College football coach sends strong message on Sherrone Moore's firing from Michigan

Power Four college football coach reflects on the fallout from Sherrone Moore's firing

Michigan acting head coach Biff Poggi walks onto the field for second half against Central Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The college football coaching carousel is beginning to calm down after a historically busy cycle.

No less than 18 Power Four programs across the college football landscape will have a new head coach beginning in 2026. Michigan's decision to search for a new head football coach could raise that number to 19 in the coming weeks.

Michigan was the last team to join the coaching carousel, firing Sherrone Moore with cause on Wednesday. Moore was 17-8 in his two seasons as the full-time head coach for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines will be coached by interim Biff Poggi for their bowl game. Poggi commented on the reaction to Moore's firing from around the program on Monday.

Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi spoke about fallout since Sherrone Moore's firing.

"It has been a tumultuous time," he said. "Disbelief, then anger, then really, what we're in right now is the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed, and we're trying to work through that." pic.twitter.com/w7Fg8n1exo

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 16, 2025

"I've met individually with all the players multiple times and Zoomed with parents multiple times. The message has been listening; I want to listen to them. I want to understand what the kids are feeling and what their parents are feeling. There's been a wide range of emotions, as you can imagine, and we are going through those steps. They're not over yet, and I don't expect them to be over for quite a while."

Poggi previously worked for Michigan in two stints during the Jim Harbaugh era. He was an analyst for the Wolverines in 2016 and the associate head coach for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before taking the head coaching vacancy left by Will Healy at Charlotte.

The 49ers were 6-16 in Poggi's two seasons at the helm. Despite an improvement from three wins in 2023 to five wins in 2024, Charlotte felt the need to make a head coaching change at the end of the 2024 season and fired Poggi with two games left to play.

Sep 9, 2023; College Park, Maryland, USA; Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi walks down the sidelines during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Poggi returned to Michigan in the associate head coaching role he held in his last two years with the Wolverines under Harbaugh. Sherrone Moore served additional suspensions in Michigan's games against Central Michigan and Nebraska as punishment for the infamous sign-stealing scandal, so Poggi has previously served in an interim capacity.

The Wolverines are once again turning to Poggi to lead them as an interim head coach for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. No. 18 Michigan (9-3, 7-2) will square off against No. 13 Texas (9-3, 6-2) on Dec. 31 (3 p.m. EST, ABC).