Coveted $93 million head coach recommended to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt urges Michigan football to pursue another Big Ten coach to replace Sherrone Moore.

Fox Sports college football broadcaster Joel Klatt believes this Big Ten coach should be considered to replace Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The University of Michigan shocked the college football landscape on Wednesday evening by announcing the termination of head coach Sherrone Moore. This dismissal for cause over an alleged inappropriate relationship immediately made the Ann Arbor program the sport's epicenter of speculation.

Athletic Director Warde Manuel must now navigate a turbo-boosted coaching carousel to find a leader capable of stabilizing a championship brand.

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt wasted little time offering his perspective on who the Wolverines should target. The broadcaster emphasized that Michigan remains a premier destination that requires an aggressive pursuit of proven winners. Klatt argued that the administration cannot afford to be passive or assume candidates are off the table due to recent contract situations.

According to Klatt, the search committee needs to force potential candidates to say no rather than filtering the pool prematurely. He believes the Wolverines must target a specific Big Ten adversary who has engineered a rapid turnaround. This potential target recently secured a massive contract extension but fits the profile of what the Maize and Blue desperately need to remain competitive.

Joel Klatt Identifies Big Ten Coach As Top Target For Michigan Vacancy

The candidate in question is Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti. Fresh off a historic 13-10 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the conference title game, Cignetti has transformed a dormant program into the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Klatt insists that despite the perceived hurdles, Michigan must make the call.

"There's a few names that I would force them to say no," Klatt said regarding the vacancy. "You've got to force Curt Cignetti to say no. And I understand that he just signed an extension, but listen, are we really that naive to think like, well, after the extension is signed and you coach for a year, then we can start ripping up contracts and the coach can leave? Listen, it's just legal jargon."

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt believes Michigan football has to force Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti to say no to the prospect of joining the Wolverines to replace Sherrone Moore as head coach. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Prying the 64-year-old tactician away from Bloomington would be an expensive endeavor. Indiana University recently locked Cignetti down with an extension through 2033 that pays an average of $11.6 million annually, with an estimated total contract value of $93 million. He is now among the five highest-paid coaches in the sport. Furthermore, Cignetti would owe $15 million in liquidated damages if he left for another job, a figure that drops to $9 million in 2029.

The back-to-back Walter Camp National Coach of the Year winner has expressed a strong desire to stay put. He told NBC last month that he plans on "retiring a Hoosier" and cited his family's love for the community.

“You’ve got to force them to say no because you’re Michigan, and Michigan is a premier job in college football.”@joelklatt lists who Michigan should target in its coaching search. pic.twitter.com/tpdzqyQj2b

— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) December 11, 2025

"So all the coaches that signed extensions, I would at least have them in the pool because why limit your own pool?" Klatt added. Klatt also believes Michigan football should pursue Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.

The Hoosiers will play the winner of the first-round matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January 1 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.