LANSING >> After delivering a lengthy talk to the coaches gathered at the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA), Sherrone Moore seemed relaxed while discussing his first season as Michigan head coach with a couple of reporters before heading off to recruit.

Moore is nearing his oneyear anniversary since becoming the Wolverines’ head coach, having been elevated from his role as offensive coordinator/offensive line coach after Jim Harbaugh departed Michigan following nine seasons to return to the NFL. Shortly after taking the job, Moore had to juggle recruiting and the transfer portal while hiring a special-teams coach and strength director and having to replace the entire defensive staff.

Under his direction, the Wolverines finished 8-5 with three straight wins to conclude the season, including upsetting Ohio State in Columbus, and then Alabama in the bowl game. It was a significant boost for a program that was facing potentially missing bowl eligibility with two regular-season games remaining.

“We talked about, not losses, lessons, so you went through a lot of lessons,” Moore said Friday of his first season. “There’s ups and downs but even when you try to climb up a hill, there’s bumps, there’s roads, so there’s things you have overcome.”

For his part, Moore said he felt he evolved during his first season.

“In the day-to-day and how I handled the team,” Moore said. “It wasn’t really something I was like, ‘Ah, I’m not gonna do that. It was more evolving and getting better day to day. … You think you know (everything going on with the job) and then you don’t. But it was awesome. It was a fun year and excited for the next one.”

This is a much different offseason for Moore because he doesn’t have to scramble to make hires while holding the team together.

“It feels calmer at this point this year than it (did) last year,” he said. “It’s good because you can focus on getting the right pieces to add and self-scouting to make yourself better. And if you’re on the road recruiting, you can focus on the ’26 guys that you’re gonna go see.”

Moore made one significant staff change in early December and fired Kirk Campbell after one season as offensive coordinator. He hired Chip Lindsey, a veteran coordinator who spent the last two seasons at UNC as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach.

It is possible he may have to make another staff adjustment, considering defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who spent the previous two decades in the NFL before joining Moore’s staff last season, is interviewing for NFL coordinator positions. Martindale has interviewed with Atlanta and Indianapolis.

Martindale’s defense, anchored by defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, who are headed to the NFL, surged late in the season. The Wolverines held Ohio State to 10 points and Alabama to 13.

“When your team has success, the opportunities are going to come,” Moore said.

“Don’t want to lose him.

Don’t want him to go anywhere.

Want him to be here at Michigan, and I think he does, too, but he has opportunities he has to look at.”

Moore said he is prepared if Martindale leaves and has a list of candidates for that position, as well as the other on-field coaching spots.

“We’ll take those steps if we need to,” Moore said.

Underwood and the QBs

Quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation’s top recruit, has been with the team since Dec. 19 and participated in bowl practices, Mikey Keene transferred from Fresno State and Jadyn Davis returns, and all will compete for the starting job this fall. Davis Warren, who started nine games last season, also is back but is recovering from a knee injury suffered in the bowl game.

“I’m excited to watch this spring with him and Mike and Jadyn Davis,” Moore said. “(Underwood has) assimilated right in there. It’s funny because he’s just a kid, and people think about him as this big figure because he was the No. 1 player in the country, but he wants nothing to do with any of that. He just wants to go play football and have fun with the team, so it’s been fun to watch him.”

Defensive depth

It remains unclear if safety Rod Moore, a team captain who missed last season while recovering from a torn knee ligament, is returning. He has not made an official announcement.

“It looks good, but we’ll see,” Sherrone Moore said.

Defensive line coach Lou Esposito said defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny is returning.

“Excited about it,” Esposito said of Benny’s return.