Sherrone Moore announcement that he is leaving Michigan with Jim Harbaugh to chargers today…

The college football offseason delivered another groundbreaking coaching change Wednesday when Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh departed from the school on the heels of a national championship, accepting an offer to become the Los Angeles Chargers’ next head coach. All eyes quickly turned to the Wolverines’ search for a replacement atop their program, and they may not need to look far in their hunt for a new leader. Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore instantly became the top candidate to fill the head coaching vacancy.

While an outside hire remains possible, all signs pointed toward Moore earning the job even before Harbaugh officially made the jump back to the NFL. The longtime Michigan assistant would be a “slam-dunk” replacement, The Michigan Insider experts said on The Wolverine247 Podcast.

“I think he’s exactly who Michigan should be looking for in a head coach,” TMI’s Zach Shaw said. “It doesn’t hurt his cause that there’s not really a great outside candidate. Kalen DeBoer just took a new job. Jedd Fisch just took a new job. But even with that, even if they were viable candidates, Sherrone Moore — I think he would keep the culture in place. I think he would keep the offensive identity in place. And I think he’s been at Michigan long enough to know what’s going to work at Michigan.

Roster turnover at Alabama, Washington and Arizona in the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement proved emblematic of the ripple effects triggered by a coaching change. Should Michigan seek to avoid a similar transfer portal exodus amid its players’ 30-day eligibility window, it could benefit greatly from tabbing its new head coach from within the walls of its own facility

“I think a smooth transition like this will mitigate a lot of the potential roster hits that other programs have gone through,” Steve Lorenz said. “To me, it’s not a rebuild. It would be a rebuild if you go outside. Then I think the portal becomes a real problem. Then maybe you’re talking about a rebuild.”