Michigan’s frequent injuries, and Sherrone Moore’s response to them, are a problem weighing over the team heading into critical bye week

The Michigan Wolverines have to do something to solve their injury woes before it grows any further

AJ Schulte — College Football Trending News Writer

Nov 5, 2025 5:41 PM EST

The Michigan Wolverines are thankfully heading into their bye week just before a critical end of season push to try and make a bid for the College Football Playoffs. The team limped into the bye week crushed by a key injury to Justice Haynes and an ugly, ugly 21-16 win over Purdue that never felt good from the start.

The bye week should be a time to begin fixing the main problems on the team and to rest up. One problem has haunted the Wolverines now for two straight years, and while I’m not sure it’s something they can outright solve in the bye week, they should be laying the foundation for some major changes in that department.

Michigan has been decimated by injuries ever since Sherrone Moore took over at every position, and it’s time the Wolverines start taking a long look in the mirror to try and correct this before it pops up again next season, or even worse, hurts them even more this year.

Michigan’s strength and conditioning program has been in rough shape since Ben Herbert followed Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers, and the results speak for themselves. Players routinely get knocked out with injury and they often miss more time than initially thought/reported. While it’s unfair to blame every injury on the staff, as football is a violent sport and injuries are part of the game, it’s a worrying trend in the past two years.

Perhaps the most discouraging part is the subterfuge and near-irreverence Sherrone Moore seems to bring when discussing injuries. He either refuses to acknowledge them (last week, the only reason anyone knew linebackers Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder would miss time was because linebacker Troy Bowles let it slip in media), or makes his response a “We’ll see”, as he has frequently defaulted to when discussing Justice Haynes. Moore frequently responds with statements like he “feels like” they’ll get X player back or “we’ll see how he practices” about a guy in a walking boot and scooter or “He’ll play again this year” like he did with Will Johnson last year (he never did).

I understand gamesmanship is part of the game, but his flippancy and silence regarding injuries is a stark contrast to other coaches. Moore routinely downplays injuries and seems eternally optimistic of a timeline that seemingly never gets reached for many plays. He of course doesn’t have to get into specifics with injuries, but his demeanor has routinely frustrated fans, with many even accusing him of outright being a liar. This process, on top of Michigan frequently underperforming, has put Moore right in the crosshairs of the fanbase.

During the bye week, Michigan is “hopeful” to have some plays back from injury. On his radio show, Moore said they were “going to do as much as they can to get everyone’s bodies back.”

Running back Justice Haynes seems likely to miss the rest of the season, and we’re awaiting news on defensive stalwarts like Rod Moore, Cole Sullivan, and Jaishawn Barham. Moore said he “feels like” (ring a bell?) Barham will be back for their matchup against Northwestern, but stayed mum regarding the rest.

Regardless of if Moore fixes his stance on injuries, the Michigan injury problem has to be something they address moving forward. Whether that involves a new staff, hiring additional help, revamping the medical rehab side, or some combination of the three, something has to change here for the Wolverines – and soon.

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AJ Schulte