Tony GarciaDetroit Free Press
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All of a sudden, Al Glick Fieldhouse sounded more like a library on campus than U-M's football practice facility.
It was during spring camp in mid-April, when defending national champion Michigan football was going through some rather routine drills. On this particular play, safety Rod Moore ran down the field on a kickoff, in the same way he has done hundreds — if not thousands — of times.
But this time, something went wrong, and before long, everybody knew it. The entire team took a knee on the field.
"Somebody was coming full speed this way, I tried to slow down and I planted and it felt weird," Moore recalled Thursday afternoon. "I'm like, 'What was that?' I tried to put my leg back down and it gave out on me; then I got the MRI — torn ACL."
To call the news devastating to Moore would be an understatement. Thought to be a potential first round selection in next year's NFL draft, Moore had big plans for his senior season, including the spring — his time to make the biggest improvements.
A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Moore has been a staple in the Wolverines secondary the past three seasons, playing in 37 games (with 27 starts). Last year, the Ohio native played 12 games and racked up 38 tackles (including one for loss) with five pass breakups, two interceptions and one quarterback hurry.
He's known for his stoicism, but Moore admitted he couldn't hold it in when the worst was confirmed.
"I cried, I ain't gonna lie," Moore said. "This was a season on the schedule that I circled it, I really wanted to come out and show who I was as a player and a leader, too. At first, it was hard. It probably took me a month to really realize, like, OK, this is the position you're in and you've got to deal with it and go forward.
"Since then, it's been great. Went out to Cali for a couple weeks from rehab. ... That was good to get away."
By the time he returned, Moore had reset his mindset. After allowing himself some time to grieve, and speaking with friends and family, the 6-foot, 198-pound safety returned to Ann Arbor with a new approach. He leaned into his new role — where he's become known as "coach Rod" — and became a mainstay in the front row of position meetings.
"You just got to control what you can control and attack it," Moore said. "Just pushing everybody and getting the best out of them because that's what I'd want from somebody if they were in my position. People will look at you and how you deal with stuff, especially when it goes wrong, not just when it goes right.
"So that's my focus, attacking everything as best I can in a positive way."
It paid off in a big way for Moore on Thursday when he was named one of four Michigan captains. The others — H-back Max Bredeson, running back Donovan Edwards and safety Makari Paige are all expected to be key contributors on the field this season.
Moore's status is less determined.
He said he's in a "good place" with his recovery and added his leg is "getting stronger" but confirmed there remains no timeline for him to return to the field. Still, the safety's teammates — such as Edwards, who said Moore has "continued to uplift the whole entire defense" — raved about his importance within the program and his role on Team 145.
"Rod is an unbelievable leader," Bredeson said. "He's no doubt in my eyes a team captain. I was very happy he was team captain. ... I can't talk enough about how special Rod is in terms of talking to this team, the mindset he brings, the plays he's made. Rod's about it every day.
"Whether he's out there or not, I mean, everyone is following what Rod does."
As for Paige, a defender who has lined up with Moore each of the past three seasons, he was "sick" to see his teammate and brother go down with a non-contact injury. He said it felt like a police officer losing his partner.
The person next most affected? Likely defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who compared Moore's football IQ to former Chargers and Ravens star safety Eric Weddle a few weeks before Moore's injury. It's why Wesley Walker is here right now.
Moore, who has 109 tackles and six interceptions over the past two seasons, is likely best known for his game-sealing interception last year against his home-state Buckeyes. Moore pledged that once he joined the Wolverines he would never lose to OSU; so far. he's 3-0.
But does he expect to be on the field in late November vs. OSU?
"I think it could be potentially both player and coach Rod," he said. "We're going to see how it goes in the future as far as player-wise, but as of right now, it would be coach Rod. Continue pushing the guys and going forward from there."
In the meantime, "coach Moore" has spent time helping a host of secondary transfers — Walker (Tennessee), Aamir Hal (Albany), Ricky Johnson (UNLV) and Jaden Mangham (MSU) — get up to speed with Michigan's defense.
With all of them being multi-year starters in college, Moore said, they all know how to learn a playbook; he's only there for the small details.
It will be a year of details for Moore, who in 4-6 months will have the biggest decision of his life: Attempt to go to the NFL off of an abbreviated final season in Ann Arbor, or return for a fifth year. Fortunately, when he was in California, sitting on the beach and listening to the waves, he had time to process.
Moore needed to get away from football for the moment. Now, he's back and embracing what this fall will look like.
"I just got to take this and turn it into a positive," Moore said. "Look at the bright side of everything. I just took my role as being a leader and am pushing forward from there."
