Michigan Planning On Hiring Sherrone Moore's Replacement By End Of Month

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Michigan Planning On Hiring Sherrone Moore's Replacement By End Of Month

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Dec 22, 2025 3:50 PM ET

Michigan could select a new football head coach by the end of 2025.

The Big Ten program is abruptly searching for a new coach after firing Sherrone Moore earlier this month for having an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Moore was arrested on the same day and later charged with home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering.

Michigan appointed Biff Poggi the interim head coach for the program's Citrus Bowl matchup with Texas. The university could choose a new coach by the Dec. 31 showcase.

Per Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press, Poggi said that Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel told the team he hopes to hire a head coach between Christmas and the bowl game.

Michigan searches for replacement coach

That timeline would seemingly eliminate a top speculated candidate. Kalen DeBoer is preparing Alabama for a College Football Playoff second-round matchup against top-seeded Indiana on Jan. 1.

Kenny Dillingham is also off the table after signing a five-year extension with Arizona State on Saturday. Dillingham said he was never offered the Michigan role.

"Michigan's an unbelievable job with unlimited resources, with people who will do whatever they can to make it successful, who want to see it succeed," Dillingham said, via ESPN's Pete Thamel. "Somebody's going to get an unbelievable opportunity … to take over one of the best programs in the country, with one of the best rosters in the country."

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, and former Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter are among the other potential replacement options that have surfaced. Picking a new coach by the New Year would allow them to get started before the 15-day transfer window opens on Jan 2.

Poggi makes case for job

Sep 13, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines assistant head coach Biff Poggi on the sideline in the first half against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Poggi also revealed that he's interviewed for the full-time position. The 66-year-old made his case on Monday, via The Michigan Insider's Alejandro Zúñiga.

"Because I know what the hell I'm doing," Poggi said. "... This place is magical, and the program means a lot to me. It's one of the things I want to fix before I go smoke myself to death with a cigarette. I want to fix this program."

Poggi, who worked as an associate head coach for Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines in 2021 and 2022, didn't mince words about the current state of the program.

"It’s been five years of a malfunctioning organization," Poggi said. "Let’s call it what it is. It’s happened every year. The athletic director doesn’t want any more of that … There will be a massive self-examination of what’s happened in this building."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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