Rod Moore injury update: Michigan football captain 'trending' toward return, coach says

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Wolverines captain and defensive back Rod Moore has warmed up fully the last two weeks, but has yet to make his season debut after a lengthy absence due to a knee injury.

Head coach Sherrone Moore said during his press conference last week that he thought there was a good chance he might make his return against Central Michigan, but it never came to pass. Now, Michigan preps its Big Ten opener against Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln (3:30 p.m., CBS).

So if not now, when?

Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon from Schembechler Hall, giving the latest on his prized safety’s return to the field.

“ I’m excited for Rod,” Morgan told the media. “He’s been working really hard, he’s trying to get a lot of value in practice, trying to get all in on all the one-on-ones, team reps and stuff like that. I think he and the medical team and his family have a good plan and we’re just trying to support him when he’s ready. I think he’s trending in the right direction. He’s being physical [and] running, his velocity’s really good at practice reps and stuff like that. So I think he’s trending.

“I know our team and his and his teammates are excited to get him back really soon.”

Moore, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, tore his ACL in 2024’s spring camp, then had a second procedure to repair his meniscus towards the end of his ACL recovery, leading to a bit of a setback.

However, he has an impact on the field that goes beyond his own production. He’s fundamentally sound and a calming presence that knows where to line up and get his teammates to follow.

That’s what the expectation is upon his eventual return, whenever it may be.

 ”A young man like him, I just think that [he] is a calming factor,” Morgan said. “When you play safety, you know, just like Mike linebacker… he’s like a coach on the field. So I think he’s been an extra guy without being an extra green guy. On the field, that’s really a leader, a great communicator, tough kid.

“I just think you get a leader and a role model [when he returns]. A lot of our guys see how he has battled back from the injury. I just think he has a lot of respect. So I just think he can push guys. Sometimes coaches do it all the time. I think now you just gain an extra guy on the field that can push his teammates by the way he acts and the way he responds to adversity.”

There will be rust to knock off when Moore returns, but eventually, Michigan expects the vintage player we have come to know.

“ To me, I think in a position like that, it is just kind of like…if you always do something, you just haven’t done it for a while… So Rod, we have a little rust here and there, but once the ball snaps and a couple plays, once it gets in there, it’ll be just like the mother’s intuition of coming back out there. That’s what he’ll be.