In the Trenches 589 - Rod Moore & Tyler Stockton

I know everybody is really excited about the return of Rod Moore. It's been two years of struggle of watching a player that was great for this program. And we'll be again, could possibly be the only three time captain that Michigan has ever seen. Safety Rod Moore and safety's coach Tyler Stockton joined us in just a few moments on In the Trenches. Welcome to the official podcast of Michigan football in the trenches with John Chanson, presented by Meyer, presenting sponsor of the 2026 Michigan football season and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Nobody covers Michigan football better than the two-time captain, national champion and Michigan athletics Hall of Honor inductee. I don't like to lay everything out down the table, but when you talk about the schedule, there's so much opportunity. Like, even if you went to like, we're I'm trying to go 12 and that's what I'm trying to do. But even if you win 11, 10 games, our schedule is so like strong on that. You still have opportunity to go anywhere you want to go. This is In the Trenches, presented by Meyer. Once again, here's John Chanson. Join now by Rod Moore, who first of all, thanks for joining me. And he might be the first time that anyone has ever been named captain three times at the University of Michigan. Rod, what would that mean to you? Should it mean everything to me, everything to me when I was a one-time, first time captain and then repeated it for a second year, but it'll be crazy. Like you said, there's only six or five people that's been two-time captains. Yeah. And so it's a small number of guys. Yeah. And obviously nobody, three-time captain. And your situation's unique. And so there's a lot that we can talk about. I want to start with this in terms of leadership, right? In, in your name, Captain, you were going to be a player. But a couple of years, you've been dealing with an injury. How has your leadership role morphed over time? It's gotten better, like a lot better each and every year. I learned how to be a leader in different ways, especially not being able to be out there with the team. Like you have to be a little bit more vocal. Rather than lead by example, like I can't, I wasn't able to do that for the past two years, probably only three games, you know, the past two years. So it's just elevated each and every year, learning how to like deal with certain players. Like as a leader, you have to know how to, you know, come as certain players each and every way, or you know, manage the team, manage the defense. And just, you know, preaching what the coach is always preach and having that trickle down to everyone else. The room when you get back on the field in the fall, is going to look completely different than it was. You know, last time you were on the field for the national championship game, certainly when you were elected captain the first time. How has the room changed? Owie. The room has changed completely after the year after the NADD. You saw a couple of veteran guys like McCarrion Q, which you know, it kind of helped when I was out. And then last year, you had guys kind of not really playing their first national, but playing their first time like starting the whole year. So, you know, this year, I think we're a lot better as far as veteran wise. Like you got Chris and me in Mason, even J.O. Like those guys took these past two years to learn the game. And it's like a complete difference as far as like being able to look to my right or left in the meetings or even out there to understand like, okay, this guy understands what he's doing. He'll be on the same level as I am. Like Chris, Chris Bracey, that kid's going to be real good. He's really good. You played three games last year. How special was it to be out there for you? It was super special. Where do we start at Nebraska? That was the first game back. I only played with nine plays, nine plays, but it was like, I felt the, felt the live again. Like this was this is the thing that I do. I've been doing this since I was in first grade. And you know, that year of 24, that was my first time ever sitting out of the whole year and I was able to help my life of any sport. And it was kind of hard, but you learn to be grateful for the game of football. And like the grind and the strain of it sometimes before you kind of take it for granted and be like, uh, this is, this is hard, but you miss doing that type of stuff. And being out there with the guy, especially being at the big house, the second game against what's constant like that was like, wow, I don't, I couldn't. And then being out and then coming back, I forgot how I felt to play in the big house. And it was just like surreal moment again. You alluded to it a little bit. I mean, it's, it's, and I had a situation when I was in a league where I was out for an entire year. How have you handled with it emotionally, mentally, because you mentioned, hey, you're back on in a field for three games and you mean you felt the live again. How have you handled all the downtime? Shoot. Talking to people, like, understanding, really just can control which you can control because at the end of the day, if you sit there and get mad and dwell on, you know, your situation is not going to get better. So you just got to stay positive and, uh, really like, especially because after USC, when I had to sit out again, um, I kind of really just knew it was a smarter decision rather than like kind of getting frustrated at the process. Like I wasn't ready. So you got to understand it. I wasn't ready in just way to my time comes to be ready again. The old saying, and you kind of alluded to it, like, you don't know what you have until it's gone. And you mentioned being alive back out on the field. Um, is it possible for you to be able to impart how important every single practice is, every single game on the young guys who haven't yet experienced what it's like when the game is, is taking away from you for a period of time. But they don't understand like we, we can't do it again. Like a lot of people don't understand it's hard for me to put it in words. They're feeling that you feel because like, there's been times where I was sitting there, like what I ever even put up a ball again, just because of the journey that I went through with my knee. And so it's so hard to explain to them, but when I, when I speak to it, you could tell they understand it was in like, okay, he's actually serious because some of them never dealt with injuries. You know, some of them come straight from high school thinking that it's about to be peed in cream and college and it's not. So, you know, so I guess the logical question now before I talk about how you're able to get another year of eligibility is how are you feeling now? I'm feeling the best I felt since 20 March, 27, 2024. That's the day I tore my SEO, but I'm feeling great. Took three surgeries, but now I'm feeling like I'm having felt, you know, since the past two years, I'm out moving around running straight line, back feeling fast again. And it's just a matter of like, you know, getting a coordination back under my feet. When you, I didn't really understand this, but when you come back off of injury, like then go through the surgery body forgets how to do certain things. And it's been times where I was frustrated because I might be able to do this, but, but now it's like it just takes time to get it back on the, is there anything that you have to be aware of when you're back on the field and fall or anything that you're going to be doing that continues to strengthen your knee, your leg that will help prevent any setbacks. Yeah. Kind of feel like a old man now because I used to just be able to go downstairs for my pads on the stretch and go practice. Now I have to have like at least 30 minutes of like pre-hab and part of my body to get ready to go rolling. So I don't pull a hand me or because I kind of learn it myself when you tear your ACLs because something like either isn't strong enough at the time that you tear it, like especially your cause and your goose, like that's kind of the thing that I had to focus on is my goose cause like that posterior chain that helps with diesel. And, um, you know, just stand on top of it every day. Like it's, I can't lack one day because I've learned something through the rehab one day. If I didn't come in and get the treatment that I needed to get, I will feel terrible the next day. So it's just staying on top of it every day. You had to go through the process of getting an extra year, the medical red shirt. What's that process like and what not only in terms of just, you know, you got to file these papers, you got to do these things, but what's it like watching that process unfold, not knowing what the answer is going to be? So my situation was kind of different. Um, because I never had registered it like regular registered. I started from my first year and went through and I was told at first I was told it was, I really didn't have to file for it and that it was going to be easy to go through. But when it time came, they was talking about I had to get a waiver, feel like the waiver. So the process goes to like, you have to write. Want to say a paragraph or two, maybe it was a page of like just everything that went on with your injuries and why you deserve extra year. And then with me, I was kind of getting a little stressed out because I didn't really get told that I had another year. I want to say it was almost February when it kind of came in my email that it came through. And I would text the compliance guy every day. Did it come through yet? Because I will see a whole bunch of other people like getting there waiver coming through. And I'm getting impatient because my was so easy and straightforward. But, um, it was stressful a little bit just because I was like, if I didn't get it, I don't even know if I can, at the time, I was coming off with a clean up surgery. I can't even train for a day in a fill. Even if I don't get the year. So I was a little bit stressed about it. I thought that, but once they came back, I was like, okay, there we go. Now that's one more time. - There's a push, whether it's an executive order or it's the NCAA for five to play five, and without any of these exceptions, what's your thoughts on if that were put in place and a guy like yourself wouldn't have that opportunity for the six year? What's your opinion on whether or not it's good for college football or not, I mean, I can imagine, your thought is I'd like to have that extra year. - I would love to have that extra year. I think it just really should, I don't think it should be one solid rule. I think it should be dependent on situations. Kind of like mine, it's for instance, like I missed really two years of football. So if you put a five year cap on it and someone misses their last two years, and it's like you can't, like there's no other chance for them to do it again. But on the flip side of that, there's like seven to eight years, I'm one year off seven year, but yeah, well, there's seven, eight, there's been guys that have been in college football for nine years. - And that's crazy a little bit because what are they about 27, 28 playing against 17, 18 and 19 years? - Yeah. - So it's like that, I can see why they wanna do that as far as in that aspect of things. - What's this summer, the entire summer look like for you in the lead up in regards to just being ready for a fall camp? - It is just being, June 1st, we come back off of me, you know how I'm just discretionary period in May, but I gotta hit it running on June. Like I have to, you know, be full of go, being able to participate in all the workouts, which I fully anticipate on doing. But it's just getting healthy, getting healthy, staying healthy and just dominating the entire summer and coming in the fall camp day one, just going. What's it been like for you to have the coaching change? You're going through applying for this medical red shirt. Coaches can look back a couple of years and see film, but you're building a new relationship. How has that dynamic worked with you? - Honestly, I can say I got lucky 'cause you know, a lot of coaches don't really go back and look at players that used to be here, like older players that are coming off injuries. And I could say to this coaching staff, they took the time to really learn who I was, especially coach Hill. He called me one day out of nowhere. I think it was probably a week after he got here and was just like, I love how you move. Yeah, I'm like, dang, you baked your watch into 23 film? He was just telling me how, like he can't wait to give me back. And to be honest, it's probably been the first time of my career that I felt, and college career that I felt like I had to support and, you know, the needs for a coach to want me healthy. Like he's exacerbating every option to try to give me healthy and pushing and helping the trainers just being involved in my rehab rather than, you know, in this world, it's if you're not available, it's like, okay, the next guy up, so it's being very special. When you look at the season ahead, whether it's the schedule, or it could be anything, what excites you most about the 20, 26 football season? All of it, to be honest, when start off it would probably be me, be it me last year, like I'm not the lay everything out on the table, but when you talk about the schedule, it's so much opportunity. Like, even if you went to, like, I'm trying to go 12 and though, that's what I'm trying to do. But even if you went 11, 10 games, our schedule is so, like, strong that you still have opportunity to go anywhere you want to go. But as a team, I'm just looking forward to seeing how Bryce has changed, like going through the spring, the way he's been practicing. And then just seeing how those new teams coming together, the different offense and the different defenses and different players and transfers that we have, I'm just excited to see it, especially to receive a room. It's probably the first time that I've been in Michigan that we have like a full complete receiver room from the starters to the back-ups that can come in and play in ball still. So I'm just looking forward to that. - Having the extra year has also provided you an opportunity to do more up on campus. Where are you at in terms of your goals academically? And how has it been an advantage to you to be able to have that extra time? - I obviously have my first degree, but I went in the grad school in social work, but to be honest, if I know it's coming back another year, I would have did something like a little bit more meaningful or something I wanted to do without being in business at real estate. But I don't know if I graduate again by the end of this year, but I'll be really close to getting another degree. - When you look at and you talk to the guys that are playing at the next level, and you feeling the best you felt since the day that you were injured, is that to me, it's the same obvious, it's still the goal, what's it gonna take to get to that point? - Should the hard work that I always put in, seeing those guys there, especially Will, Mikey, like the guys that I played next to, still in the league, sitting in the league, doing what they have been doing, that's always motivation to me because I played with them, I played next to them and I just wanna get there. That's all of your mind goes since I was in kindergarten preschool and it's just right there and I just gotta get there, just stay healthy, get there, produce. - Well Rod, thanks for your time. Obviously a lot of prayers that everything goes your way because you've been a great captain here at Michigan, you've been a great player, we wanna see all the good things for you. So thanks for joining me, appreciate it. - Well thanks to Rod for his time, it's a busy off season and we know the busyness for him is just making sure he gets on the field, stays on the field and that's gonna be a positive for Michigan football. If you're in the New York City area or if you're looking for a great reason to make a trip out that way, the fourth annual Wolverines LaCrosse Golf Classic is back on Monday, July the 27th, at Harrison Meadows Country Club in Harrison, New York, just north of the city, support Michigan LaCrosse by joining for a noon shotgun start and a dinner to follow. And if you can't make it, you could still contribute via great sponsorship packages. Spots are filling up fast, so visit givebutter.com/c/forthwovering golf classic that's givebutter.com/c/forthwovering golf classic. The fourth annual Wolverine LaCrosse Golf Classic is Monday, July the 27th in Harrison, New York. (upbeat music) Join now by the safety coach, Tyler Stockton Coach. Welcome to Ann Arbor, welcome to Michigan football and we're sure excited to have you here on the podcast. What's it like, Ben, Ann Arbor? What's it like? 'Cause you've got coordinator titles, co-coordinator, now you're a position coach. What's it been like for you since you've landed in Ann Arbor? I mean, the transition for me and my family has been great. My wife is from the Midwest, so we have a lot of ties here in the Midwest and I've played here when I was a player as well. So I mean, it's an awesome place and I think what makes this place special is all the people that's involved in the program and in the community. So you've been, I mentioned already, coordinator, co-coordinator and I know that everything is a group effort. But what's it like for you going from calling defenses to now be in a position coach? I mean, really right now in my career, I just wanna be around good people. You know, that are very like-minded, like me, that love the players, wanna hold them accountable day in and day out 'cause that's what we're here for, to not only make them better football players, but better men and realizing that football won't last forever and this is an unbelievable university for them to realize that you can not only play at the highest level but then you can get an unbelievable degree as well and that stuff is very important to me. - So a lot of people are gonna look at the resume and go, hmm, Notre Dame, player at Notre Dame. Now you're at Michigan. So you've seen and first of all, from a Notre Dame perspective, is it a rivalry, Michigan Notre Dame? - Oh, when I was there at the time, absolutely. - I agree and there's some people while we look 'cause they don't play every year, how can it be a rivalry? - Hey, it's two of the most iconic programs and it is a rivalry. What's it like now being on this side with as being a player, we all know as players, we're attached to our alma mater's, what's it like being on this side of the rivalry? - I mean, I love it, you know, 'cause like I said, I wanna be around good people and coach Whit is the best head coach in the country and really for me, obviously I love my time at Notre Dame but now I'm a part of this university and I'm just fired up to see where we can take this and hopefully we can get the Notre Dame game back on the schedule as well 'cause I'll be fired up to play my own minor note different when I was at Boise State last year and we played in Notre Dame too and that was a game that was special to me but obviously the guys knew it as well but I wanna get that game back on the schedule. - It is on the schedule but I don't think it's on the schedule until like 2033. - Yeah. - And we got no idea what's going on in 2033. - Oh, yeah, no idea. - So I guess the natural follow up is how does the defensive line been become a safety coach? - Really the big thing for me was I always wanted to coordinate so I knew I had to coach the linebackers and then I was never afraid of a challenge. You know, I was never afraid to be out of my comfort zone. Like my first full time job was at Western Illinois. I was a D line coach and then I got bumped out to coordinating and coaching the nickels and then I got opportunity at Boise State to coach the linebackers. I was never afraid of uncertainty if I can do it or not 'cause that was a good one. believe in my abilities and the big thing was the people that I've been around believed to me as well. So I knew it would no matter what position I was in a coach, I was in a crushy. What are the biggest challenges of, because it's not unusual. It's more unusual if you played a position on one side of the ball and then your coach in a position on the other side. That's not even that strange. But what was the biggest challenge for you of going from D-line to linebackers or now coordinator D-line, linebackers to safeties? It was more just some of the technique stuff. The scheme and all that stuff, I was great because I studied my butt, it was more of just some of the techniques stuff, but I was surrounded by so many great back-end guys that I picked their brains and did a lot of professional development. And ultimately, I'm a football coach. I can coach whatever position it is. I mean, I'm a football junkie. And don't matter if I'm coaching quarterbacks, I'm a invest and be obsessed with coaching that position. So let's talk about the safety position. And there's some guys that you inherited, some guys that have come in. But when you look at the room, just as a whole, what do you see? I see a lot of depth in the room and I see a group of guys that truly care about each other. And I think that's going to show this season on, you'll see the way the guys play, but really behind the scenes, people who have no idea the reason they play so hard for each other is because they truly care about each other. They truly love each other by the action and the sacrifices that those guys play with every day and endow. Let's start off with Rod Moore, because I mean, two years ago, right, within a national championship, big time plays throughout the entire season, then in spring, ball, he goes down and it's been a battle to get back. He only had three games last year. He earns the extra year of eligibility. What do you see in Rod Moore? What have you seen on film? What do your expectations move forward? My expectation of Rod's been one of the best safeties in the country. I mean, we're going to fight Dan and Dayout to make sure he is healthy, which he's been doing an unbelievable job. He is far in advance right now where he should be. But I see a guy in Rod that is going to go down to this university as one of the better leaders to ever come here. I mean, Michigan was 1898 was the first big 10 championship victory. And Rod could be the first three time captain ever at this university. So that speaks volumes about how much he's invested into this program. Yeah. As a two time captain, I'm jealous as hell that he has that opportunity. And how have you seen him? Because we've heard from other coaches and talking to Rod over the last couple of years, he has remained involved. First of all, is how unique is that for a guy to be, to remain as involved over a two year stretch where he's not able to do what he really wants to do and that's play on the field. But to be able to coach guys, how have you seen him interact with the other guys? I mean, the big thing for me is you can tell Rod loves football. People who don't love football and go through what he's gone through kind of start thinking about what's next in my life or is it time to stop playing football? Like he would not be here if he doesn't truly love the game. And like you said, like he's a coach on the field, but what he's done, amazing job of this offseason is in the meeting rooms. I mean, he's bringing guys in for extra work, not even me having to tell the guys to come. He's the one that's spearheading all of that. So I mean, he doesn't unbelievable job in my room. Just getting the younger guys better and he's not afraid. He wants the group to be as best as they can. So he's constantly meeting with the guys doing extra work where the guys has been awesome to have him. When I look in your room, I see a lot of different skill sets. And I see a lot of different body types. And it may be on as the roster sets up here this year, maybe the widest variety of body types. How do you look at players and say, well, we need you to be strong. We need you to be free. We need you to be a lot of different things. And how do you find out what guys do best and then put them into where you need them to be? Most importantly, we're looking for really good football players. And then we're kind of like you said. We're like a basketball team. We got some guys who are like point car sides who are under 5'10". Then we got a center like Mason Curtis who's 6'5". So I mean, every single one of those guys even though their different sizes have a unique skill set. But really, all of those guys can play the free or the strong position as well because that's why they came here to Michigan because they're damn good football players. What have you learned about Mason Curtis? I learned that Mason is like he said he's a football guy as well. I think the unique thing about Mason is he came in here. He's played so many different positions since he's been at Michigan. And I think his love for the game is unmatched. And that's why you see that he came in as an edge. He played a little bit of a wire receiver. Now he's finally found a home at safety. And I see a guy this year that's going to have a big gear for us. So there's in that position, right? You're one of the positions that has taken on some transfers. And I think a lot of people are wondering, okay, what do we have in the Memphis transfer in Chris Bracey? What attracted you to him to bring him in and what is he provided the program? I mean, Chris has played close to 700-700 snaps at Memphis and Chris is a football guy. You know what I mean? He wasn't a guy who's highly recruited and that he has a chip on his shoulder. So he knows that his whole objective is to prove to the country that he can be one of the best satis in the country. I've been so impressed with Bracey. I know his teammates have been impressed with him as well. And I'm expecting big things for him this year as well. What's involved in a position change? Because Taylor Tatum, obviously, we saw him a little bit not much last year, but he was at Oklahoma as a running back. Now he comes over here. He's in your room. But what's involved in the position change and where is he at? What's he bring to the team? The first thing is what's best for the team. And we thought that Taylor Tatum had a unique skill set from an explosive standpoint, a ball skill standpoint because he's also a baseball player as well. Like he's just scratching the surface. I mean, this was his first time ever backbettling. You know? So it fires me up because you got like a piece of clay that you can just fine tune and make him into a great player. And if he does a good job, just getting better every single day. I mean, the first time he took a rap, he lost. Like who wouldn't if you never done it? Then all of a sudden towards the end of spring bowl, he's going against our better wire receivers competing his tail off. How big of a challenge is it to go from running back to safety? The physicality piece is there. It's more of some of the technique stuff that he's not used to. He's always used to going forward. Now he's got to work on going backwards at times. But the cool thing what you see, what you'll see from him is when he goes forward and he's explosive. And it's exciting to see that. Tell us a little bit more about some of the guys in your room. Maybe some of the guys that who is there anybody else that has stood out to you and, you know, what have you learned about some of those individuals, whether it was in winter conditioning, spring ball or the beginning now of summer conditioning? Yeah, the person that probably impressed the most was Jordan Young. And I think obviously he played around 150 snaps last year as a young player. But he's up there with those guys competing for starting position. And then we got two young guys as well. And Jordan Deck and Ernest Nunley that have came in as early in roll leagues and competed their tail off every single day. So I mean, I really like the room. I know Winston. He read shirt it last year. He's a kid that ran a 10 4, 10 5 out of high school. So I mean, we got a competitive group. And then we got guys who are unsung heroes with our walk on like a Nico and Max Reyes who come in every single day and compete their tail off to. Where does this need? What will this group be doing throughout summer? And what are they? What do you need to see from them when you start fall camp? So this summer they've already mapped out what they're going to do every single day outside of this building. So that's getting extra footwork and extra film study in or getting extra mills in with each other just to bring this group closer and closer. And then as a whole, we just got to be really good when fall camp hits, fine tuning the defense and fine tuning all the little things. And they've done an unbelievable job in spring, bow and how he's got to take the next step. Well coach, I appreciate your time and we look forward to catching up with you again. Appreciate it. Thank you. Well, thanks to both Rod and coach Stockton really excited about the secondary. A couple of weeks ago we talked about the corner position and the talent that's there and the safety position. There's a lot of guys that are going to contribute, but the one that we want to see the most and maybe the fan favorite is going to be Rod Moore and his return to this lineup. So wishing him all the best as we always do, we're excited about fall camp. Thanks for coming right around the corner. Enjoy your summer. Keep it locked in here on In the Trenches. (soft music)