Michigan Fires Head Coach Sherrone Moore For Cause

Sherrone Moore's time as Michigan's head coach is over. 

Michigan has fired Moore after two seasons as head coach, citing cause, the school announced Wednesday. 

"U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately," athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement, via NBC Sports. "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 was 15-8 in his two seasons as Michigan's head coach, posting a 9-3 record this season, but missed two games due to a suspension. He also served as Michigan's acting head coach during Jim Harbaugh's suspension in 2023, winning all four games he coached that year. 

The 39-year-old Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of Moore’s contract because he was fired for cause.

Associate head coach Biff Poggi will serve as Michigan's head coach in an interim capacity. Poggi was Michigan's interim coach for the two games Moore was suspended for earlier in the 2025 season, helping the Wolverines win both games. 

Michigan is set to take on Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31. 

College football’s winningest program is now suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Ole Miss for LSU.

Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the national title in the 2023 season to succeed Jim Harbaugh when he returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Moore, in his second season, was suspended for two games in 2025 as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to a sign-stealing scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which was to keep Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan. Moore previously deleted his entire 52-message text thread on his personal phone with former staffer Connor Stallions, who led the team’s sign-sealing operation for the program. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and will be updated.