Now it’s a do-or-die situation for the Michigan Wolverines HC Sherrone Moore. His first season might have been considered as a free trial. However, it’s high time that he does something to win the fans’ trust. Moore has already started to take baby steps. The QB room needed attention, but he did fix it immediately, going to a huge extent to land the No.1 recruit Bryce Underwood. Now, he is looking for the final puzzle piece. We all know how the Wolverines landed in choppy waters as far as their defense was concerned. So, Moore has his eyes on the phenom of their archrivals. Sadly, there remains a neck-to-neck competition. The primary threat is Mike Norvell and Florida State.  

During the first two weeks of the 2024 season, Moore’s boys ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten conference. Even though they were able to come off with a stable run game, their defense had hit rock bottom. In the passing defense, the Wolverines ranked 98th nationally in pass yards allowed and 127th in yards per completion. And what about total defense? It didn’t look good either, earning the 17th rank in Big Ten.

These stats might have left Moore in a guilt trip. After all, under Jim Harbaugh, the defense has ranked in the top 12 nationally in seven out of nine seasons. So, the HC now has his eyes on bolstering the roster. The desperation has been so real that Moore is now eyeing Imhotep Institute edge rusher Zahir Mathis, a one-time Ohio State commit.

The host of the Michigan Sports Talk podcast stated, “Michigan still going after Zahir Mathis, who is set to visit Michigan this weekend.” The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder de-committed from Ryan Day’s program on November 18. Ever since then, the Wolverines have been in heavy pursuit of Mathis. As per the reports, the No.6 edge rusher from the state of Pennsylvania, is set to take an official visit to Michigan over the weekend of Jan. 24-26. Now Mathis seems like the final piece of the puzzle.

The Wolverines have made some big additions to their defense. Thanks to the transfer portal. Back in December, the Wolverines landed Damon Payne, a former top-50 recruit out of high school and Alabama defensive tackle. Not just this. Lou Esposito and Moore’s program landed the Clemson transfer defensive lineman Tre Williams. However, Mathis’ recruitment poses some serious threat and can’t be taken easy. 

How Mike Norvell turns out to be Sherrone Moore’s biggest competitor 

On the Michigan Sports Talk podcast, the host sounded an alarm for the Michigan HC. “The big threat again with Zahir Mathis for Michigan is Florida State. He just took an official visit there. Could be others like Virginia Tech and Penn State come in the mix as well? ” Out of all the programs, the top uncommitted prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle made his first visit to Florida State. On the January 11-12 weekend.

Not many know that Norvell’s program initially offered Mathis in March 2023. The Seminoles have been active in recruiting him before he committed to the Buckeyes. So, as soon as he decommitted from Day’s program, they did not waste any time to reignite their efforts. Looks like Mathis has already fallen for their efforts, which might make the fight tougher for Moore’s program. 

It’s the Mike Norvell factor that has worked in this case. After his visit, Zahir Mathis shared, “I like everything that they’ve got planned, and I see that it might be a good environment for myself…He (Norvell) was just talking to me very well, making sure I was comfortable. He was spending a lot of time with me. We were just talking about the game, the scheme. He was watching everything we were doing. It was good to have that bond with coach Norvell.” Can Moore’s charm outdo Norvell’s legacy when it comes to winning over Zahir Mathis?