The Sherrone Moore era at Michigan has officially begun.
Less than 48 hours after Jim Harbaugh left Ann Arbor for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL, Michigan promoted Moore naming him has the new head coach.
Upon the news, Moore released a statement saying he’s “been preparing (his) entire coaching career for this opportunity” adding that he “can’t think of a better place to be head coach than at the University of Michigan”.
Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel also released a statement mentioning that Moore “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.”
After going 4-0 last season filling in for a suspended Harbaugh, Moore also earned two crucial wins over Penn State and Ohio State securing Michigan’s spot in the College Football Playoff, eventually leading to the program’s first National Championship since 1997. For that, Michigan rewarded Moore with a five-year contract and base salary of $500,000, with $5 million in additional compensation during his first season. Moore will also see a two percent pay raise each additional year on top of his $500,000 base salary with an opportunity to earn upwards of $3.5M in bonuses which would include an additional $500,000 for winning the conference and another $1M for winning the National Championship.
Moore’s buyout will begin at $5M and decrease by $1M each year of his contract.
What’s most notable about Moore’s hiring is its history-making as he becomes the first permanent black head coach in the school’s history. It’s expected too he’ll have his work cut out for him given some of the roster turnover, rebuilding a coaching staff, and in essence, helping repair the school’s reputation given the scandals the school faced in the final few years of the Jim Harbaugh era.
