Sherrone Moore suspension: Why Michigan coach won’t be on sidelines vs. CMU with Biff Poggi serving as interim

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Michigan will look to bounce back from its loss at No. 18 Oklahoma when it hosts Central Michigan in Week 3, but will do so without coach Sherrone Moore on the sidelines. Instead, associate head coach (and former Charlotte coach) Biff Poggi will be in charge of the Wolverines as Moore serves the first game of what will ultimately be a three-game suspension for the violation of NCAA rules. 

The suspension is the result of the NCAA’s investigation in Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal from the 2023 season that, somewhat poetically, reached its pinnacle when former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was spotted on the sidelines of a Central Michigan game in Chippewas gear. 

Sherrone Moore suspension dates

Moore will miss three games over the course of the 2025 and 2026 seasons, including the next two games on Michigan’s schedule. 

The absences for the CMU and Nebraska games were self-imposed suspensions by Michigan prior to the NCAA offering its final verdict, with the NCAA adding a suspension for next year’s opener in Germany. The NCAA added the third game to Moore’s suspension due to the coach’s lack of cooperation with the investigation; they allege that he deleting a thread of 52 text messages with Stalions.

Moore was allowed to coach the team all the way up until Saturday’s game, but is prohibited from all team activities next week. Michigan structured the initial suspension so Moore would be available to coach in Week 2 at his alma mater in Norman, but now the Wolverines have to bounce back after a rough loss with a different coach leading the way for the next two Saturdays. 

Who is Biff Poggi?

Michigan fans will be familiar with Poggi from his time in Ann Arbor as the associate head coach under former coach Jim Harbaugh from 2021-22 before leaving to be the coach at Charlotte from 2023-24. The 65-year-old former hedge fund manager and high school coach went 6-16 in his two seasons in charge of the 49ers, returning to Michigan this season as the associate head coach for Moore. 

Central Michigan is coming off of a 45-17 loss to Pitt on Saturday, and the Wolverines are 27.5-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook. The Chippewas should provide something of a test run for Poggi and the Michigan staff in getting used to not having Moore leading the conversation on the sidelines before they have to navigate an important Big Ten road test at Nebraska in Week 4. 

Given the Wolverines’ struggles at Oklahoma, especially on offense, that trip to Lincoln looms large as Michigan looks to avoid falling behind in the Big Ten race early in the season.