Biff Poggi Named Interim Head Coach For Moore Suspension: What To Expect

When the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines take to the gridiron on Saturday to match up against Central Michigan, head coach Sherrone Moore won’t be standing on the sidelines.

In his stead, assistant coach Biff Poggi will be holding it down.

When the clock strikes midnight on Saturday, Moore's two-game suspension for 2025, self-imposed by Michigan due to ties to the program's recent sign-stealing scandal, will begin. Poggi will take over as interim head coach. (Moore was also suspended for the first game of the 2026 season, as imposed by the NCAA.)

Poggi is no stranger to the inner workings of Wolverines football. He has had three separate stints with the program, starting as an analyst in 2016 before taking a head coaching position at Saint Frances Academy, a high school in Maryland. Poggi returned to Ann Arbor in 2021, however, as an associate head coach.

After the 2022 season, Poggi once again left seeking greener pastures, this time landing his first collegiate head coaching role with Charlotte. His first foray as a college head coach didn’t go quite as planned, however, as he was fired midway through his second season with the 49ers.

Poggi accrued a 6-16 record with Charlotte, going 3-9 in 2023 and starting 3-7 in 2024 before being fired with two games still remaining on the schedule. Moore brought him back to the Wolverines for a third time in 2025, again as an associate head coach.

Now, Moore asks just a little bit more from Poggi, and Moore is confident in his decision.

“Just a general feeling of how the program goes, the knowledge of the players, specifically, was huge,” Moore said Monday, when asked why he landed on Poggi in his most recent press conference. “And then obviously his experience as a high school head coach, as a head coach.”

Indeed, Poggi is one of the most experienced coaches Moore has on staff. Even if his college head coaching debut left a lot to be desired, he is at least well-acquainted with what is asked of someone in the position. 

Moore also added that he wanted to let offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale operate without the added pressure of being the interim head coach.

As for the play on the football field in Moore’s absence, not much should change. Moore is allowed to coach his team all the way until Saturday, so the Wolverines’ prep remains undisturbed. Everyone involved will also be able to use the week to acquaint themselves with having Poggi in place of Moore to ensure there are no hiccups come Saturday.

The hope from everyone involved is that there will be as little change as possible other than the simple fact that it is Poggi in place of Moore, and Moore thinks that will be no problem.

“He’s always with me, he’s always around me,” Moore said. “He’s in all the meetings, he’s right there by my side. So he sees it, he understands exactly how I feel. Obviously, he’s not me, but the players have a lot of respect for Biff, and they love Biff, they love being around Biff.”

Players that were a part of the 2023 national championship team will be familiar with reporting to an interim head coach. In the midst of recruiting violations and the sign-stealing drama, then-head coach Jim Harbaugh was not on the sideline for six games due to two separate three-game suspensions. Moore was the interim head coach for four of those games.

The Wolverines won all four with Moore stepping in, and will look to replicate that same success over the next two weeks under Poggi. Their first test will be an important trial run against Central Michigan before the Moore-less Michigan squad heads into Big Ten play against Nebraska.