Sherrone Moore’s time at Michigan is suddenly over.
The Wolverines fired their head football coach Wednesday afternoon. The school fired Moore for cause due to an investigation of Moore, saying Wednesday the coach “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” Further specifics of that relationship, or when the investigation actually started, are unknown.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”
Moore, according to ESPN’s Dan Wetzel, was then detained by police in Saline, Michigan — which sits just south of Ann Arbor — on Wednesday night. He was turned over to police in Pittsfield Township for an investigation into potential charges.
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Moore was eventually taken into custody at the Washtenaw County Jail. Officials said that was done after an alleged assault investigation that took place earlier on Wednesday afternoon, and that the incident “does not appear to be random in nature.” Further specifics about the incident, or any charges that Moore may be facing, are not yet known.
Michigan named associate head coach Biff Poggi as the team’s interim coach. Poggi, a former head coach at Charlotte, also served as the team’s interim head coach earlier this season while Moore served a two-game suspension in the wake of its sign-stealing scandal.
Sherrone Moore has been fired for cause after two seasons leading the Wolverines. (AP/Ryan Sun)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Moore, 39, was first hired at Michigan ahead of the 2018 season as the team’s tight ends coach. He was the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator during their undefeated national championship run through the 2023 season, and he was promoted to replace Jim Harbaugh when Harbaugh left to become head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. That made Moore the first Black full-time head coach in Michigan history.
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Moore finished 18-8 leading the Wolverines. They went 8-5 during his first season at the helm, and just finished a 9-3 run this past season. He won his first two games against Ohio State in their rivalry matchup, too, including one in 2023 when he was serving as the interim head coach while Harbaugh was suspended. Ohio State beat Michigan 27-9 last month. Michigan is set to take on Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl later this month, too.
Moore had three years left on his initial five-year deal with Michigan. According to USA Today, Michigan paid Moore about $6.1 million for the 2025 season. His buyout earlier this month was just shy of $14 million. But since the school has fired him for cause, the Wolverines will avoid having to pay Moore’s buyout altogether.
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Michigan will start searching for a full-time replacement for Moore immediately, though the search will come on the heels of what was a very chaotic coaching cycle throughout college football. The Wolverines are now the only Big Ten school without a head coach after Penn State hired Matt Campbell, Michigan State hired Pat Fitzgerald and UCLA hired Bob Chesney earlier this month.
