In a college football bombshell worthy of a Hollywood scandal drama, Michigan has fired head coach Sherrone Moore over an ‘inappropriate relationship’ — a stunning downfall that sends shockwaves through the program and leaves a powerhouse scrambling for answers.
Sherrone Moore was fired as head coach at Michigan on Wednesday after the university said it found “credible evidence” that the football coach had been involved in an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
The shocking news came just days after Moore had spoken with reporters as the Wolverines had begun to prepare for the Citrus Bowl later in December, and seemed to catch the entire college football world by surprise.
Biff Poggi was tapped as Michigan’s interim head coach.
Sherrone Moore
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the University of Michigan announced 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.”
The university did not elaborate on the details of what its investigation had uncovered.
Moore is married with a wife and three daughters.
He took over as full-time head coach in January 2024 after Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a national championship before departing for the NFL to take over as head coach of the Chargers.
Moore led the program to a 16-8 record during his two seasons at the helm in Ann Arbor, which included going 8-5 in 2024 and a victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama.
The Wolverines went 9-3 this season and ended the 2025 campaign with a 27-9 loss to rival Ohio State, which now will stand as Moore’s final game as head coach of the program.
Moore was the Wolverines’ acting head coach for the final three games of 2023 while Harbaugh served out a three-game ban related to the sign-stealing scandal that rocked college football that year, leading to three straight wins for Michigan to end the season. Moore had also served as interim head coach for one game earlier in the year as Harbaugh served a suspension related to recruiting violations.
The Wolverines now are slated to play Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.
It’s unclear how long the university had been looking into the relationship between the football coach and the staffer, but Moore had done media interviews as recently as Tuesday, when he held a press conference and held a one-on-one interview with WXYZ Detroit.
CBS Sports reported that donors to the program had become aware of the allegations against Moore recently and had started to tighten the purse strings on contributions.
News of the university’s inquiry had started to spread over the past few days and had led to growing concerns among Michigan football staffers over their futures, with one telling the outlet, “It’s hard to ignore.”
