Unlike the domino effect that Nick Saban caused when he retired from college football earlier this month, when Michigan hired Sherrone Moore to be the next Head Coach, there was much less drama, headlines, and questions of what would happen next.
But will that last? Or is there a big storm coming to Ann Arbor in the coming days like it did to Tuscaloosa, Seattle, and Tucsan? The answer may surprise you.
Nick Saban’s Domino Effect of Transfers
There is a rule with the transfer portal that once a coach leaves or is hired, the transfer portal opens for the entire team for 30 days. The normal transfer window closed on January 2nd. Nick Saban left Alabama on January 12th. Kalen Deboer was hired a few days later from Washington, Arizona’s Jedd Fisch followed behind him, and finally, San Jose State coach Brent Brennan went to Arizona.
All four teams immediatley were given a new 30 day window to transfer, and in total, there have alerady been 70 players from just those four teams who have already entered, with about two weeks left to still declare. Additionally, many of the players that have transferred have now displaced players on other teams who would have started. When the next portal window opens, don’t be surprised if another 50+ players effected by these transfers also transfer.
In total, the effect Nick Saban had by retiring may end up causing 100+ players to be on a new team in 2024.
Michigan Likely Won’t See Much Movement Following the Hiring of Sherrone Moore
Michigan is unlikely to see much movement with the promotion of Sherrone Moore for a few reasons.
- Jim Harbaugh is going to the NFL. Aside from a few players who may now declare for the NFL Draft, there aren’t any players who can follow Harbaugh to the Chargers. More than 30 players at Washington, Arizona, and San Jose State have followed their former Head Coach to their new school.
- Sherrone Moore knows the system. Even if Sherrone Moore eventually wants to go to a new system, he is very unlikely to try to overhaul anything with the playstyle on either side of the ball. He knows the team, its strengths, and tendencies. Don’t be shocked if Michigan runs essentially the same kind of schemes next year.
- Coaching Staff is Unlikely to Change Much: This is one area that could potentially change, particularly if Harbaugh wants to bring some Michigan staff with him to the NFL. That seems unlikely at this point, and if anything, the current coaching staff will be happy to stay at Michigan. In fact, with Moore being promoted, it could cause other coaches to also get promoted.
- Players Know Sherrone Moore as a Head Coach: Last season, Jim Harbaugh was suspended for a total of six games (nearly half the season), and Moore was given the job of calling plays and essnetially being the Head Coach during these games. He did a great job going 6-0, and seemed to have support of the entire lockerroom.
- Michigan Was an Old Team in 2024: Many players entering the portal are either players in theif final year of eligibility looking for a better fit to show off for NFL scouts, or are really young players realizing another year of sitting on the bench behind the starters isn’t what they want. With 20 players who have either run out of eligibility or have declared for the NFL Draft from Michigans 2023 National Championshp team, there are plenty of open spots next year for players to work towards.
Conclusion
College Football is very unpredictable, and things can change very quickly for any team at any moment. However, the early signs show that Michigan may have much less drama and an overall effect on the rest of college football than when Nick Saban left Alabama.
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