Edge Derrick Moore announcement that he is leaving Michigan now another significant issue for…..

Standing 20 pounds lighter inside Schembechler Hall, sophomore edge rusher Derrick Moore opened up his Friday press conference to questions about his offseason weight loss. Compared to his freshman year, though, perhaps the biggest weight he dropped was a mental one.

“Last year I just wasn’t as much confident coming in as a freshman,” Moore said. “You’re thinking like, ‘Oh, if I mess up, I’m probably not gonna get back on the field.’ So now this year, I just feel more confident. … Even if I mess up, I can come back and redo it the next play and be there for my team.

Moore isn’t the only edge rusher to recognize and address a gap between ability and mentality. In fact, he offers a window into an oft-ignored aspect of offseason growth: confidence.

Before the ball even snaps, you gotta have your move that you wanna hit,” Moore explained. “Say that move doesn’t work, then you gotta have a counter option. So now you gotta have your go-to move and your counter move working off of it. So it’s like you gotta be confident in all your moves.”

All those tricks of the trade are picked up from the edge rusher room where he’s a pupil among teachers. When sampling the offensive line in front of them, all the rushers pick up different notes based on their experience and strengths. Then, they feed those observations into their collective pass rush knowledge. Moore credits some of his mental growth to the mentorship an experienced room provides, with veterans like grad transfer Josaiah Stewart, senior Braiden McGregor and senior Jaylen Harrell leading the way.