The University of Michigan football program has had its share of problems in recent years, especially surrounding former head coach Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stallions.
Well, on Wednesday, even more chaos descended on the program as the school fired head football coach Sherrone Moore for cause. Biff Poggi has been named interim head coach and will lead the Wolverines into the Citrus Bowl against the University of Texas on New Year’s Eve.
Why Did Sherrone Moore Fail at Michigan?
Moore took over for Harbaugh with two games left in the 2023 college football season, splitting those games.
In 2024, the Wolverines finished 8-5 and got a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This season, under Moore, Michigan was 9-3, but couldn’t beat longtime rival and top-ranked Ohio State.
ESPN Sources: Michigan has fired head coach Sherrone Moore, per me and @PeteThamel and @DanWetzel. pic.twitter.com/qBo9tiviud
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 10, 2025
When it comes to getting down to some basic points on why things went wrong for Moore, PFSN Analyst Joe Broback said, “Doomed from the start.”
“From the NCAA’s rulings involving Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stallions to just simply being an uninspiring hire, Sherrone Moore began his head coaching tenure on borrowed time,” Broback said. “A disappointing season with a promising 5-star QB in Bryce Underwood certainly didn’t help matters either.”
In 12 games this season as the Michigan starting quarterback, Underwood threw for 2,229 yards, nine touchdowns, and six interceptions. Underwood is slated to begin in the Citrus Bowl against the Longhorns. Both teams had dreams of reaching the College Football Playoff this season, with Texas even being the preseason No. 1 team across the sport.
But Michigan and Texas just couldn’t get the job done. According to the PFSN CFB Offense Impact metrics, Michigan has an impact score of 82.6, grading out to a B-.
MORE: Michigan Shocks the College Football World With Sherrone Moore Firing
Moore’s firing comes at a time when the college football world is still reeling from how the College Football Playoff Selection Committee came up with its 12 teams.
For now, Poggi takes over the Wolverines on an interim basis. Poggi used to work under Harbaugh and returned to the school this season after being fired at Charlotte. In two seasons as Charlotte’s head coach, Poggi finished with a 6-16 record. So, Poggi does have some head coaching experience.
Poggi returned as an associate head coach under Moore. It’s the same role he held under Harbaugh in the 2021 and 2022 college football seasons. It’ll be up to Poggi to make sure Wolverines players are all on the same page before going into the Citrus Bowl. Moore has not made any public comments as of late Wednesday on his firing.
