JUST IN:The hiring of Sherrone Moore helped Michigan escape anarchy following Jim Harbaugh’s departure.

After Jim Harbaugh was named the Los Angeles Chargers’ next head coach, Michigan had to act quickly.

Similar to Nick Saban a few weeks before, Harbaugh had come to the conclusion that playing college football was not for him. But unlike Saban, Harbaugh made the decision to try his luck in the NFL once more.

Even a few weeks after the Wolverines had won the national championship in the College Football Playoffs, this decision had the potential to send them into disarray. To Michigan’s credit, president Santa Ono and athletic director Warde Manuel’s team showed promptness.

With Sherrone Moore, the offensive coordinator, as a potential successor to Jim Harbaugh, Michigan couldn’t afford to wait in the current NIL-driven environment, decommitments in the recruiting class, or the transfer portal.

Moore was the Wolverines’ new head coach two days after Harbaugh left town.

Joel Klatt, an expert covering college football, believes that Michigan’s quick hiring of Moore may have spared the program some grief.

“This offseason has demonstrated beyond any doubt that every program across the nation is susceptible to the turmoil that accompanies a coaching transition,” said Klatt, as reported by On3. “Not a program. Consider Alabama. Alabama serves as the example. Chaos broke out as soon as Nick Saban, the greatest coach in sports history, walked away and retired, even at Alabama. Therefore, it is imperative that Michigan succeed in this endeavor with a man who has been a part of the program and contributed to the development of the culture that recently resulted in a national championship. They also needed to act swiftly, which they did, in order to prevent the mayhem that comes with changing coaches in college football nowadays.

Moore was already well-known for being a superb recruiter, and this past season showed that he possesses the necessary skills to lead a successful program. He was unbeaten while covering for a suspended Harbaugh for four games. During Michigan’s successful end-of-season run that included victories against No. 10 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State, and Maryland, he served as interim head coach.

Moore confronts the challenging task of living up to his hopes of winning a national championship, but nothing would have qualified him for the position at Michigan if defeating the Buckeyes in Columbus wasn’t enough.

Michigan makes decisions quickly, so his program will at least have some stability going ahead.