First year as HC and you already find yourself amidst a storm of every wrong. This one time Paul Finebaum was probably right with his take. Back on August 13th, when the preseason polls were out, Finebaum was quick to point out that Michigan was rated way too high. His main pointer was that Sherrone Moore was still riding on the wave that Jim Harbaugh had created long back. While Harbaugh has left for the NFL, Moore now has reins to a team that is in bad shape. With the 2024 season right around the corner, even the recruitment for the team has gone nowhere.

And now, we find 247Sports releasing their 2025 Top 25 Team Recruiting Ranking. Behold Michigan on No.15. This is a disaster. Moore has somehow managed to lose 3 major players for the 2025 class. 4-star Marco Jones was the first who Moore lost to Texas. 247Sports rated that kid as a solid No.167 national prospect. Following this, Moore had 2 other players in his crosshairs. The first was 4-star DL Maxwell Roy. Roy decided to go with Ohio State. The final candidate was OL Hardy Watts. That kid decided to pledge to Wisconsin. According to 247Sports, both players received rankings as the 229th and 222nd national prospects. This was a major blow to Moore’s recruitment class. In June of this year, the Wolverines were standing in the 11th spot nationally in terms of recruitment. However, the loss of the 3 major players in July caused them to drop to No.15.

This makes Paul Finebaum’s comments make sense. With Harbaugh gone, the team has lost that old flair. Not only that, as the sign-stealing investigations continue, it hampers Moore’s image as well. The draft report by the NCAA has directly stated that Moore could be charged with level two violations. This could see him facing a show-cause penalty. Harbaugh received the same punishment a few weeks back. However, amidst all this, Moore did manage to secure one win for their recruiting trail.

New 6’2 talent

Back on August 10th, we got the news from On3 that Moore had managed to bag 4-star CB Jayden Sanders on the team. Apparently, Sanders was the son of Nick Sanders, former DB for TCU. This can be considered a major win for Moore & Co. On3 had stated in their industry ranking that Sanders was the No.203 national prospect. Additionally, the kid holds the No.27 CB ranking on the national level.

Marking the 10th-best recruit spot for Michigan’s 2025 class, Sanders brings immense field presence and accuracy. 247Sports even regards him as a “bona fide Power Four prospect”. However, this won’t be enough to save Michigan’s 2025 class. If Moore wants to carry forward the legacy that Harbaugh left behind, he has to figure something out. Till then, fans gotta wait and watch.