Michigan hires Moore as coach on 5-year deal

Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff WriterJan 26, 2024, 07:05 PM ET
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- ESPN staff writer
- Joined ESPN in 2011
- Graduated from Central Michigan

Michigan announced Sherrone Moore as its new head coach on Friday, replacing Jim Harbaugh, who earlier this week took the head-coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Moore’s contract is for five years with a base salary of $500,000, with $5 million in additional compensation in Year 1. His salary will increase by 2 percent in the subsequent years, and Moore will also receive $500,000 per contract year if he remains as head coach for the entirety of the year.

Moore also can earn up to $3.5 million in bonuses, including $500,000 for winning a conference championship and $1 million for winning the national championship. His buyout starts at $5 million and decreases by $1 million each year, down to $1 million in the final year of the contract.

Moore had served as the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator and was the interim head coach in four games this past season as Harbaugh served suspensions. Moore went 4-0 in those games, including wins over Penn State and Ohio State, helping to keep Michigan undefeated in its run to a national championship.

He is the first Black football head coach in Michigan’s history to hold a permanent position.

“I have been preparing my entire coaching career for this opportunity and I can’t think of a better place to be head coach than at the University of Michigan,” Moore said in a statement. “We will do everything each day as a TEAM to continue the legacy of championship football that has been played at Michigan for the past 144 years. Our standards will not change. We will be a smart, tough, dependable, relentless, and enthusiastic championship-level team that loves football and plays with passion for the game, the winged helmet and each other.

“We will also continue to achieve excellence off the field, in the classroom and in our communities. I am excited to start working in this new role with our players, coaches and staff.”

Moore was hired at Michigan before the 2018 season as its tight ends coach, with coaching stops at Central Michigan and Louisville before he was brought on by Harbaugh. He was named the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator before the 2021 season, when the offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the top one in college football in back-to-back seasons.

“Sherrone has proven to be a great leader for our football program, especially the offensive line and players on the offensive side of the football,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “He is a dynamic, fierce and competitive individual who gets the best out of the players he mentors. The players love playing for him and being with him in the building every day.”

Moore was a finalist for the 2023 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant. He will now build his staff as the Wolverines’ head coach. It’s not yet known if Harbaugh will try to bring any of the current Michigan assistants with him to the NFL.