Michigan Adds Former College Head Coach, Key Jim Harbaugh Assistant to Staff

Biff Poggi is set for his third stint in Ann Arbor, after helping spark the program's turnaround in the middle of Harbaugh's tenure.

Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi walks the sidelines during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Biff Poggi is likely familiar to college football fans as the now-former Charlotte coach whose sideline sartorial choices would make Bill Belichick blush. Before landing the 49ers gig, he was instrumental in helping Jim Harbaugh get the Michigan football program back on track, during a run that ultimately culminated in the 2023 national championship.

Poggi went just 6–16 in two seasons leading Charlotte, and was ultimately replaced by Ohio coach Tim Albin in December. After multiple reports that he would rejoin the staff at Michigan under Sherrone Moore, the program made it official on Monday.

Poggi will hold the title of associate head coach, the same he had from 2021–22 under Harbaugh.

Welcome Home to The Notorious Biff Poggi pic.twitter.com/9POzU2pe1p

— Sports Jim III (@SportsAndChup) February 25, 2025

"I am thrilled to officially be back in Ann Arbor!!" Poggi tweeted after the announcement. "This will always be my Football Home. So thankful for Sherrone Moore, Warde Manuel and Doug Gnodtke, all old friends. Sometimes you don’t know what a special place this is until you have been somewhere else. #GOBLUE. A special thanks to my son Henry , who was a great player here and introduced our family to OUR SCHOOL"

Poggi, a former hedge fund manager-turned-high school football coaching legend in Baltimore, got his first taste of college football coaching in 2016, when he worked as an analyst for Harbaugh. After returning to the high school ranks, Poggi served as Harbaugh's associate head coach from 2021–22. The team's 2–4 record in 2020 had Harbaugh on the hot seat. The following two seasons, Michigan went 25–3 with a pair of wins over Ohio State, two Big Ten championships and a pair of College Football Playoff berths. They'd break through for the national title in '23, after Poggi left for the Charlotte job.

Now, the veteran assistant that was credited as being Harbaugh's on-staff "consigliere," according to The Athletic, returns as Moore attempts to elevate the program back to national championship contention.

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