$64.5 million college football coach among top candidates to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino talks to Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz prior to a game against the at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Michigan, fresh off a 9-3 (7-2 Big Ten) 2025 campaign led by freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, fired head coach Sherrone Moore on December 10.

The decision was made after a university probe found “credible evidence” of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

Moore was immediately charged in a related criminal case, and Michigan has placed Biff Poggi in as interim and begun a high-stakes search.

Recent reporting suggests Michigan is operating on a short timeline to hire Moore’s permanent replacement.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported the program “would ideally like to have its next head coach in place by Jan. 2,” the day the NCAA transfer portal opens, a deadline that would force an accelerated search. 

The search firm Michigan hired has already contacted several representatives for candidates, notably, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz.

NEW: Michigan has as many as six targets on its head coach board, @PeteNakos reports〽️

Sources have told On3 that AD Warde Manuel has made it clear he's willing to open the checkbook to land a top hire👀

Intel: https://t.co/lxAt5mF7Nr pic.twitter.com/3D8uuVMtrs

— On3 (@On3sports) December 15, 2025

On paper, Drinkwitz, 42, is a practical candidate. 

He turned Appalachian State into a 12-1 winner in 2019 and has led Missouri since 2020 to rising results in the SEC: back-to-back 10-win seasons (2023-24) and an 8-4 mark in 2025.

Mizzou’s administration locked Drinkwitz into a new multi-year package in November that averages roughly $10.75 million a year (reports place the six-year base near $64.5 million), which complicates poaching him.

Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz reacts during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Drinkwitz has repeatedly surfaced as one of college football’s most-discussed coaching candidates this season, with ties to openings at Auburn, Florida, and Penn State.

He has publicly deflected such rumors, calling the carousel chatter “a distraction” and emphasizing his focus on Missouri and the team he’s under contract to coach.

The combination of his track record, regional recruiting reach, and offensive expertise makes Drinkwitz a credible candidate for Michigan.

Any effort to hire him, however, would require navigating Missouri’s buyout language, negotiating a significant contract, and managing the immediate task of repairing the program’s public standing in the wake of the Moore controversy.

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