Copyright M Live Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In Year 2 of his coaching tenure at Michigan, Sherrone Moore hasn’t been afraid to reach out to others for help. Nick Saban, included. Moore said he sought advice from the soon-to-be College Football Hall of Famer and longtime Alabama coach recently, the latest in a string of conversations between the Wolverines’ head coach and Saban, now a member of ESPN’s “College GameDay” college football tailgate show. “I try to call coach Saban every month, every two months,” Moore told reporters on Monday, his team beginning its playoff hunt this Saturday at Northwestern (12 p.m. ET, FOX). “When you call coach Saban sometimes, you don’t really know if he wants to talk to you. But he does. Once he starts talking, it’s outstanding. Why not take advance from someone you consider the GOAT (greatest of all time) of college football?” Moore said he’s asked Saban about everything from team travel to managing a football program to in-season adjustments and when to make them, or not make them. Saban, now 74, spent 17 seasons at Alabama, where he won six national titles and nine SEC championships while twice being named coach of the year in college football. He also won a national title and two SEC titles at LSU, where he coached from 2000 to ’04, and spent five seasons at Michigan State from 1995 to ‘99. “I’d be a fool not to seek the advice of Nick Saban, if I could,” added Moore, who also has an open line to former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “I try to call some of the mentors, some of the people I look up to, throughout the months, throughout the weeks. I talked to Jim last week.” How did Moore and Saban connect? Through Michigan associate coach Biff Poggi, who maintains a friendly relationship with Saban to this day. So friendly, in fact, Saban and Poggi traded barbs on “College GameDay” in September over a failed vehicle transaction and paying players. “One day I said, ‘I’d love to really get in touch with him,’” Moore said. “It was after the Rose Bowl, so he didn’t really want to talk to me after that. But we connected in February when I first got the (Michigan) job, and we talked a little bit.” Moore said he recalls Saban being angry over the result of the Rose Bowl, a 27-27 overtime victory for Michigan in what would end up being Saban’s last game at Alabama. The win sent the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff title game, where they would beat Washington for the school’s first national championship since 1997. “I remember him (saying), ‘You know, I really didn’t like your guys’ game plan against us. You guys shifted and motioned every play; it was annoying,’” Moore recalled, smiling. He was Michigan’s offensive coordinator that year. “And I was like, ‘Thanks, coach, I appreciate it.’ But as much as I could, tried to get as much information from him as possible.” Moore’s Michigan team is 7-2 and ranked 21st in the first CFP ranking, with a new poll set to be released Tuesday night. The Wolverines will need to win their three remaining games to return to the playoff, a task the team seems up for.
