Michigan fans wouldn’t have been surprised if head coach Sherrone Moore was fired next season. Some even wouldn’t have been shocked if had been let go a week and a half ago after the regular season ended.
But nobody was expecting it Wednesday evening when Michigan announced that Moore had been fired — and not for anything related to his team’s underwhelming results the last two years.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced the Moore was fired for cause after “credible evidence” revealing he engaged in an “inappropriate” relationship with a staff member.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately. 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,” Manuel said in a statement.
Michigan won a national championship in 2023, but it has been beset by controversy from the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal that led to the NCAA levying a substantial fine on the school, probation for the program, a 10-year show cause for former head coach Jim Harbaugh and a three-game suspension for his successor Moore.
Moore, who was on Harbaugh’s staff for six years and was Michigan’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach during the national title season, was promoted to head coach when Harbaugh left for the NFL after that championship run. In two seasons as head coach, Moore is 16-8.
His biggest highlights were the 13-10 upset win over Ohio State last season that kept the rivals Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game during their national championship season and a subsequent 19-13 win over Alabama in the Reliaquest Bowl.
But fans were growing impatient after the 8-5 finish last year and a 9-3 mark this year that saw the Wolverines lose their three biggest games — at Oklahoma, at USC and home vs. Ohio State to end a four-game winning streak in the rivalry series.
In addition to the suspension handed down from the sign-stealing scandal, Moore was also suspended for the 2023 season opener in 2023 as a self-imposed action by the program for breaking recruiting rules.
Biff Poggi, who served as interim head coach for the two games Moore was suspended this season, will again step into the interim role as Michigan prepares to play Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
UPDATE (8 p.m. ET): ESPN’s Dan Wetzel is reporting that Moore was detained by the Saline Police Department before being turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department. It is unknown why Moore was being investigated by police, but no charges have been made public.
The timing of Moore’s firing puts the Wolverines in an interesting spot as the college football coaching carousel was nearing completion with most all open jobs, nationally, filled. That said, Michigan is one of the best jobs in college football and the school should not have trouble luring a big name head coach to take the position.
Here are six names to keep in mind.
Six Coaches Michigan Should Consider
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh isn’t returning to college football anytime soon — if ever — with that 10-year show cause penalty in place complicating the potential of any school hiring him, but that doesn’t apply to his brother John.
John Harbaugh could be nearing the end of his long tenure in Baltimore, which he has led since 2008 but with the Ravens at 6-6, looking listless and frustrations mounting, perhaps this is the perfect time and place for a change of scenery.
The older Harbaugh has won a Super Bowl and gone 178-110 overall with the Ravens and would provide Michigan some continuity in terms of coaching style and familiarity with staff members.
Former LSU, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly
It was notable how little buzz there was attached to Kelly with so many open jobs this cycle, after his unceremonious departure from LSU mid-season.
Everyone can agree he wasn’t a fit at LSU, where he went 34-14 in four seasons, but he’s very much a geographical and stylistic fit for Michigan. Let’s not forget Kelly has a 297-109-2 career record, is the all-time winningest coach at Notre Dame and got his first head coaching job at Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan, where he won two Division II national championships.
Kelly is 64 and would surely like another shot at scripting a better final chapter to his successful career. Michigan has to at least take a long look at him as a candidate.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer dismissed having any interest in the Penn State job when it was open and emphasized he is happy at Alabama despite being under the biggest microscope in the sport.
“Love the challenge. Love the grind. Love this place,” he said.
But does it love him. Following Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa is a near impossible — and most unenviable — task, and the Crimson Tide faithful hasn’t shown much patience for its new coach. After a disappointing 9-4 finish last year, the fans were apoplectic when Alabama lost its season opener this year to Florida State, but an eight-game winning streak full of victories over ranked SEC opponents helped calm the waters.
Then Alabama lost to Oklahoma and lost big in the SEC championship game to Georgia, 28-7, so DeBoer and his staff are back in the crosshairs of the fanbase once more entering the College Football Playoff.
With signing day complete and the transfer portal not formally opening until next month, Michigan could wait to see if Alabama loses its first-round playoff game in a rematch with Oklahoma (on the road this time) and check if DeBoer is ready for an escape plan out of Tuscaloosa.
DeBoer, who is from South Dakota, is a proven winner who led Sioux Falls to three NAIA championships and got Washington to the national championship game (the one Michigan won) in his second season there.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake
BYU’s deep-pocketed boosters stepped in to keep him in Provo, Utah, after Penn State came calling, but does Sitake view Michigan as a better job and have to rethink his future further?
It’s unclear what buyout is in place in Sitake’s new lucrative contract extension if he chooses to leave, so that’s an unknown variable, but his reputation for building teams that play strong defense and run the ball well is a perfect match for Michigan.
If the Wolverines kick the tires here, we’ll find out just how much Sitake truly wants to finish out his career at BYU.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter
This is an obvious name that is going to get mentioned on every list of Michigan coaching candidates.
Minter was Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2022-23 and a big part of the national championship success. He’s worked for both Harbaugh brothers and followed Jim from Michigan to the NFL to be the Chargers’ DC.
If Michigan values continuity to what it’s built and established in the Harbaugh/post-Harbaugh Era, then Minter is a logical choice. That said, the Wolverines just saw the perils of promoting from within with a first-time head coach and rolling the dice on another first-time HC may not be the preferred route.
Minter also received a one-year show cause from the NCAA as part of the sanctions handed down, so that would be another obstacle as the school would have to appear before the Committee on Infractions to justify the hire.
Arizona State HC Kenny Dillingham
This may be the biggest wildcard on the list as Dillingham, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, and an Arizona State alum, stated strongly that he wasn’t considering any other jobs and that it was important to him to remain at ASU.
“I was never leaving, I never said I was leaving — this is home,” Dillingham said.
But … Michigan is on the very, very short list of best jobs in college football. Dillingham has shot up the coaching ranks, including his highly-successful one-year stint as Oregon’s offensive coordinator before getting Arizona State to the College Football Playoff last year in his second season there.
If he wanted to be, Dillingham would have been a candidate for a number of big jobs this cycle. Maybe the Wolverines want to check with him just to make sure.