Michigan football recruiting under Sherrone Moore: Staff moves, QB battle, 2025 updates from best CFB insiders
Written by CBS SPORTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on February 27, 2024
The window for Michigan football players to enter the college football transfer portal has closed now that 30 days have passed since Jim Harbaugh bolted to the NFL for the Los Angeles Chargers. The damage was relatively minimal for the Wolverines. Eleven total players from last year’s team have entered the portal, but only safety Keon Sabb was viewed as a significant loss for 2024. Now that new head coach Sherrone Moore has gotten through that period and also built his staff, he can focus on his first Michigan football spring practice and recruiting for 2025 and 2026.
Top247 2025 defensive lineman Jaylen Williams likes the hire of new defensive line coach Gregg Scruggs, while top-100 2026 quarterback Faizon Brandon is now a target after being offered by new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell. If you want to see the latest Michigan recruiting news and updates on the staff and 2024 team, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at The Michigan Insider, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Michigan.
The team at The Michigan Insider is providing on-the-ground updates on every development in the defensive coordinator coaching search, including insights from Sam Webb, Steve Lorenz, Zach Shaw and Alejandro Zuniga. The unrivaled insider team has the latest Michigan recruiting news and the inside scoop on the Michigan coaching search.
The team at The Michigan Insider already has several recruiting updates from Moore’s first few weeks on the job, along with staff updates and an outlook for the 2024 roster. Head to The Michigan Insider now to see see the latest news.
Sherrone Moore Michigan recruiting and coaching updates
Michigan has one of the top returning tight ends in the nation in Colston Loveland. However, he’ll be draft eligible after next season, so tight end is a spot the Wolverines are hitting hard on the recruiting trail. Steve Casula is the new tight end coach under Moore, and one of his top targets is Goodland (Kan.) four-star Linkon Cure.
Cure is the No. 2 TE and the No. 43 overall player in the 2025 class in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Casula has already been in touch with Cure and found out where he stands with the new staff. The Michigan Insider staff caught up with Cure and he updated them on his thoughts on Casula and his plans to potentially visit Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines also are taking a big swing in the 2026 class by offering five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell out of Missouri. He’s the No. 1 offensive tackle and the No. 2 overall player in that cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The Wolverines join a loaded offer list that includes Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and many others, so chasing recruits of this caliber will be a big test for Moore. Cantwell recently spoke with 247Sports about his level of interest in Michigan, and you can see what he has to say right here.
As for the coaching staff, Moore appears to be set. Continuity was the theme for the offensive staff. Coordinator Kirk Campbell was promoted from within, as was offensive line coach Grant Newsome. Ron Bellamy remains the receivers coach, while Steve Casula, a former Michigan analyst, has returned to the school to coach tight ends. The only question surrounds running backs coach Mike Hart, who is reportedly on a leave of absence, but remains officially a part of the staff for the time being.
The defensive side, meanwhile, will feature a lot of change under new coordinator Wink Martindale. Martindale replaces Jesse Minter, who followed Harbaugh to the NFL. Martindale’s three key assistants — defensive line coach Greg Scruggs (Wisconsin), linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary (Tennessee) and defensive back coach LaMar Morgan (Louisiana) — all coached elsewhere last year. The staff at TMI has graded the assistant coaching hires right here.
The Michigan Insider staff is also turning their attention to a new-look 2024 squad. New offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell does not have the luxury of relying on a veteran quarterback following JJ McCarthy’s departure to the NFL. McCarthy led the Wolverines to a perfect 15-0 season that was capped off with a national title, so his replacement has big shoes to fill.
Juniors Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal are at the center of the competition, but Davis Warren and Jadyn Davis are also on the roster. While Orji did not throw any passes during the 2023 season, he rushed 15 times for 86 yards and a touchdown across six games. He had two carries for 15 yards against Washington in the national championship, suggesting that he could have a leg up on the competition for the starting job. TMI has the latest comments from new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell on the QB competition right here.
How to get Michigan 247Sports updates
The Wolverines are also locking in on one of the top cornerbacks in the 2025 class. He’s eyeing a return trip to Ann Arbor, and he’s sharing his latest plans right here.
Who are the top recruits that Michigan’s new coaching staff is targeting right now, and who else is Michigan targeting for its staff? Go to The Michigan Insider to see all the latest Michigan recruiting and coaching search news, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Wolverines, and find out.
The post Michigan football recruiting under Sherrone Moore: Staff moves, QB battle, 2025 updates from best CFB insiders first appeared on CBS Sports.
