LaMar Morgan, the No. 21 Michigan football team’s defensive backs coach, has four children. When his mother comes home to visit, he admitted Wednesday, there’s a short adjustment period.
Rod Moore, the Wolverines’ senior defensive back, hasn’t played football in 618 days. When he returns, Morgan expects something similar.
“My mom hasn’t had a baby for a long time, so it’s a little rusty when she gets to the house,” Morgan said. “But now we have four of them, and she’s over all the time, she’s right back in it, right? Rod, you have a little rust here and there, but once the ball snaps and he gets in there, it’ll be just like the mother’s intuition of coming back out there.”
Moore stood on the sidelines through the first three games this season, more than a year removed from a torn ACL and meniscus he sustained back in March 2024, waiting for a certain feeling.
“It’s not really like any strength thing or speed, nothing like that,” Moore said Aug. 21. “It’s just trusting my leg, like knowing, ‘OK, if they throw a deep ball, I don’t have to second guess on if I gotta jump or if I gotta turn a different direction.’ … I don’t want to put any bad tape out there.”
Moore felt a sense of that two weeks ago in Norman. Yet after the game versus Oklahoma, Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said that Rod’s desire to return was overruled by the coaching staff’s best judgement. Last week against Central Michigan, Rod dressed and warmed up with the defense for the second consecutive week before not playing a snap in the Wolverines’ lopsided win.
On Monday, Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi said Rod could’ve played against the Chippewas, and that he’s confident “you’ll see Rod this week at Nebraska.” Whether or not it’s in Lincoln, Rod will be returning to a room full of defensive backs younger than him.
Due to junior Zeke Berry’s injury, freshman Jayden Sanders filled in at corner last Saturday. Junior Jyaire Hill and junior Brandyn Hillman both saw significant snaps. In the second half, freshman Elijah Dotson caught his first career interception. Without Rod or Berry, this is a group experiencing some growing pains.
There have been missed tackles, spotty coverage and miscommunication. This is a room that is learning as it goes. Morgan knows that.
“There’s going to be hiccups here and there,” Morgan said. “It’s not going to be perfect, but I do think the effort is there. The care factor is high. We got to execute. … Our mistakes are glaring. There are things that we just continue to work on.”
More than just being who he has shown he can be on the field, Rod’s return addresses an additional, intangible void. Even throughout his rehabilitation, Rod has led as a captain. It’s not on any stat sheet, but the comfort that teammates feel when a veteran anchors the defense is significant.
“It’s a calming factor,” Morgan said. “… Guys like to be on the field with you, because they know you know what’s going on, and the communication. He’s like a coach on the field. … You get a leader and a role model.”
There’s no saying how Rod will look upon his return, or if that return will come Saturday. But as the Wolverines see it, getting Rod back means more than just a return of production on the field.
