Rod Moore injury update: Michigan captain shares progress, reveals recovery timeline

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Wolverines fifth-year senior Rod Moore was officially named a captain for the second time on Thursday, cementing himself as a leader within the program for the second year in a row.

Last year, he had to do it up against the backdrop of a recovery from a knee injury during spring ball that sidelined him for the season. Now, the focus is on getting back on the field and having his impact felt there.

 ”I’m doing everything,” Moore told the Michigan media on Thursday. “I’m practicing doing everything that I can as far as practicing.”

Moore has not played football in 17 months, longer than anticipated after suffering an ACL tear last March. He shed some light on what led to the recovery taking a little bit longer, headlined by a second procedure he had near the end of his first 9-month recovery timeline.

“I had the surgery in April and then went through rehab, and I got to the eight-month mark,” Moore said. “And I remember I had a torn meniscus as well… It was such a small tear that we really didn’t address it when I got the first surgery, but when I started doing my rehab again, I started feeling like the pain that would just not go away whenever I was striking the ground. And I think it was coming from my meniscus. And so it was either go get surgery again or try an injection.

“I tried to do a PRP injection and then that didn’t work, so I was just like, what else is there to do? I gotta fix it now. So now, I mean, the ACL is 100% good. I’m just working back from meniscus surgery right now. I’ve been cleared and everything, but it’s just a matter of how I feel and when I feel ready to go back on the field.”

It was tough for Moore, who had to sit on the sidelines and lead the team as a de facto coach instead of an impact, All-Big Ten type of safety on the field.

“ I kind of questioned when I would be able to play football again,” Moore admitted. “How long is it gonna take me? But you know, you usually gotta stay positive in those types of moments in that aspect, especially my parents pouring that in my brain each and every day. Just staying positive and turning to God.”

Moore finally returned to the practice field in Michigan’s fall camp, and it was a moment he had long waited for. It was the next step on his road back to where he had previously been.

“I started smiling,” Moore said. “I was like, ‘dang, I’m playing football again.’ It was really when I started running and really not feeling the pain anymore. I was like, ‘okay, now I kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel.'”

Moore says he leaned on his family and Michigan’s support infrastructure throughout the process.

 ”It was my mom, my dad, my godbrother, Coach [Sherrone Moore], the whole coaching staff,” Moore said. “My teammates, and especially last year, like Will [Johnson] and all those guys that I played with the year before, they always were by my side, keeping me positive and then it was fun coaching them.

“So they always listen to what I have to say. So that kept me going each and every day.”

Moore learning to be more patient was one of the many lessons he pulled from his road back to the field. It was also a time of reflecting on gratitude.

 ”Be really grateful for it,” Moore said. “You never know when your last snap could be or when you can’t play again. I especially like the way I got hurt, slowing down. I never knew that was coming. So it’s just like, you gotta be really grateful for playing the game, especially if you really love it.”

The next step is playing in a game. Moore is not quite sure when he will take the field for Michigan, but it will be sooner rather than later. And when the moment happens, it will not be something he brushes off.

 ”I know I’ll probably like cry before that first game,” Moore said. “It’s a lot of energy and a lot of built-up emotions that I can’t even like put in words that’ll be getting released on that day.”