Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore’s seat must be heating up. It’s a do-or-die kind of situation. Thanks to Moore, the Wolverines witnessed one of the darkest chapters in their recent history in 2024. You name the problems. Offensive side struggles? Checked. Passing attack issues? Checked. Struggling to find a rhythm at quarterback? Checked. If Moore had lived the dream of the 2025 season, hitting the accelerator from the beginning, he got landed with a reality check.

The Wolverines lost 31 players to the transfer portal. However, he tried to balance things out by landing recruits. Among them, the 4-star quarterback, Brady Smigiel, catches attention. The expectations are high for Moore’s 2026 class quarterback, so he has been under observation. Did he pass the evaluation test? Moore got an update moments after losing his goodnight’s sleep to Smigiel’s injury scare.    

When it comes to chasing quarterbacks, by now, college football fans know who is THE PRO. That’s none other than the Michigan head coach, Moore. We have witnessed the big Bryce Underwood chase. The Wolverines’ head coach had been so desperate to land the No.1 quarterback recruit of the 2025 class that he went to great lengths to snatch him away from Brian Kelly’s LSU. Did it come easily? Not at all. It was heavy on the pockets as Moore had to dish out a NIL offer worth $10 million. Just when the Michigan fans expect their head coach to sit back and relax, Moore started to build his fortress for the 2026 season. And the squad was able to woo one of California’s most coveted high school football players. The prolific 6-foot-5, 205-pound quarterback from Newbury Park announced on April 27 that he is heading to Ann Arbor.  

“All Glory to God- Go Blue!” wrote Smigiel. In three years for the Panthers, he has completed 729 of 1,161 passes for 11,222 yards and 147 touchdowns. But what might have added to Moore’s interest is how Smigiel added his legs to his arsenal with 435 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. The quarterback is ranked the No. 7 quarterback in the nation, the No. 12 player in California, and the No. 80 overall player in the class of 2026. But when is life ever easy for Moore?

Injury concerns loomed in Smigiel’s case. He recently returned to throwing this spring after spending this offseason recovering from an injury. Meanwhile, the Michigan insider Ethan McDowell got that clarity about Moore’s new quarterback. On May 7, he tweeted, “I flew to California this week to watch Michigan QB commit Brady Smigiel compete against an impressive Sierra Canyon defense.”

And guess what conclusion the analyst has drawn? Smigiel is exactly what the Wolverines needed in this class. What makes him think so? The quarterback showed his excellence in throwing against a super-talented defense led by Top 100 LSU commit Havon Finney Jr., and quickly knocked off any rust. Because of tall height, quarterbacks often struggle with keeping the pigskin under control. But Moore’s new phenom impressed McDowell by how he keeps the pigskin high and gets rid of it quickly. This is topped up with Smigiel’s velocity, which is important in terms of tight window throws. Other factors, like distance or speed, could not dampen his consistency when it came to throwing.

During warmups, he threw 4 25-yard fade pigskins to the end zone from the opposite hash in about 30 seconds. That’s how he made the tough throws look simple. Now, before you are already go happy dancing with Moore’s quarterback recruit, here comes another elite talent in Ann Arbor.  

Sherrone Moore’s grand haul from the transfer portal

Moore is not a person who would sit idly and just bear the blows. So, during the rocky transfer season, he added 14 transfers to the Wolverines. And amidst the bunch, one of them stands out because of his famous first name and his association with another popular US sport. That’s none other than Michigan’s third kicker of the season, Texas State transfer Beckham Sunderland. Moore knew they had to fill the gap after they lost their punter Tommy Doman to the Florida Gators.

The Kentucky native, Sunderland, walks into Ann Arbor with a strong resume. He appeared in two games at Texas State, where he went one-for-one on extra points. He also recorded eight kickoffs for 530 yards (66.3-yard average) with six touchbacks. And guess what? It’s not just about his records. Moore’s recruit carries a famous bloodline. He’s the nephew of former Michigan kicker and top trainer Brandon Kornblue.

However, there is one more reason for the Wolverines to be buzzing about Beckham Sunderland. That’s him being into soccer. Sunderland was previously a goalkeeper for FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer. There, he took part in 14 games from 2020-21, where he left his mark with 12 starts. Looks like Sherrone Moore will gradually come back on track, holding the hands of his new joiners. On February 3, On3 analyst Ari Wasserman released his list of ‘Top 25 CFB Coaches’. Unfortunately, Moore could not make it to the top 10 but was in the top 20. Is Sherrone Moore ready to flip the Big Ten script?