season. He spoke about his injury struggles and what’s ahead for the Wolverines with the new coaching staff.
On his role as captain
Jansen pointed out that Moore might be the first player to be selected as a captain for three seasons. Moore told him when his team first named him captain, it “meant everything
to him.”
On how the safeties room has changed
Moore said he thinks the team has more veterans returning, including guys like Mason Curtis and Jacob Oden. Moore also added some insight, saying Memphis transfer Chris Bracy is “real good.”
On his injury
When Moore returned to the field last season, he only managed to play in a few games before shutting things down again. Moore talked about getting an interception in the Wisconsin game and “feeling alive” when he stepped on the field again. Jansen asked about having to wait out another season, and Moore said he just knew he wasn’t ready and he needed to wait until he was ready again.
On how he’s feeling now
Jansen asked Moore how he’s feeling, and Moore answered with a confident, “I’m feeling the best I’ve felt since March 2024.” While it took him three surgeries, Moore said he’s feeling fast and that he has his coordination back. While he’s been frustrated about the healing process, he is feeling better and has his legs back under him.
On what he’s doing to prevent another injury
Moore talked about his change in pre-practice warmups. While he used to just step on the field after simple stretches, he now has a routine that takes about 30 minutes so he’s able to play without pain related to his recovery.
On his thoughts about five years of eligibility
Moore had to go through the process of getting another year of eligibility because of his injury. He’s got a perspective on some of the current conversations around how many years a player should be able to play a college sport. Moore still thinks there shouldn’t be a blanket approach to eligibility and that each player should have a chance to argue why they should get another year to play. Though, he also said he understands not wanting guys to play for seven or eight years in college.
On his new relationships with coaches
The new coaching staff watched Moore’s tape and complimented his play, and Moore said it was surprising and may have been the first time in his college career he felt he had the support and the coaches who wanted him out on the field. He talked about how the coaches are looking at every option to get him healthy and how involved they were in his rehab over the past few months instead of the next guy up mentality.
On what he’s excited for come the fall
“I’m trying to go 12-0. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
While that might be a tough ask given Michigan’s schedule, Moore discussed the opportunity to make it to the postseason even if the team doesn’t finish undefeated. Moore also spoke about his excitement to see quarterback Bryce Underwood play as a sophomore, as well as the transfers.
On Michigan’s offense
Moore has a unique perspective on the offense since he’s going up against them in practices. He is excited about this year’s wide receiver room and pointed out something many of us feel, too — that this is probably the first time in his time at Michigan they’ve had a complete receiver room. While the 2023 unit had a lot of pieces, there’s something different about the guys Michigan has this year to get excited about, and Moore pointed out as much.
On his goals for playing at the next level
Moore has wanted to play in the NFL since he was a little kid, and he’s trying to put in the work to make sure he’s healthy and keeping that goal alive. He said he’s been watching his former teammates like Mike Sainristil and Will Johnson playing on Sundays and that’s been motivational for him. Even though he’s dealt with some setbacks, he’s still working on getting to the NFL.
