Rod Moore Paints Another Troubling Picture of Past Michigan Culture, Praises Jay Hill

With Rod Moore facing injuries the past two seasons, the two-time Michigan captain paints another poor picture of Sherrone Moore.

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After sustaining a torn ACL ahead of the 2024 football season, two-time captain Rod Moore attempted to play in 2025. But the Ohio product saw just three games of action, and could never fully shake off the injury bug. However, Moore is expected to make his anticipated return to the field for Michigan in 2026.

The former All-Big Ten safety is looking to resurrect his career after missing most of the last two seasons. Appearing on In the Trenches with Jon Jansent, Moore said he's feeling the best he's felt since prior to tearing his ACL. Now, it's just about retraining his body.

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"I'm feeling the best I've felt since March 27, 2024," Moore said. "That's the exact day I tore my ACL. But I'm feeling great. Took three surgeries, but now I'm feeling like I haven't felt — since the past two years. I'm out, moving around, running straight line back, feeling fast again, and it's just a matter of, like, getting the coordination back under my feet."

New staff has made Moore feel wanted

The 6-foot, hard-hitting safety has a chance to become the first-ever three-time captain in Michigan football history. He wore the stitched letter 'C' for the past two seasons, and chances are high he's voted a captain again. Since standing on the sidelines for all of 2024 and most of 2025, Moore has worn the coach's hat and helped his teammates.

After playing in 40 career games at Michigan, along with 29 starts, Moore has seen the ups and downs at Michigan — including having three different defensive coordinators. Jay Hill will mark Moore's fourth defensive coordinator he's played under, but the bond has already been built, and for the first time since he's been injured, Moore feels like he has the support.

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"Honestly, I can say I got lucky because a lot of coaches don't really go back and look at players that used to be here, like, older players that are coming off injuries," said Moore. "And I could say to this coaching staff, they took the time to really learn who I was, especially Coach Hill.

"He called me one day out of nowhere. I think it was probably a week after he got here and was just like, 'I love how you move'. And I'm like, 'dang, you back there watching the 2023 film', he was just telling me how, like, he can't wait to get me back.

"And to be honest, it's probably been the first time in my career that I felt in my college career that I felt like I had the support and, the needs for a coach to want me healthy. Like, he's exacerbating every option to try to get me healthy and pushing and helping the trainers, just being involved in my rehab."

It's an interesting comment from Moore to make. One would've thought that both Sherrone Moore and Wink Martindale would've gone the distance to ensure Moore felt wanted and went through every avenue to get him back on the field. But according to Moore, Hill and Co. are the first ones.

It's very telling about the previous regime and Michigan fans will hope to see Moore back on the field for the opening game against Western Michigan.