Fresh off being named a captain of the 2024 Michigan Wolverines, senior safety Rod Moore met with reporters on Thursday morning to discuss the honor. Moore, of course, suffered an ACL tear during spring practice, which will sideline him for the majority of the 2024 season.

The Ohio native recalled how the injury happened.

"It was in practice," Moore said. "It was like a special team drill, and I was running down, and somebody was coming full speed this way, and I was trying to slow down. I just planted, and it just felt weird. I'm like, 'What was that?' I tried to put my leg back down, and it gave out on me. I got the MRI, and they said it was a torn ACL."

"I cried. I ain't going to lie. I cried. This was a season that was really on the schedule. I circled. It was the season that I really wanted to come out and show who I really was as a player, especially as a leader, too. At first, it was hard. I would say probably that it took me a month to really realize, 'Okay, this is a position that you're in. You're going to have to deal with it and go forward with it.' Ever since then, it's just been great."

"Truthfully, at first it was real hard, especially going down in the spring. I wanted to get better. That was the time for me to get better."

After coming to the realization that he would miss most of the 2024 season, Moore shifted his focus away from the past and into the future.

"I took some time to myself, and my family told me that I just got to take this and turn it into a positive and just look at the bright side of everything. I just took my role as being a leader and a vocal guy and pushing forward from there."

Moore has been a staple of the Michigan defense the last two seasons, racking up 109 tackles and six interceptions in that span. A former three-star recruit from Ohio, Moore is best known for his interception against the Buckeyes in the 2023 edition of one of college football's most fierce rivalries.

As for getting back on the field this season, Moore hasn't ruled out a return, but he's just focused on pushing everyone in the secondary to be their absolute best every day.

"I think it could be potentially both player and coach Rod. 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."

Moore noted that he's helped transfers Aamir Hall, Ricky Johnson and Wesley Walker get acquainted with the playbook, and he's also helping defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan coach the secondary.

According to Moore, there is no timeline for a potential return, but he's feeling good in his new role.

"I'm in a good place. Recovery is going good. We're just kind of attacking each and every day physically. My leg is getting stronger. I'm walking just fine. ... So that's the good thing about it."

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