Inside Michigan football: Marlin Klein on stability after Moore exit

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Wolverines aren't necessarily still reeling from Sherrone Moore's firing and the aftermath featuring his arrest and charging. That, of course, is on their minds, but Michigan football is plodding forward, preparing for Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl with Biff Poggi serving as interim head coach.

Even so, team leaders, such as tight end Marlin Klein, are still coming to grips with the situation at hand, and are working to put out fires as they arise in the locker room, ensuring that everyone stays focused on the upcoming game.

"I don't think I've really been able to process it myself," Klein said. "I think for me right now, it's just been trying to figure out how to help all these other guys, how to help these younger guys. They have all the other things going on, and they have the chance to, everybody's in there here. 

"I mean, family members, friends, 'Hey, you should transfer, you should do this.' At the end of the day, it's Michigan. You don't come here for one coach, you don't come here for one staff member or one quarterback, linebacker, whatever it is. You come here for the brand, the block M, and that's why I chose to come here. And that's what paid off over the past four years."

Klein notes that he has no intention of transferring, he'll either stay under the next head coach or try his hand at the NFL. He hasn't made a decision yet, and though he made an impassioned plea to keep Poggi as the permanent head coach, he's still more focused on the daily work.

And that's where his and a lot of his teammates' heads are at, because it's still a jarring, sudden change that just happened on December 10. Not just because Michigan was in the news, but Moore was someone who had relationships with each and every player on the roster. So with that, Klein (at least) is trying to churn the spoiled cream into sour cream, recognizing that he cannot wallow or languish over what happened.

"Yeah, it was a tough time," Klein said. "It was tough because, like I was just saying, everybody got recruited by Coach Moore. Everybody had a relationship with him on and off the field for multiple years. We have known that guy for five or six years now. And everybody kind of has a bond to him where if he's the head coach, your position coach, the offensive coordinator, whatever it was at that time, you have a relationship with him. And it's hard to see him be in that situation and his family.

"But for me right now, it's really just trying to get over it as soon as possible and so that I can be the best version of myself for the other guys in the locker room."

Ultimately, the roster is sticking together. Sure, there will likely be departures after the new head coach hire or after the bowl game. But Moore's actions, though a reflection on the program, aren't reflective of the team, Klein says.

"I think when tough times come around, it's really what are you gonna rely on?" Klein said. "And for us, it's just been coming to this building, trying to get better every single day, and preparing for Texas. And at the end of the day, bad stuff's gonna happen to good people. We're all great people, and bad stuff's gonna happen, and that's just a part of life. Life is not this beautiful, easy thing. Hard things will come around, and it's just gonna prepare us for our after Michigan for the rest of our life."

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Marlin Klein details Michigan locker room response to Moore firing

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