Michigan coach admits he stole plays from Wisconsin Badgers offensive coordinator

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Football is a copycat sport. When a coach figures out how to do something well, other coaches notice and try to emulate that success for their own team.

It's a great compliment to Wisconsin Badgers offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes that Michigan's Sherrone Moore has done the same thing.

The Wolverines head coach admitted this week during a press conference that he's taken plays from Grimes before, including some of his most intricate designs.

"Coach Grimes does a really good job, and he’s done a great job... Kansas, BYU, actually took plays from him. Took a trick play from him," Moore said. "Unbalanced, shifts, motions... all those to get your defense off balance and get them not aligned. He’ll change up the tempos, mostly huddle, but they’ll change up the tempos on what they do."

Despite the overall offensive struggles of the Badgers, Grimes' offensive play-calling has represented welcomed improvement from where the team was under previous offensive coordinator Phil Longo.

Wisconsin hasn't been able to run the ball effectively with its running backs, but the play-caller has gotten creative with option plays and wide receiver handoffs to get something going on the ground.

Moore didn't specify which trick play or other concepts he's borrowed from Grimes, but it speaks to the OC's reputation across multiple stops in college football that a Big Ten head coach would use his stuff.

The Badgers still need that to translate into more wins, but it feels like the beginning of a solid foundation that can make real progress when they get healthy at quarterback and along the offensive line.

Some of those Jeff Grimes play calls against MTSU were artwork. Simple as that. pic.twitter.com/OknFrvcMPj

— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) September 7, 2025

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