ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan has quite a mess on its hands.
Its storied football program is yet again reeling from a scandal, this time with formerly promising coach Sherrone Moore at the center of it.
Moore spent Wednesday night in jail after being fired earlier in the day for what the school said was an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. His ensuing arrest was related to an assault investigation, for which Moore is expected to be arraigned on Friday.
The development has left the Wolverines, college football’s all-time leaders in overall victories, suddenly searching for a new coach. Again.
“I’m so disappointed,” former Michigan defensive end Larry Stevens told The Associated Press. “This prestigious university and everything we’ve done through the years for Michigan, you just don’t jeopardize that. I can’t wrap my head around this.”
A snapshot of recent history might show great success for the Big Ten school that beat archrival Ohio State four times in a row from 2021-24 and declares itself the “The Victors.” That was a fitting moniker for the program that won its 12th claimed national championship in the 2023 season by going 15-0 in former Wolverines quarterback Jim Harbaugh’s ninth and final year as head coach at his alma mater before returning to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Underneath those feats, however, are multiple scandals the school will have to contend with as it courts its next coach.
“Everybody who knew has to go, because how many times do we want to be on (ESPN’s) ‘SportsCenter’ for scandals?” Stevens, who played for coach Lloyd Carr from 2000-2003, asked in a telephone interview. “What we built, who we are, our legacy, how we’re viewed in the world, that matters to Michigan men. These activities turn us into the laughingstock of college football.”
The NCAA put Michigan’s football program on probation less than four months ago, stemming from a sign-stealing scandal during Harbaugh’s tenure, and athletic director Warde Manuel has said penalties will cost the department more than $30 million.
Matt Weiss, who previously shared offensive coordinator duties with Moore at Michigan, was charged with hacking into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to find intimate images. A judge entered a not guilty plea for the former Baltimore Ravens and Michigan assistant coach earlier this year.
And now the Wolverines are scrambling to find a new leader for their shaken football team while navigating the fallout from firing Moore, who was punished twice by the NCAA for rules violations.
“We always heard from Lloyd that the expectation is for the position,” Charles Woodson — who won the 1997 Heisman Trophy as a Michigan junior — told the AP. “And for (Moore), with the role he played with his family and as head coach with assistant coaches and with the players, he did not fulfill the position.”
Michigan will be looking for its third head coach in four years, shortly after what seemed to be the end of busy firing-and-hiring cycle this fall that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Ole Miss for fellow Southeastern Conference program LSU.
Moore led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season, is serving as interim coach as Michigan prepares to play No. 14 Texas (9-3), an SEC program, in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
The 39-year-old Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment before he was taken into custody Wednesday.
“I’m sad for all the families involved,” former Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said in a telephone interview.
Without a coach in place for next season, the team may lose players in the NCAA transfer portal this winter, and donors who help fund revenue-sharing and NIL deals may hesitate to invest in the previously proud program.
While Harbaugh, who was penalized by the NCAA for rules violations, did lead the Wolverines to their first national title since 1997, they are not far removed from some lackluster years. That includes Harbaugh starting his tenure as head coach 0-5 against Big Ten border rival Ohio State before starting a streak that Moore continued with a 13-10 victory in 2024 against the Buckeyes — who went on to win their ninth national title — before the Wolverines dropped “The Game” at home last month, 27-9.
The program had crumbled after Carr’s retirement in 2007 under Rich Rodriguez (2008-10) and Brady Hoke (2011-14) before Harbaugh eventually turned it around. Now, though, Michigan has to pick up the pieces again to search for a coach — while the school is also looking for a new president — as it attempts to bounce back from its latest scandal.