In the Trenches: Moore, a Familiar Face, Talks New Role of Leading Offensive Line
3/25/2021 9:00:00 AM | Football, Features
In this week's edition of In the Trenches, Jon Jansen catches up with offensive line coach Sherrone Moore about the transition to his new role on the staff, his thoughts on some of Michigan's key offensive linemen, and the process of determining the depth chart.
By Brian Boesch
Michigan football will have several captivating position battles leading up to the 2021 season, but few position groups are as wide open as the offensive line. After the 2019 season, Michigan graduated four offensive linemen to the NFL -- Cesar Ruiz (first round, New Orleans Saints), Ben Bredeson (fourth round, Baltimore Ravens), Michael Onwenu (sixth round, New England Patriots), and Jon Runyan Jr. (sixth round 6, Green Bay Packers). Last season, injuries and a shortened schedule prevented the Wolverines from establishing the type of continuity that those four players, along with the draft-eligible Jalen Mayfield, benefited from in 2019.
The man assigned to leading that group is a familiar face. Sherrone Moore was Michigan's tight ends coach from 2018-20 after a four-season stint at Central Michigan. Even though Moore interacted with the offensive line frequently during those first three seasons in Ann Arbor, he is giving this talented, yet unproven, group a clean slate this offseason.
"I told them when I first got there, it doesn't matter who started last year or the year before or whatever it was -- it's who's the best five are when we walk out there next fall," Moore said on this week's edition of the In the Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen. "Those guys have had an open opportunity to take advantage of it, and a lot of those guys have stepped up."
Ultimately, this offensive line will be gauged by how many points the offense scores once fall rolls around, but Moore and the coaching staff are keeping score, in a unique way, this spring. The Wolverines have implemented a scoring system to measure each linemen's performance each practice. More times than not, these scores confirm the real-time observations of the staff, while also further motivating the players.
"The guys are loving it," Moore said. "They're competing, and they want to have a high grade."
Moore has high expectations for this offensive line, especially because of the diversity it has in experience, tenure and skill set. He has praised many of the contenders for significant playing time, whether they are long-standing members of the program (like Andrew Stueber, who has been "very impressive in the practices" so far this spring), new members of the Michigan family (like Willie Allen, who "brings a great advantage of size and length"), or up-and-coming talents (like Zak Zinter, who showed "flashes of how good he can be in his first year").
With spring practice winding down, Moore is excited about the opportunity to lead this offensive line, with one primary goal in mind.
"It's truly a pleasure, first of all, for Coach (Jim Harbaugh) to believe in me to do the job, and it's something that I'm not going to take for granted," Moore said. "Every single day I come in here with the attitude of, 'We've gotta win, and we've gotta win now'."
