Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore made college football news in Week 1 for reportedly taking the sideline as a coach without a contract. Fortunately for Jim Harbaugh’s successor, a deal is signed and it includes some interesting language.
When Harbaugh left to become the Los Angeles Chargers coach, he took many of his top assistants with him including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Moore, who had served as interim coach during Harbaugh’s suspension, was always viewed as the natural successor.
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Moore was quickly promoted to head coach, in part because a Michigan coaching search likely might’ve been hurt by the potential of looming NCAA sanctions. There remains a real possibility that the NCAA hands down significant punishments for Michigan’s sign-stealing violations. If that were to happen, the penalties would dramatically impact Moore’s ability to recruit and coach one of the best teams in college football.
There was also another potential factor in play. There were also allegations of 52 deleted text messages between Moore and Connor Stallions. It possibly opened the door for Michigan to be able to dismiss Moore depending on what action the NCAA takes. The NCAA’s very notice to Michigan in August indicated that Moore could ace a suspension or show-cause penalty for allegedly deleting text messages.
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However, Steve Berkowitz and Tony Garcia of USA Today found through an open records request that Moore’s contract language specifically states he can’t be fired for cause specifically stemming from any known NCAA violations in the sign-stealing case.
- Sherrone Moore salary: $6 million in 2024
USA Today Sports also found that Moore will earn a $6 million salary this season, with the contract also including yearly $500,000 retention payments and a 2% annual increase in his annual base pay. Of note, the deal is structured so Moore only receives a $500,000 base salary, with the other $5.5 million designated as “additional compensation” for the Wolverines coach.
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