Rod Moore grew up in Clayton, OH — just 

an hour’s drive from Columbus — with many of 

his closest family and friends as Buckeyes fans. 

While they’ve always supported Michigan’s 

sophomore safety, they refused to shift their alle-

giances in the rivalry for Moore’s first matchup 

against Ohio State last November.

 That’s why, in the aftermath of the Wolver-

ines’ upset win, Moore couldn’t help but relish in 

the result.

 “I was going back talking to all of them,” 

Moore said. “Telling them like, ‘What happened? 

I told y’all we were going to beat them.’ ”

This confidence radiates in Moore’s play on 

the field, exemplified by the career-high nine 

tackles he made that day. As a true freshman and 

former 3-star recruit, though, he didn’t always 

expect to be starting against the Buckeyes after 

arriving on campus just that summer.

 But Anthony Broering, Moore’s football coach 

at Northmont High School, certainly did.

 “When he left our program, I told the coaches 

he’ll have a chance to get on the field first before 

all the other guys because he’s so fast,” Broering 

told The Daily. “I predicted that Rod would have 

the best chance to get on the field early.”

 Broering has served as the football coach at 

Northmont for over three decades, and he knew 

Rod was different when he first saw him running 

track in eighth grade. The Thunderbolts play in 

the Greater Western Ohio Conference, one of the 

most talented high school football leagues in the 

state. To keep pace with the competition, Broer-

ing typically rolls out juniors and seniors who’ve 

had a couple years to develop in the program.

 But Moore was too good to be kept on the side-

line for that long.

 
“He was literally the only sophomore out of 

22 that played,” Broering said. “We knew that he 

was going to be really good when he was really 

young.”

 Despite his youth, Moore set himself apart 

with his blazing speed. The summer before his 

senior year, he ran a 4.38 forty-yard dash at a 

camp hosted by Pitt and that trait translated to 

the football field.

Throughout his high school career, his side-

line-to-sideline quickness made him an asset 

covering ground from the free safety position. 

Moore combined this speed with physicality to 

stifle opponents on the ground. He frequently 

crashed down from the secondary to get directly 

to the ball, turning what looked like an easy gain 

into a loss.

 These natural traits helped Moore to excel on 

the football field. But he also possessed a relent-

less dedication to improving, whether that was 

hitting the weight room, studying extra film or 

keeping up with his academics, which allowed 

him to establish himself.

 “We kind of imprinted on him how important 

(that work ethic) was,” Broering said. “But he put 

that upon himself because he is such a hard work-

er, he wants to know the answer. So, he studies 

really really well. And he’s super smart.”

 Moore’s individual success then carried over 

to the rest of his team. The Thunderbolts went 

8-0 in the 2020 season before their playoff run 

was cut short due to COVID-19. 

Despite his ascent on the field, where Moore 

racked up 68 tackles for the year, he never 

wavered on his initial commitment to the Wol-

verines he made back in the spring of his junior 

year. In December 2020, he officially signed his 

letter of intent.

 Unlike many of Michigan’s recruits, though, 

Moore didn’t arrive on campus until July — miss-

ing valuable time to learn a complex defensive 

scheme during spring practice. Moore, as the the 

538th ranked player in 2021 class, was underrated 

already and now was at a further disadvantage. 

But, just as he felt at Northmont, Moore was 

confident he could earn playing time quickly — 

and his work ethic was a byproduct of this mind-

set. In fall camp, Moore constantly watched film, 

studying tape of himself in practice to fix his mis-

takes. When the season began, Moore watched 

the film from team meetings again before prac-

tice to get a better feel of what he needed to focus 

on. 

 That dedication didn’t go unnoticed. 

“You can just tell how much he was studying 

from the beginning of training camp,” Michigan 

coach Jim Harbaugh said last November. “The 

hours he was putting in on his iPad watching 

tape was the most of anybody on the team.”

 The coaching staff didn’t think Moore would 

come along so quickly. But Moore’s trust in his 

natural abilities and extra effort off-field made 

noise which could only be ignored for so long. 

Ahead of Michigan’s pivotal showdown at 

Penn State last season, with the Wolverines’ Col-

lege Football Playoff hopes hanging in the bal-

ance, Moore earned the starting nod. He hasn’t 

relinquished that role since.

 “It was hard at first,” Moore said of his fresh-

man season. “But as I continued to go and got my 

chance, I just made the best of the opportunity 

that was given. And it just went up from there.”

 In his debut, Moore held his own, accumulat-

ing six tackles. Just two weeks later, Moore drew 

the start against his hometown Buckeyes, mak-

ing an impact in Michigan’s biggest win in two 

decades. 

This season, Moore was one of the only 

returning players to the safety group. With Dax 

Hill and Brad Hawkins both departing the pro-

gram, Moore became an obvious player to slot in 

as a starter from the opening game.

 But Moore didn’t want to just be plugged in 

for lack of a better option. He believed he could 

elevate his game. To do so, he just had to slow 

down.

 “He tries to do a lot,” Michigan defensive 

backs coach Steve Clinkscale said. “That’s prob-

ably the biggest thing I tell him, ‘Just don’t do so 

much. Do your job. Let it come to you. The ball 

will come to you, the players will come to you.’ 

And he’s starting to embrace that.”

JOSH TAUBMAN

Daily Sports Editor

Inside 
Inside 

Rod Moore
Rod Moore's 
s 

ascension
ascension:

How his 
How his 

confidence 
confidence 

quickl
y 
quickl
y 

earned him a 
earned him a 
starting role
starting role

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Since accepting the offer to lead the Universi-

ty of Michigan as its 15th president this summer, 

I’ve been waiting for this special day to arrive.

The Game – the greatest tradition in college 

football – will see the University of Michigan 

facing off against Ohio State for the 118th time. 

And as a new member of the Wolverine family 

experiencing this spectacle for the first time, I 

feel like a freshman again.

Intercollegiate athletics, especially at the 

exceptional level of our two universities, are a 

tremendous source of pride for our campuses, 

our alumni and our supporters. And traditions 

like these bring people together and help make 

our institutions unique.

Now, let’s talk about the Buckeyes.

As the former president of the University 

of Cincinnati, I had the pleasure of serving an 

institution located only about 100 miles down 

Interstate 71 from Ohio State.

When I was recently asked by a Michigan 

Daily reporter how my experience at Cincinna-

ti shaped my views on Ohio State, I must admit 

my mind went to athletics first. It went to Sep-

tember 2014 and the stinging 50-28 loss that 

the Bearcats football team experienced at Ohio 

Stadium. We earned a conference co-champion-

ship that season, but that loss still stings.

As a sports fan, I’ve never been much of a 

scarlet-and-gray kind of guy.

But working close to Columbus for years 

offered me a unique vantage point as both a 

researcher and university administrator into 

what Ohio State is all about – academic excel-

lence, innovative research, quality health care 

and the public good.

This became especially evident during the 

depths of COVID-19, when researchers and 

health professionals at OSU – just like at U-M 

– led the way in tackling some of the pandem-

ic’s most pressing challenges in clinics, research 

labs and hospital rooms.

Thanks in no small part to the expertise, 

leadership and tireless effort put forth by so 

many at our two great public research institu-

tions, the Wolverines will enter the Horseshoe 

safe and healthy. And they’ll exit – of course – as 

Victors.

Just as with many research areas, U-M’s 

goals often align with our rival’s. I congratulate 

and thank all students and campus community 

members from both universities who rolled up 

their sleeves for the 40th annual Blood Battle 

to address critical blood shortages. Our univer-

sities also work together as founding members 

of the American Talent Initiative, an important 

effort to expand access and opportunity to tal-

ented lower-income students.

In many ways, our two storied institutions 

are more alike than anyone would ever care to 

admit

On a chilly Saturday in late November amid 

the thunderous din of marching bands and 

screaming fans. 

 That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do all we can 

to support our team. Let’s grab our maize and 

blue gear, sing “The Victors,” and make it two in 

a row over the Buckeyes!

Go Blue!

READ MORE AT MICHIGANDAIL
Y.COM

SARAH BOEKE/Daily

Cover Photos: JEREMY WEINE, KATE HUA, TESS 
CROWLEY, EMMA MATI, JULIA SCHACHINGER, 
GRACE BEAL, ANNA FUDER/Daily

