Michigan Wolverines ex-head coach Sherrone Moore. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Michigan losing elite TE signee Matt Ludwig after Sherrone Moore firing

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Dec 11, 2025 6:11 PM ET

The Michigan Wolverines are already feeling the repercussions of the Sherrone Moore scandal on the recruiting trail.

Moore was fired yesterday for cause, as it was reported that he had inappropriate relations with one of his staffers. Moore took a bad situation and made it even worse. He was detained by police, arrested, and is currently being held in jail for an assault investigation.

There's going to be a ton of fallout at Michigan over this, and it's going to impact just about every aspect of the football program.

That includes the recruiting trail, where an elite 2026 recruit who just signed his letter of intent with Michigan, tight end Matt Ludwig, has asked for and has received a release from his NIL.

Ludwig is a 4-star tight end from Billings, Montana. He's ranked as the No. 10 tight end in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports.

He's the first signee from the early signing period who has been released from his NIL since Moore's firing, but he may not be the last.

Billings (Mont.) West four-star TE Matt Ludwig tells @Rivals he's been released from his Letter-of-Intent: https://t.co/VwMLoRpibF pic.twitter.com/HMb1k756Hj
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) December 11, 2025

New reporting coming out of Ann Arbor is saying that Michigan knew Moore was dealing with mental health issues before he was fired on Wednesday, and he was fired by athletic director Warde Manuel without an HR rep or security guard present.

That may lead to some issues for Michigan.

The image of the Michigan Wolverines has been clouded by scandal

Speaking of issues, Michigan's athletic department has been embroiled in controversy and scandal for much of the recent past. From Jim Harbaugh's issues with the NCAA to the Connor Stalions cheating scandal.

There have been more serious issues as well, though. In 2023, Michigan quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss was fired for hacking computer systems, which is something that went all the way up to the FBI. In February 2022, former basketball coach Juwan Howard punched a Wisconsin assistant coach in the handshake line after the game.

One has to wonder what kind of athletic program Manuel is running and whether or not he's the right person to hire Michigan's next football coach.

There could be more bumps in the road ahead for Michigan, and that will undoubtedly impact what was looking like a pretty darn good signing class on the recruiting trail.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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