Wolverines head coach, Sherrone Moore has been under the cosh for most of the season. Replacing Jim Harbaugh was never going to be easy. A new staff and a new approach were always going to be up against it this season, yet they have managed to secure bowl eligibility after their blowout win over Northwestern. However, questions remain over the play calling of OC Kirk Campbell with Moore now also being questioned.

The Wolverines offense was once again under the spotlight on the Maize Mad Man podcast. Michigan running back Micah Ka’apana’s father joined in on the conversation and gave an insight into what his son has been telling him about the team’s offensive struggles under Kirk Campbell.

Talking about the conversation with his son, Keoki Ka’apana said, “I don’t want to reveal too much of what he said but obviously we’re struggling right so right um he he did feel a little bit better in the last two weeks of practice. So, I don’t know if it’s Coach Moore kind of getting more involved in the offense like he used to be.

I know if the roles were reversed, I will. I personally would have stepped in if I were him and just said, ‘Hey, let’s not run that’ and let me stand with Campbell and ask him what he would call, and if it stunk, I would say, ‘instead of that play how about we run this play,’ because some of the stuff we run man it’s like we’re playing Tecmo bowl and I’m dating myself but I’m just like blindly selecting plays.”

The Wolverines blew away the Northwestern 50-6, but it shouldn’t detract from some of their offensive plays this season. This entire season, the offense has held an average of below 30 points in almost every single game. Wolverines have averaged around 299 yards this season. This is lower than most unranked teams out there.

It is not even like they don’t have good players on there. They got Will Johnson, Andrew Gentry, Mullings, and more. This is also not the first time, Moore has had to bear the brunt due to Campbell. Two weeks ago, TJ from Michigan at The Voice of College Football pointed out that Campbell has to go if Moore has any plans to make a comeback next season.

“Let’s start with Kirk Campbell. Should Kirk Campbell stay or go? In my opinion, John, we need to definitely look for a new addition,” TJ said. Michael Spath, co-host of a UM-MSU podcast also called out Campbell’s plays and pulled no punches.

Following the win over the Spartans, Spath said, “Naming Kirk Campbell (offensive coordinator) probably goes down as one of the worst hires in Michigan history.” 

Campbell joined Michigan’s coaching staff under former head coach Jim Harbaugh for the 2022 season as an offensive analyst, then received a promotion from Harbaugh to quarterbacks coach in January 2023. In February this year, he was promoted to the role of the OC under Moore’s revamped coaching staff. But so far, he has failed to impress.

The fact that the Wolverines will be going up against Ohio State next, is not an ideal scenario. See, Ryan Day and Co. are on a roll. Ranked 2 on the CFP list, they have blown almost everyone out of the water. After that Hoosiers game, Day and his $21 million roster have secured themselves as one of the best out there. They are 7-1 and second in the B1G.

Meanwhile, Michigan’s 6-5 disaster means there is a lot to work on. Even if the were to pull off a stunning win over OSU, which seems unlikely at this point, Moore has his work cut out for next season. But it is one area, where they are making progress as far as recruitment goes.

The Wolverines recruitment game is running strong

The first big splash Moore and his recruiting staff managed to create was when they flipped Shamari Earls from Georgia. See, Sam Webb from The Michigan Insider had pointed out that Kirby Smart and Co. tried everything they could to keep Earls, but it just wasn’t meant to be. With the 4-star CB in, this is just the start.

The magnum opus, or the creme of the crop, was flipping the No.1 QB in the entire 2025 class: Bryce Underwood. Yes, we know Michigan put around $10.5 million on the table, but that does not take away the fact that they managed to flip Underwood from LSU.

Underwood is the one-stop solution to Moore and the QB problems he faced with Alex Orji or Warren. And as Donovan Dooley pointed out, “He has what we call pocket courage.” The way Underwood uses those legs and does not waver inside the pocket is pure magic. Let’s hope the Wolverines can change the tides in 2025.