Talented is required to win in college football. But it’s not the only thing you need and if it was, Ohio State would be the three-time defending Big Ten champions instead of Michigan football.
Culture matters. Development matters and finding the right kinds of players matters. Sherrone Moore understands that. He learned under head coach Jim Harbaugh how to identify and develop players.
It was the key to winning three straight Big Ten titles, beating Ohio State three straight times, and winning the 2023 national championship. Just look at the 2024 draft class for Michigan football. Nearly every player selected, outside of Cornelius Johnson, went higher in the draft than their high school ranking. McCarthy was the No. 25 overall player in the 2021 class but was drafted 10th, as an example.
At times, it might be frustrating for Michigan football fans to see Ohio State recruit at an “elite” level, while the Wolverines seem to be recruiting a different kind of player. But as Moore said on The LAB Podcast with Jake Butt, presented by the Champions Circle, part of that is on purpose.
Sherrone Moore talks Michigan fooball recruiting philosophy
Michigan isn’t just looking for talent. It’s looking for talented players that fit into a culture that has proven it can win championships.
“For us, we dig deep into the guys we want to look at and the guys we want to recruit,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of questions you gotta ask. You’re not only asking them. You’re asking their parents, the janitors in the lunch room, the people at the front office, and everyone that’s involved with the kid. I’ve gone as far as going to the local gas station and asking them, hey, do you know this kid? How is he when he comes in? You’re trying to dig deep on every player. You have to figure out what the mold and the character are inside. You’ll find out how someone responds to adversity when you do that.”
Moore said finding the right kind of player helped Michigan football overcome some of the adversity it faced last season during “sign-gate.”
“We obviously faced, some quote un quote, adversity (last) year,” Moore said. “And we continued just to smash it in the face — because our players were all built and aligned and we have to keep bringing in those same kinds of people.
“That’s a huge part of it. You want talented guys. But they have to be a fit from a program standpoint for sure.”
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