When Jim Harbaugh bolted back to the NFL and took over as head coach of the Chargers, defending national champion Michigan already knew where it would turn.
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was elevated to head coach with Harbaugh’s typical energetic backing and a reset defined by major changes was underway.
A bunch of new coaches were hired, there will be a new starting quarterback in Ann Arbor — J.J. McCarthy was the No. 10 pick in the NFL draft — and a couple first-time conference opponents; USC pays a visit to the Big House on Sept. 21, and Oregon rolls in Nov. 2.
Moore didn’t change one specific part of Harbaugh’s program: the primary goal is still the same.
“I think every year for us, our goal is to win (the national title). We’re not going to stray away from the goal of trying to win it all every year,” Moore said Thursday at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. “When you’re at Michigan, that should be your goal every single year.”
Harbaugh isn’t an easy act to follow. He won 10 games six times in nine seasons and left after three straight years in the College Football Playoff, capped with a 15-0 season and national title.
The significance of standing before the media in Indianapolis as the head coach of the Wolverines wasn’t lost on Moore.
“It’s a humble blessing, first African American head coach at Michigan. It’s a blessing,” he said. “I think it’s awesome. But it also shows that every young man, regardless of the color of your skin, wherever you’re from, you can do whatever you want. Don’t allow people to tell you that you can’t do something. If you want to go do it, go take the opportunity and strive to be great.”
Moore said there is no timetable for naming McCarthy’s successor or any other depth chart decision. Each spot will be determined on merit in fall camp, he said, an intentional plot to encourage the collective group to focus on what he said Michigan defines as important.
“Taking the necessary steps to be elite, to do all the things that we set out to do — win the big games, beat our rivals, beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, go to College Football Playoff and win it,” Moore said.
