Jim Harbaugh Replacement: Michigan Leaning To OC Sherrone Moore - Staff Promotions Are Safe, But Some Are Sorry | Glenn Guilbeau

Wouldn't it be just like just-hired Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh to have made the best use of his six-game suspension last season at Michigan?

Harbaugh likely became the first coach of any sport anywhere to win an ultimate championship while not even being there for 40 percent of his or her team's games. Maybe Ted Lasso should have tried that strategy. The Wolverines finished 15-0 with their national title win over Washington this month, but Harbaugh ended up 9-0 on the season.

Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh Groomed OC Sherrone Moore

But by missing six of those games on suspension, Harbaugh may have inadvertently groomed his successor before taking the Chargers head coaching job in the NFL on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Chargers Interviewed Jim Harbaugh Twice

Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is considered the favorite to replace Harbaugh at Michigan. Moore filled in admiringly for Harbaugh as head coach in four of Harbaugh's six suspended games last season. Michigan self-imposed a three-game suspension of Harbaugh with the NCAA to open the 2023 season. It hopes that will appease and decrease sanctions headed to Michigan for Harbaugh breaking recruiting rules during COVID in 2020. Harbaugh leaving will likely help that cause much more.

Moore took over for the third game - a 31-6 win over Bowling Green. His next three assignments were much more difficult Big Ten games. The league, with key NCAA intel, suspended Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season for his role in the illegal scouting and sign stealing, systemic scandal that went on from 2021-23.

With Harbaugh watching on TV, Moore directed an emotional, 24-15 win at No. 10 Penn State, a 31-24 victory at Maryland, and the ultimate - a 30-24 win over No. 2 Ohio State. That set Harbaugh and the Wolverines up for the school's first national championship since 1997.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter ran things in a 30-3 win over East Carolina in the opener. Running backs coach Mike Hart and special teams coach Jay Harbaugh (Jim's son) split up the 35-7 win over UNLV by halves. Minter and the younger Harbaugh may be joining Harbaugh with the Chargers.

Minter, on paper, would be a better choice than Moore. His defense finished No. 1 in the nation last season with fewest yards allowed per game (247) and in points allowed at a 10.4 average. The Wolverines also finished No. 3 in passing efficiency defense at 100.5 and No. 5 against the run at 90 yards a game. Minter's unit improved in those categories from the year before in which Michigan finished No. 5 in total defense and pass efficiency defense and No. 6 and No. 7 verus the run and in points allowed.

Sherrone Moore's Offense At Michigan Was Not The Greatest

Moore's offense, with a strong hand by Harbaugh, played decidedly old school and very average - 81st nationally in passing (213.1 yards a game), 67th in total yards a game (382.7) and 54th in rushing (169).

Plus, Minter, 40, had a better work history entering Michigan, having coached defensive backs under Jim's brother John Harbaugh in the NFL at Baltimore from 2017-20. And he was a defensive coordinator at Indiana State, Georgia State and Vanderbilt for six seasons in all.

Moore, 37, is a stronger recruiter and would be an emotional NCAA-battlefield promotion that would please fans and players alike, probably more than Minter. Like Minter, he is not a "Michigan Man" by birth or college. But he clearly became about as close to that without being one as possible this seasaon.

Moments after the Penn State win, he rebooted 1992's "Wayne's World" with an "I love you, MAN" for the ages.

"I f—ing love you man! I love the s— out of you, man," Moore said right into the FOX camera with Harbaugh watching at the team hotel.

That may have gotten him the job right there.

Michigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore shakes hands with Ohio State coach Ryan Day on Nov. 25 after Michigan beat the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Getty Images)

In this day and age of the self-absorbed breeding, instant-gratification tempting NCAA Transfer Portal, roster management may be the most important part of a college coach's job. Recruiting always has been at or near the top, but now coaches must keep recruiting the same players they already signed year after year to keep them on the roster. That is in addition to recruiting the high schools and the portal.

Keeping warm bodies on staff, even if not completely qualified yet, could be a better strategy in many situations than bringing in a new body - no matter how qualified. Just ask Alabama, which hired one of America's hottest young coaches in Washington's Kalen DeBoer. But the Tide has been rolling out since his hire via the NCAA Post-Saban Portal.

There will be a portal shopping spree in Ann Arbor now that Harbaugh is exiting. Michigan players have a 30-day window to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal because of his departure. The portal is closed to programs not losing coaches until April.

But Moore could man the leaks better than a new guy like Minnesota's P.J. Fleck, Iowa State's Matt Campbell or Kansas' Lance Leipold in the short term.

And don't give me the Brian Kelly rumor. Kelly may not be getting along with LSU athletic director Scott Woodward famously, but I see disinterest on both sides here.

Sherrone Moore Would Be A Popular Choice For Michigan Fans

If hired, Moore will win the press conference and keep everybody happy for a spell, until he loses to another battlefield promotion next season - Ohio State's Ryan Day.

Beware of the in-staff promotion to head coach. More often than not, they have short-lived success at best. They're safe, but too frequently end up sorry.

Alabama's Mike DuBose was one of the worst. He rose from defensive coordinator to head coach for the 1997 season to replace Gene Stallings, who was 63-11-1 with a national title from 1991-96. DuBose had two losing seasons out of four, put the school on probation and had an off-field scandal.

Mississippi State's Zach Arnett lasted the 2023 season only

Freddie Kitchens was his quarterback in 1997 and became one of many bad NFL in-staff promotions. Cleveland elevated him from offensive coordinator after the 2018 season to head coach, and he went 6-10 in 2019 and was gone. The bad NFL in-staff promotions to head coach are numerous - Ray Handley with the Giants, David Shula with the Bengals. Mike Singletary with the 49ers, Dave Campo with the Cowboys.

LSU's Ed Orgeron was one of the best and worst in-staff promotions. He ascended from defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator to head coach in 2017 and won the national championship in 2019 at 15-0. Just a year later, though, everything went south, and he was fired during the 2021 season- after going 11-11 amid some awful hires.

Mike Archer at LSU was another bad in-staff hire to replace Bill Arnsparger after the 1986 season. He was good early, then wilted. That is too often the case. After the players the previous coach recruited eventually leave, their replacements are not as good.

Sometimes, though, it does work out. Dabo Swinney at Clemson may be the best promotion from the same staff in college football history. He went from wide receivers coach to interim coach to head coach. And before you knew it, he won two national championships in the 2016 and '18 seasons. He reached two other title games before losing in the '15 and '19 seasons.

Ohio State's Day is another rare breed as a staff promotion. Like Moore at Michigan, he became Ohio State's acting head coach in 2018 when Urban Meyer was suspended. He went 3-0 and got the permanent job after Meyer resigned.

Day went 13-1 and 9-0 in 2019 to win the Big Ten, 7-1 and 5-0 in the COVID 2020 season and 11-2 and 8-1 in 2021. He led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff in 2022 and an 11-2 and 8-1 finish. He was 11-2 and 8-1 this past season and only missed the CFP because of a close loss to Michigan.

That's Day's problem, though. He has lost three straight to Michigan, and is becoming the second coming of John Cooper.

Ohio State is loaded for 2024, though, as it is spending NIL money like never before. It has the elite portal transfers to prove it in safety Caleb Downs and quarterback Justin Sayin from Alabama and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins.

That and a rookie head coach in his first full season like Sherrone Moore at Michigan from a feel-good, in-house promotion could be just what Day needs to get over the top against the Wolverines and exit his in-house tag.

For long term success, Michigan should open up its head coaching search nationally.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Please send your comments to me at glenn.guilbeau@outkick.com or via X at @SportBeatTweet.