Ex-Michigan Football Coach Set To Face Former Team

This weekend is going to be a small world moment for Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore, who must stop a familiar face that is now with the Maryland Terrapins. Josh Gattis, an ex-Michigan football coach who was on staff from 2019 through 2021, is calling plays in College Park, MD, and will get his first crack at the Maize and Blue since he left for Miami after the Wolverines’ Big Ten title and College Football Playoff run in 2021.

Ex-Michigan football coach Josh Gattis to face the Wolverines this weekend

Sherrone Moore was the offensive line coach under Josh Gattis, who was brought in by Jim Harbaugh after the Wolverines went 10-3 in 2018. Gattis emphasized a “speed in space” offense, which ultimately didn’t really pan out for the Maize and Blue.

After going 9-4 in 2019 and 2-4 in 2020, Michigan football returned to its roots despite Gattis still calling the plays. With a refreshed view on offense, Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis ran the ball like crazy — with the help of then-OL coach and now-OC Sherrone Moore — en route to a 12-2 finish with wins over Penn State, Ohio State, a Big Ten title, and the team’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff.

After the season, however, Gattis left and took the Miami job, which he was fired from after just one season. A year later, in 2023, Gattis ended up with the Maryland Terrapins, who just earned bowl eligibility with a 13-10 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers last weekend.

Sherrone Moore explains excitement behind matchup against Gattis, Maryland

On Saturday, Sherrone Moore will either be the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator or the team’s head coach, depending on his this Friday’s court hearing with Jim Harbaugh goes. Regardless, Moore is excited to see Gattis, though when the game starts, all friendliness goes away.

“It will be cool. It will be great to see (Josh Gattis) — obviously, we are very close. We are very good friends, so that will be cool. But once that foot hits leather, we’re against each other.”

Coach Sherrone Moore on facing his old offensive coordinator, Josh Gattis, this weekend. pic.twitter.com/lbzlnema5O

— CJ Mangum (@cjmangum_) November 15, 2023

Any pre-snap advantage?

Will Moore and the Wolverines be able to see plays coming due to their familiarity with Gattis’s play-calling? Sherrone Moore says that there is a chance he sees a few once they are in motion but doubts there will be much pre-snape advantage on either side.

“We’ll know some plays. We will watch some plays develop and go, ‘Oh, that’s that (play).’ But as far as how it is going to be called and what (plays) are going to be called at those times, I don’t think we will have a whole lot of tendencies on that.”

Whether or not Jim Harbaugh is coaching this weekend, it’s clear that Michigan football is ready to face Gattis and the Maryland Terrapins in hopes of claiming the program’s 1,000th all-time victory before facing No. 2 Ohio State next weekend.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!