Biff Poggi emerges as realistic -- but risky -- option for Michigan as administration appears in flux
As Michigan continues to search for its next coach, there are still issues at the top that need to be addressed
The Michigan football program currently sits in limbo days after former coach Sherrone Moore was fired for cause and later charged with one felony count and two misdemeanors after an alleged inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Michigan has launched a review into the athletic department's handling of Moore's firing with law firm Jenner & Block spearheading the probe. The process has been described to CBS Sports as "open-ended," and there is no telling what it will unearth, when it will end, who will face consequences for the findings and what those consequences will be.
The question is whether the industry's perception of uncertainty at Michigan is reality, or if the truth is somewhere in between.
A Michigan source told CBS Sports Tuesday morning: "Warde is our AD and moving forward with the coach search," and multiple sources confirmed the school has hired TurnkeyZRG, a high-profile search firm, to assist in finding a new head coach.
After Moore's firing, industry sources expressed varying degrees of a lack of faith in Manuel's skill as an administrator and doubt about whether he'll be allowed to run this process. That is also in addition to the fact that Michigan has not had a university president since May and is still months away from naming a permanent one with interim Domenico Grasso planning to retire at the end of his interim tenure. All of this raises significant concerns about alignment at Michigan, a buzzword in the industry but an important factor -- especially with a job of Michigan's caliber and the timing involved with filling it between the early signing period and the transfer portal opening.
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Elevating Biff Poggi comes with significant risk
Nature abhors a vacuum, and considering the hefty one in Ann Arbor right now, is there a chance Michigan brass chooses another option? Current interim coach Biff Poggi has communicated with the team his desire to get the job, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. There is also some support among Michigan players for Poggi. The situation has some elements of how Terry Smith's candidacy gained steam at Penn State, where a long period of quiet regarding the Nittany Lions search allowed an opening for alums and players to advocate for Smith publicly.
There is the possibility, as the dust settles, that Poggi could be a bridge option so Michigan can do a more conventional search with more lead time and more of their ducks in a row, administration-wise; however, that route comes with the optics of the Wolverines punting on 2026 and wasting one of the precious few seasons remaining with phenom Bryce Underwood at quarterback. On the flip side, if Poggi can prove that he can mostly hold Michigan's signing class together, (the Wolverines have lost two signees already), could that be enough to show medium-term stability? There is much still to be sorted out regarding the situation in Ann Arbor.
Update on big names at forefront for Michigan job
As far as external options for Michigan, Kenny Dillingham is in negotiations with Arizona State regarding a contract extension, but an industry source indicated he would listen if Michigan were to show serious interest. To this point, they have not.
Ahead of Washington's bowl game against Boise State, former Michigan assistant Jedd Fisch addressed links to the job: "I'm fully focused on our team." Kalen DeBoer also continues to say the right things at Alabama after putting out a statement Sunday and addressing the rumors directly in his Monday press conference ahead of the Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff first-round game against Oklahoma on Friday.
"My family loves living here. All the things we continue to build on. Love the progress. Haven't talked with anyone. No plans of talking with anyone. I think that's a lot of what I said a couple weeks ago and it continues to be the same thing. Our guys, if there's been any distraction, I haven't seen it. Haven't felt it. We've probably all-season long have dealt with enough noise where it doesn't surprise me on how they've handled this."
When asked point blank if he will be the coach of Alabama, Deboer said, "Yeah, planning on being, yes."
Brandon Marcello contributed to this report.
