The fallout of Sherrone Moore's sudden firing has shaken up the college football world and left Michigan in a state of disarray. With the Citrus Bowl still on tap for the Wolverines, interim head coach Biff Poggi openly admitted the team is still not in its best condition.
Poggi, who has been with the team for multiple seasons and is 2-0 as acting head coach in 2025, is already a leader the players trust. However, he knows his players are still reeling from the aftermath of Moore's shocking exit.
“It has been a tumultuous time,” Poggi said, via Brad Galli of WXYZ Detroit. “There's a lot of, at first, disbelief, then anger. What we're in right now is the phase of — the kids, quite frankly, feel betrayed, and we're trying to work through that.”
Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi spoke about fallout since Sherrone Moore's firing.
"It has been a tumultuous time," he said. "Disbelief, then anger, then really, what we're in right now is the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed, and we're trying to work through that." pic.twitter.com/w7Fg8n1exo
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) December 16, 2025
Poggi added that he has met with every player and their respective parents “multiple times” to gauge what they want from him to move past the ordeal effectively. Each player is currently eligible to enter the college football transfer portal and seek a new team.
Biff Poggi prepares Michigan for Citrus Bowl
Unlike most teams that lost their head coach, Poggi and Michigan accepted an invitation to the Citrus Bowl before Moore's firing, giving them one final game before wrapping up the 2025 college football season. The Wolverines are slated to face No. 13-ranked Texas on New Year's Eve.
Michigan was quick to name Poggi its interim head coach after firing Moore. The move only made sense, with the 65-year-old serving as the team's associate head coach. Poggi led the Wolverines to a pair of victories over Central Michigan and Nebraska in Moore's previous absence, which was due to a two-game suspension for his involvement in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal.
During his previous stint, Poggi led Michigan to arguably its two best wins of the season. The offense scored a season-high 63 points against Central Michigan, while the 30-27 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln was aging like wine before Dylan Raiola's season-ending leg injury derailed the Cornhuskers' season.
Aside from Moore's absence, Michigan is expected to deploy a full team in the Citrus Bowl. So far, no key players have opted out of the game.
