Adam Rittenberg
Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi described the program as a “malfunctioning organization” after a series of high-profile scandals, one he hopes to “fix” if he becomes the team’s permanent coach.
Poggi, who has interviewed with athletic director Warde Manuel for the job, told reporters Monday that Michigan must conduct a “massive self-examination of what’s happened in this building.”
The school on Dec. 10 fired coach Sherrone Moore for cause for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore subsequently was charged with three crimes, including felony third-degree home invasion, after allegedly confronting the staff member at her home. He spent several nights in the Washtenaw County Jail before being released on $25,000 bond.
Michigan in 2023 went through the signal-stealing scandal involving former staff member Connor Stalions, which led to the Big Ten-imposed suspension of coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three regular-season games, and other penalties. The program had a separate recruiting violations case that yielded penalties for coaches, and also endured other scandals, including the firing of former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, who faces a federal indictment for allegedly hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes to access intimate photos and videos, while working inside Michigan’s football building.
“It’s been five years of a malfunctioning organization,” said Poggi, in his third stint on the Michigan staff after working under both Moore and predecessor Jim Harbaugh. “Let’s call it what it is: It’s happened every year. The athletic director doesn’t want any more of that.”
Poggi will lead Michigan against Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 in Florida. He said Monday that Manuel told the team that he expects to hire the next permanent coach before the game. The transfer portal opens Jan. 2, and Michigan is hoping to retain quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation’s No. 1 recruit last year, and other notable players.
The 65-year-old Poggi worked as a hedge fund manager before entering coaching, spending most of his career as a high school coach in Maryland before first joining Harbaugh’s staff in 2016. He returned in 2021 as associate head coach before landing his only FBS head-coaching job at Charlotte, where he was fired before the end of his second season after going 6-16. Poggi came back to Michigan this season.
Asked why he would be a strong choice for the permanent job, Poggi said, “Because I know what the hell I’m doing. … I want to fix this program.”
