This is news that shocked Michigan football fans and is something you never want to hear. Michigan football star defensive back Rod Moore tore his ACL during spring practice in March. This injury typically takes 9-12 months to fully recover from. This was a major blow to a defense that was expected to be one of the best in the country. With Moore's senior season essentially over before it even began due to injury, Michigan now has to figure out how to fill a key part of their secondary.
Michigan's coaching staff has successfully utilized the transfer portal to fill the void left by Moore, but the reality is that it will be nearly impossible to replace a player who has become one of the team's top leaders and has repeatedly proven he can make big plays when it matters. With Moore no longer able to compete on the field, he is now focused on his role as Michigan's defensive coach.
During a recent appearance on the “In The Trenches” podcast, defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan explained how Moore is navigating the transition as he works to fully recover from his injury.
“The transfer players here are Will, Macari, Rod, I mean. Rod plans to become a coach for now. Until he comes back,” Morgan said.
“I think we need to motivate him, keep him in the office, keep asking him questions about the game plan. He's a new [defensive] On the transfer. I've never met a guy who's been injured and wants to come here and meet with the players. He might not be able to play the first half of the season. The kid and his family have done a great job making sure he can do that. It takes a special person to do that. The day after he hurt his leg, he's sitting in the front row of our meeting. I've never seen that in my career. I know he hasn't coached in 40 years, but the way his nerves work is just incredible. He's smiling and he's on the treadmill right now, working on different things.”
There's no question that having Rod Moore on the team in whatever capacity is a good thing for the Michigan football program, but Morgan acknowledges it will take a total team effort to replace his influence on the football field.
“Replacing Rod Moore is going to take the whole team. It's naive to say we can replace him with just one guy, but if you look at the guys we've acquired at the safety position, Q (Quinten Johnson), B-Hill (Brandyn Hillman), Zeke (Berry) and Cody (Jones), all the guys on the backline, I think so. I think experience is important, so we try to get guys that have played a lot of games. Even if it's in a limited role, at least they have experience. We know what kind of guys are going to be there, but we'll replace Rod, but we don't know if he's the guy to replace him.”
Based on the progression of the injury, it seems highly unlikely Moore will see the field in 2024, but there is some hope he could return this season. There are also reports that he is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. Head coach Sherrone Moore said in April that he expects the star safety to return in 2024.
“We'll see how it goes,” Cherone said. “I'm not a doctor. I was asked how quickly it will heal and what the process will be, but I'm hopeful.”
