Sherrone Moore suspension: What games Michigan coach will miss amid NCAA punishment

The curtain fell on what should be the final act of the Michigan football sign-stealing saga, as the NCAA revealed its official punishment for the program this week.

Amid the roll call of discipline brought against the Wolverines were more show-cause penalties, a monetary fine that could add up to seven figures, but notably not a postseason ban or the loss of any on-field accomplishments like their 2023 national championship.

But head coach Sherrone Moore didn’t escape completely unscathed, as the NCAA levied a three-game suspension against him, accepting Michigan’s self-imposed two-game ban for this coming season, and adding another game to start out the 2026 football season.

That means Michigan won’t have Moore on the sideline for the following three games in the near future...

Sept. 13, 2025: Michigan’s slated Week 3 game at home against Central Michigan.

Sept. 20, 2025: The Wolverines’ Week 4 matchup at Big Ten rival Nebraska.

Sept. 5, 2026: Michigan’s game against Western Michigan set for kickoff in Germany.

Those first two matchups were the games that Michigan itself imposed against its head coach, notably allowing him to be on the field for the opener against New Mexico on Aug. 30, and for the Wolverines’ key road date at SEC contender Oklahoma the following weekend.

Not having its head coach for those two games against in-state schools from the MAC likely won’t prove too damaging for Michigan, which is expected to be heavy favorites in both matchups.

The road game against the Cornhuskers will prove by far the most difficult for the Wolverines on their schedule, especially if the Huskers do make those improvements across the board that analysts have predicted they will in Matt Rhule’s fourth year.

Moore will be on the sideline for Michigan’s two most important non-conference games on the schedule in both 2025 and 2026, with his suspension not kicking in until the week after the team goes to Oklahoma, and he’ll coach UM against the Sooners at home in 2026.

Moore was also suspended for one game during Michigan’s national title campaign in 2023, a self-imposed penalty for the team’s season opener against East Carolina when he was the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator.

He was suspended for that game over a separate recruiting violation unrelated to the sign-stealing issue, involving alleged communication with football recruits during the Covid-era dead period imposed by the NCAA.

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