Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore spoke with the media via Zoom on Sunday afternoon to talk about the upcoming Michigan Wolverines vs. Texas Longhorns matchup in the Citrus Bowl.
From his first impressions
of Texas to coaching staff changes and injury updates, here’s what Moore had to say.
Sherrone Moore Press Conference Transcript
SHERRONE MOORE: First of all, University of Michigan, our football program is so excited to be a part of the 80th version of this game. It’s a very historic tradition game that we are super excited about.
Our young men are going to be super excited to go participate and have a great game against a great Texas opponent.
I just want to give a shout-out and thank Steve Hogan, CEO of the Florida Citrus Sports, for putting on this event and allowing us to be here.
Our football program, finishing 9-3, winning ten games is a huge deal, so we are going to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position this month as we go to and as we travel down there to Orlando in a beautiful environment, beautiful venue to enjoy, but also we are there to win a football game and just get better as a football team.
Excited to play a great Texas team. Open it up to questions.
Q. I know you played Texas last year. What do you know about this team this year?
SHERRONE MOORE: A little bit different. A little less experienced, but still a lot of talent. A lot of guys that we played last year, played this year. Very talented team.
Obviously, it starts with Arch at the quarterback position. They have skill guys all over the place. They do a good job scheme-wise. Coach Sarkisian does a good job from an offensive standpoint and scheming up defenses and executing at a high level.
Defensively, they are fast, they are physical, good up front, so it is going to be a great challenge for our program.
Q. I was just wondering if you think Justice Haynes will be available for this bowl game?
SHERRONE MOORE: Yeah, it is something we will look at and see. His progress is going really good, so we will see. We will get more of an answer and clarity as we go through this week.
Q. Coach, you obviously know that you’re playing Texas again in a couple of years down here in Austin. Sark has made mention of the fact that his team wasn’t rewarded for even scheduling Ohio State this year for CFP consideration. Do you feel like those high-profile games like you and Texas and Ohio State play are worth the risk?
SHERRONE MOORE: I mean, there are two ways to think of it, right? For our student-athletes and for our coaches and for us to play in those big-time games, that is why you come to Michigan. I am sure that is why they went to Texas, to play in those games.
But to Coach Sarkisian’s point of what happens when you are judged on those losses at the end of the day. Those wins and losses can affect you. I think those are conversations as we get through this, as we get through this season and get into the College Football Playoff conversations, those wins and losses matter.
As a university, you have a certain way of doing things. From conference to conference, you have a certain way of doing things.
Those are decisions we have to make as we go through. But we’re excited about the challenge of playing Texas, and we know we have to play them later on down the road. i
Q. One other thing. Does Texas look like a College Football Playoff caliber team to you?
SHERRONE MOORE: Yeah, I mean, they do. Especially watching the last game against A&M, they played their tails off. They are a physical defense. Offensively, they are explosive. They have play makers all over the place. So yeah, absolutely they do.
Q. Just to follow up on the question about Justice, what’s the next week or two look like for you in terms of meeting with the players and what’s your expectations in terms of opt-outs or guys maybe potentially not playing in this game?
SHERRONE MOORE: For our expectation as we go through the week, these guys got finals in these next two weeks. They’ll finish those out.
We will practice. We have a good steady pace of practices and some skill workout, things that we have to stay within the 24-hour rules that we have to do.
We will still have practices as we go through the week as we start to get implementing the game, game plan. And coaches will start the game plan, already have. Really it’s about getting better at football. Our young guys, older guys, everybody doing that.
As far as opt-outs and guys who play in the game, we will have more of an answer as we go through the week. There will be guys that have already thought about it and what they are going to do. A lot more playing than not playing, so that is a positive. We will have more answers as we go through the week.
Q. If I could ask about the Kerry Coombs hire. What does he bring to the program?
SHERRONE MOORE: He brings a lot of energy, excitement, a veteran presence that is at a high level. In the NFL and college, obviously. Then in high school I think it is awesome when you have brought somebody in that has high school experience, but is an elite recruiter and developer of men.
I am very excited about the hire and the connection that’s been built over time. He is going to do a great job for us.
Q. Following up on the opt-outs question, I’m just curious, do you guys, whether it’s in your rev share or NIL deal language, do you have anything in those contracts that incentivize these guys to play in a bowl game? Is there any structure like that with those deals?
SHERRONE MOORE: I think that goes school to school. We just really want guys that want to play in the game. You don’t want to have to promote people based on what they get from rev share or in the game to play in the game. You want guys to just want to play football, that want to play another game of football.
Those guys that do want to play, just like last year, we had a bunch of guys that wanted to play, and they played their tails off. We will treat that the same.
The guys that don’t want to play or have other things — and there’s not going to be many of those I think. We will find out as we go through. But as far as the contracts, I won’t really speak on exactly what we talk about from terms legally.
Q. I know every program is different. We’ve seen some programs today decide to opt out of going to a bowl game. I’m not asking you to speak on their decisions. I want you to maybe explain why it was important for you guys as a program to play in this bowl game.
SHERRONE MOORE: I think another opportunity to go play football, especially against a great opponent, great stage. Just another opportunity and why you come to places like this.
For us, it felt like it was important not only for the development of our coaches and our players, but just the development of the program, right, and what you get to do. It’s a reward to be able to go do things like that. It’s nice.
It’s about 20 degrees here, too, so going to Orlando will be nice for the week. Not only for the coaches, the coaches’ families and the players.
We are really excited about the opportunity that we have to go play in such a high-profile bowl game. And like I said, I can’t speak on everyone else’s decision, but it’s another opportunity for us to go play football and practice and we are really excited about it.
Q. You mentioned the ten wins and being very important to this program, but I was curious, what has been the player response since the Ohio State loss and embracing this new goal?
SHERRONE MOORE: I mean, yeah, disappointing. We were all disappointed. Usually, you give it the 24-hour rule. We give it more of the 48 hour to let it sit in.
But guys are champing at the bit to get back to work. They have been working out, doing things, getting their bodies right, healing, recovering throughout these past couple of days to make sure they get their minds right and their bodies right for the game.
There will be a lot of guys excited to go play in this one.
Q. Has Kerry already joined the staff? Is he already in Ann Arbor? Do you anticipate any other staff changes?
SHERRONE MOORE: Yeah, Kerry is here. Starting to work. Legally we’ll get all that stuff binding as far as contract and all that. But, he is here. As far as other staff changes, not as of yet.
Q. Ernest Housemann has missed the last couple of games. He’s posted a little bit on social media during that time. Wondering if you can sort of help us understand where he stands, if he’s with the program, and if you expect him for the bowl game?
SHERRONE MOORE: Yeah, Ernest is going through this things. I don’t really want to talk on or speak on things from a personal standpoint. He is also been dealing with a thumb that happened in the Northwestern game.
Just things that he has been dealing with, and we are just here to support him. That’s it.
Q. Just one more follow-up. You said about the coaching, if there’s going to be any more changes. I think you said not at this time. Do you mean like you are not expecting any more, or just…
SHERRONE MOORE: No, no, I’m not.
Q. Just one more on Kerry real quick. Will he coach the bowl game? Is that the plan? Secondly, Jordan Marshall obviously came back in the last game, but is he going to be okay for this game on New Year’s Eve?
SHERRONE MOORE: Yeah, Kerry will coach in the game, and yeah, Jordan will be great. He fought through that. He had a shoulder that dinged up in the game before. Toughed through it, man. Tried as much as he could.
You wish he could have played the whole game, right, with six carries and 40-go yards something. He pushed as much as he could. When he couldn’t, he couldn’t. He will be ready for the bowl game, absolutely.
