ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Somewhere about a week and 10 days before Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel got the call from football head coach Jim Harbaugh, he wanted to talk to offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore. At that point, Manuel was not sure if Harbaugh would go to the NFL, if it was the Los Angeles Chargers, the Atlanta Falcons or another organization. Negotiations between the school and Harbaugh for a lucrative contract extension were still ongoing, as they had been for months.But when Harbaugh reeled off three straight wins over Ohio State, three straight Big Ten titles and the program’s first national championship in 26 years, Manuel knew who his best candidate was. So he invited Moore and gave him the land.andquot;I told him before Jim announced,andquot; Manuel explained and I said, “Just know, you’re the first person I sit with. I promise you that. So be patient. Be prepared. I want to know your perspective on how you do things.and#039;andquot;The phone call that so many Michigan fans were waiting for finally came on January 24th, when Harbaugh explained to Manuel that he was leaving to become the head coach of the Chargers. That call ignited a race against the clock to identify and shut down Manuel, university president Santa Ono and the board of trustees they believe will lead the Wolverines into the post-Harbaugh era.Moore was closed within 48 hours. The official announcement was made on Friday evening. Before 11 a.m. Saturday, Moore was officially introduced as the 21st head coach in program history with his wife and two daughters at Michigan Stadium’s Junge Family Champions Center. The audience included Manuel, several board members, a collection of current Michigan players and most of Harbaughand#039’s coaching staff, although Harbaugh himself was not in attendance.andquot;I can’t be Jim Harbaugh andquot; Moore said. andquot;So I am me. And I think if you’re not in the business yourself somewhere in the world, you lose the people around you. So I’m definitely who I am, my leadership style, how I approach things. But I definitely lean on [Harbaugh] for what he’s built and what we’ve built here.andquot;When Harbaugh decided to leave Ann Arbor after nine years and return to the NFL for the first time since 2014, he wanted that succession plan for his alma mater. Manuel said that Harbaugh spoke and quot; Moore before the season started and trusted him as Bowling Green’s bench coach during Michigan’s self-imposed three-game suspension. Manuel then said that Harbaugh raged on Moore again as the season progressed. He was confident he could lead the Wolverines against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State after another suspension was imposed by the Big Ten. And when Manuel spoke with Harbaugh again on Wednesday, when he informed his boss of his imminent move to the NFL, where his desire to win a Super Bowl could not be ignored, Harbaugh succeeded Moore for the third time. his favorite choice crystal clear.Then the endless contract negotiations between Michigan and Harbaugh officially ended, even though the school offered to make him the highest paid coach in the country. The parties were reportedly at odds over Harbaugh’s immunity clause, which would prevent him from being fired for cause pending the outcome of an NCAA investigation into several ongoing football programs. Harbaughand’s attorneys, who spoke to The Detroit News, said it would take until 11 a.m. Wednesday for Michigan to move on certain contract language.When asked Saturday how he characterized the negotiations with Harbaughand#039’s camp, he said he is aware of how things are portrayed on social media and that outsiders don’t know everything that happened. behind the cameras.andquot;I can’t judge how close we were or? was not [to keep Harbaugh], andquot; Manuel said. andquot;I know we had constant communication, a lot of effort – myself, the president, the board – and we did our best. Jim finally made the decision he wanted to make for the next phase of his life. And I am satisfied with that. I’m happy with what we tried to do. He knows how much I loved him, we loved him. But in the end, he made the choice to become the head coach of the Chargers.andquot;Manuel kept his promise and met with Moore the next morning for an interview. A win over Penn State more than two months earlier convinced Manuel that Moore could be Michigan’s next head coach, although he didn’t know when that opportunity would arise. For him, it was how Moore handled both the unexpected news of Harbaughand’s second suspension, which broke after the team’s plane landed at State College Regional Airport, and the uncertainty surrounding the game day and the university’s decision to make the decision. temporary restraining orders were exemplary. It was 90 minutes before kickoff when Manuel told Moore he was leading the Wolverines against Penn State. And then Moore shut down the Nittany Lions, ringing in 32 straight runs to end the game in the tournament.This achievement marked the soccer field in the criteria list of Manueland#039. He did, however, want to know during the interview how the 37-year-old Moore planned to handle the many off-field tasks that are now a prerequisite to being a successful head coach: personnel, recruiting, academics, fundraising, NCAA compliance. , NIL initiatives. and more frequent interactions with fans, donors and other university leaders, from Manuel to Ono himself and the Board of Regents. He hoped Moore would push aside the way Harbaugh did things and offer new ideas.and I’m excited about it, andquot; Moore said when asked about publicizing the work. andquot;The employees I hire, and I’m just starting to trust.