Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore has been fired after alleged inappropriate relations with a staff member.
Ahead if its Cheez-It Citrus Bowl appearance against Texas, the Michigan athletic department has announced the firing of head football coach Sherrone Moore for cause after a school investigation found he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a university staffer.
"This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior," said Mighican athletic director Warde Manuel in a statement.
Moore's termination is effective immediately, putting the leadership of the No. 18 Wolverines in jeopardy before they line up against the No. 13 Longhorns on Dec. 31.
Associate head coach Biff Poggi has been promoted as the interim coach to finish this season.
Michigan went 9-3 overall and 7-2 to finish fifth in the Big Ten in Moore's second season at the helm after replacing the NFL-bound Jim Harbaugh - who wasn't without controversy of his own in Ann Arbor - in 2024.
Moore first arrived at Michigan as a tight end's coach in 2018 before becoming co-offensive coordinator for Harbaugh in 2021.
Harbaugh would help the Wolverines win the national championship in the 2023 season, but his and the program's reputation was tainted after an investigation found that a Michigan staffer was illegally stealing signs from the opposing teams' sidelines throughout the 2023 season. Moore served as the acting head coach when Harbaugh was suspended after the scandal. When Harbaugh became the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, Moore was hired on a full-time basis.
Moore made an immediate recruiting impact following his 8-5 season as a first-year head coach by landing five-star quarterback recruit Bryce Underwood, who was Michigan's starter this season.
However, last year Moore was also suspended for two games after more fallout of the sign-stealing scandal. Poggi had served as the interim coach for those games, winning both.
Moore's most recent matchup against the Longhorns came last season at "The Big House" where Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers led a 31-12 victory for the visiting Longhorns in Week 2 - Moore's first primetime matchup as the new head coach.
In Moore's two-year tenure as head coach, the Wolverines went 17-8 and 12-6 in conference play.
The Longhorns have scheduled Michigan for a non-conference game in Austin in 2027, along with a home game against Michigan's hated rival Ohio State in Austin in 2026 - two games that head coach Steve Sarkisian has said he intends to honor, despite the Week 1 loss this season to the Buckeyes that potentially limited 9-3 Texas' ability to make the College Football Playoff in the eyes of the selection committee.
For now, Michigan has its distraction and Texas has its focus.