Photo Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography
Sherrone Moore was all smiles on Jan. 26, 2024, the day he was named the football head coach of the Wolverines. That’s his wife, Kelli, to his right and sitting next to their two young daughters. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel’s wife, Chrislan, is seated to Moore’s left.
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – I feel so sad for Sherrone Moore, whose life is now in need of your prayers. His time at Michigan, which began as tight ends coach in 2018 and is finished after two seasons as Jim Harbaugh’s replacement, is over because he apparently had “an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” His problems unfortunately worsened throughout Wednesday, as he’s now in the Washtenaw County Jail and police are reportedly investigating him.
You wake up Wednesday morning as head coach of the nation’s winningest college football program, and go to sleep behind bars. Man, it’s all just so hard to believe.
His coaching chapter with the Wolverines is over.
And now the search begins for Moore’s replacement, and my first hiring call would go to current Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, 42, the architect of the Wolverines’ defense in 2022 and the 2023 national championship season.
He is the man for the job – trust me. But he’s already being speculated for future NFL head coaching jobs. Is that what he’s waiting for? We shall see.
Photo Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter seen here as Michigan’s defensive coordinator before a game in 2022.
Consider that the man Minter succeeded in Ann Arbor was Mike Macdonald, who has gone onto great things as the head coach of the resurgent Seattle Seahawks. Minter is sure to benefit from the Macdonald comparisons.
And to be honest, I’ve always thought Minter would have been the best inside hire when Harbaugh returned to the NFL with the Chargers.
Why?
Minter has that “it” factor. He has charisma, fire, leadership in spades, and a great football mind as the son of football coaching lifer Rick Minter. His father had Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on his University of Cincinnati coaching staff as well as future NFL coaching standouts Mike Tomlin and Rex Ryan. So, he has quite an accomplished coaching tree that now includes his own son.
Moore, still only 39, knows how to coach, no doubt. He put together Joe Moore Award-winning offensive lines that were the best blocking units in the country, and was the offensive coordinator when the Wolverines went 15-0 two years ago. And I’ve observed that his players genuinely enjoy and love playing for Moore.
But he’s never had that “it” factor that separates the very good from the very great. I reasoned that Jim Harbaugh dubbed him his successor because he’d been here longer than Minter, and also was the acting head coach for Harbaugh in games he sat out with suspensions. Moore was set up as the next in line.
I got to know Minter while working on a feature about him prior to the Rose Bowl national semi-final win over Alabama, and saw him as someone truly special.
Minter has been on a football field or along its sidelines his entire life. His father was coaching at Ball State and Notre Dame (young Jesse got to know legendary coach Lou Holtz) during most of his growing up years, and was actually on his son’s staff at Michigan as the linebackers coach for the 2023 College Football Playoff games.
Jesse followed in the footsteps of his father, who was the defensive coordinator of the Fighting Irish (1992-93 and 2005-07) and other schools as well as serving as the head coach at Cincinnati.
Rick Minter had John Harbaugh on his Cincinnati coaching staff as well as future NFL coaching standouts Mike Tomlin and Rex Ryan. So, he has quite an accomplished coaching tree that now includes his own son.
Jesse Minter has been a winner even back to his humble beginnings as a wide receiver at Division III Mount Saint Joseph University in Delhi, Ohio, where the Lions made the national playoffs in 2004 and 2005. He went directly from there to an internship at Notre Dame, where his father was coordinating. Then he was a graduate assistant at Cincinnati, which won the Big East and went to the Orange Bowl.
He became the linebackers coach at Indiana State for two seasons before being elevated to his first defensive coordinator post there with the Sycamores for 2011 and 2012. Minter was just 28 when he got that post.
He was then hired as coordinator at Georgia State, 2013-2016, and was a nominee for the Broyles Award for the first time.
Then it was onto the Ravens as a defensive assistant and analyst for John Harbaugh. Minter became a defensive backs coach for Baltimore in 2020 before Vanderbilt tabbed him its defensive coordinator in 2021.
The Harbaugh brothers talked after that 2021 season, when Macdonald went to Baltimore as its defensive coordinator, and Minter was hired to replace him in Ann Arbor.
Minter has worked closely with both Harbaughs and explained to me their formula for success: “It’s their ability to cultivate the team, cultivate the locker room, keep the belief high, get the guys to play team football even within their own personality. And I think that’s a special trait of both of them is [letting] guys have the ability to be themselves, but everybody buys into the team, as well.
“It’s not like that everywhere, and it’s special to be a part of [teams] with the Harbaughs.”
And it will be like that wherever Minter coaches.
Here’s hoping his next place is Michigan.
Odds on the next Wolverine coach:
I’m not a gambling man, but believe this betonline.ag release provides a quick look at who are considered the early candidates:
Here’s the direct link to real-time odds for the next Michigan coach as they are subject to change: https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/futures-and-props/ncaaf-specials/coaches
Michigan’s Next Head Coach:
Kalen DeBoer
4/1
Jesse Minter
5/1
Joe Brady
6/1
Jedd Fisch
7/1
Jeff Brohm
8/1
Kenny Dillingham
9/1
Lincoln Riley
9/1
Brian Daboll
10/1
Dan Mullen
10/1
Marcus Freeman
12/1
Pete Kwiatkowski
12/1
P.J. Fleck
14/1
Dan Lanning
14/1
Josh Heupel
14/1
Manny Diaz
14/1
Tommy Rees
18/1
Jason Eck
20/1
Biff Poggi
25/1
Ryan Grubb
25/1
Brent Vigen
25/1
Jon Gruden
25/1
Brian Kelly
25/1
So, we shall see.
Moore’s legal situations:
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel issued this statement late Wednesday afternoon: “U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately. Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.
“Biff Poggi has been appointed head football coach in an interim capacity, effective immediately.”
Moore, according to an ESPN report, was detained by the Saline Police Department Wednesday hours after being fired. Matters were turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges, the Saline Police Department said in a statement to ESPN.
“The City of Saline Police Department assisted in locating and detaining former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore,” the statement read. “Mr. Moore was turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges.”
Tony Paul of The Detroit News reported that Moore was in the Washtenaw County Jail as of 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to online court records. He was booked at 8:30 p.m., according to court records.