Michigan appears to be in shambles at the moment, but for a long while, that hasn’t been the case. They fired coach Sherrone Moore in the middle of a massive scandal, but up to that point, they’ve been highly successful. However, as interim head coach Biff Poggi put it, maybe this is a longstanding problem.
Biff Poggi rips Michigan in bid for HC job
The Michigan Wolverines have been ranked in the top 25 for a lot of time over the last several years. In that time, they’ve been able to have some success against daunting rivals and powerhouse Ohio State, and they won a national championship in 2023.
But in that time, there have been some issues. Jim Harbaugh was a great coach, but his tenure was riddled with some scandals, including the major cheating allegations that eventually helped him decide to return to the NFL, where he’s been successful with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sherrone Moore took over, and while the on-field product has been solid in that time, scandal struck again. Moore allegedly assaulted a woman he was cheating on his wife with, and it is alleged that she was a staffer at the school. He was fired and then arrested.
Though only for the bowl game, in Moore’s stead, Biff Poggi took over as head coach. He has just the one game to make his case for why he should be Michigan’s next coach. And in making a case for himself, he ripped the university to shreds.
Biff Poggi wants to fix the Wolverines
Per ESPN, he implored the school to undergo a “massive self-examination of what’s happened in this building.” He has officially interviewed with the AD for the job, and these comments were made to reporters after the fact.
Poggi took it even further. “It’s been five years of a malfunctioning organization. Let’s call it what it is: It’s happened every year. The athletic director doesn’t want any more of that.” The interim worked under both Moore and Harbaugh. As a result, he had some harsh words for the school.
He also said he is the right person for the job because he “knows what the h**l he’s doing,” and that he wants to fix the program.
Why Michigan may have no alternative options
Michigan fired Sherrone Moore on December 10, which is far from ideal timing. By that point, most head coaches who’d been fired during or right after their team’s season had already been replaced. For example, Penn State and Florida had already snapped up two of the top candidates. Others went quickly thereafter.
Michigan was linked to Kenny Dillingham, but he just had his contract extended by Arizona State. The options were slim even before that. The Wolverines don’t have many better options than Poggi. Should he perform well vs. number 13 Texas in the Cheez-It Bowl, the job might be his.
Some coaches may be fired after the bowls, but it’s highly unlikely. Who’s available now is likely who will be available at all. The Wolverines will have to parse through those options. They could also look to the NFL, but many of the most promising coordinators at that level are primed for NFL head coaching jobs. They would be backtracking to take the Michigan job.
And while the Wolverines have had success, they’re not exactly a destination at this point. If this had occurred with Ryan Day at Ohio State or even Steve Sarkisian at Texas, many coaches would consider a move from their current school.
It doesn’t look like Michigan has that swing. And because of that, Poggi may be the only real option. It may not be inspiring, but it might be the outcome of all of this.
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