"That was the hardest time": Sherrone Moore recalls how earning athletes' respect didn't come naturally

Sherrone Moore has had a fast rise in his coaching career in college football. The former offensive guard became a coach in one of the most storied programs before the age of 40, going from graduate assistant to head coach in 15 years.

Being a young coach with not much of an age gap with the players, he's able to relate with them seamlessly. However, it becomes difficult to command their respect, as that doesn't come by default. Sherrone Moore discussed that on Next Up with Adam Breneman.

“When I was a GA and I went to be a position coach, that was the hardest time,” Moore said (25:00). I think when you're a GA, you're still trying to figure your niche of how do I command respect, how do I do that. But you don't have time to do that.

“So, it didn't take me very long to figure out like ‘Dude I know we're close in age but you're not my boy. We're not going to hang out, you're not my friend. I'm Coach Moore, don't call me Sherrone. There's a respect level there that we need to have.’”

Sherrone Moore was known to be able to command the respect of his players at every stop before arriving in Ann Arbor. With his experience over the years, he could do that even better at Michigan, building a highly professional relationship with players.

---

Sherrone Moore discussed what the players need to understand

Speaking further on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Sherrone Moore explained what the players need to know in their relationship with the coach. He said that he will always opt for what goes best for the team, irrespective of how the players think about it.

“Here, there's enough age gap,” Moore said, referring to Michigan (25:44). “But I also think there's just the piece that they understand that I want the best for them.

“If the best for them is that they need to be disciplined, then I'm going to do that. If the best for them is that they need to be celebrated, I'm going to do that. I'm going to put them in the best position that I think is possible for them to make sure that all their dreams come true.”

Sherrone Moore had a difficult first season in charge of Michigan in 2024. He inherited a program that had won the national championship but only finished 8-5. The coach will look to get things right with the Wolverines in the 2025 college football season.