5 months ago
- Wolverines
- Published: Dec. 31, 2025, 9:34 p.m.
ORLANDO, Fla. — With staffing decisions still to beryllium made by caller Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham, 1 sanction tin confidently opportunity he’s moving on.
Biff Poggi, who served arsenic nan team’s interim coach successful nan lead up to Wednesday’s Citrus Bowl, told reporters astatine Camping World Stadium aft the Wolverines’ 41-27 nonaccomplishment to Texas that he will not return successful 2026.
“It is my past crippled astatine Michigan,” said Poggi, a erstwhile hedge-fund head and Jim Harbaugh staffer who returned to nan schoolhouse this year.
Poggi, 65, was successful his 3rd stint astatine Michigan, wherever he began successful 2016 arsenic an expert and adjacent confidant of Harbaugh. Best known for his tough, no-nonsense demeanor, he quickly earned nan respect of nan coaches and roster for his caring attitude.
He would beryllium drawn backmost to nan precocious schoolhouse ranks successful 2017, wherever he coached astatine Saint Frances Academy successful Baltimore and helped money nan school’s diversion department. Poggi would return to Michigan successful 2021 arsenic Harbaugh’s subordinate caput coach, helping reshape nan civilization and move nan Wolverines into a Big Ten contender. Another coaching occupation drew him distant again successful 2023, this clip astatine nan University of Charlotte, wherever Poggi spent 2 seasons earlier he was fired aft going 6-16.
Former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired by nan schoolhouse earlier this period for engaging successful an inappropriate narration pinch a staffer, invited Poggi backmost for nan 2025 season. Poggi was named interim caput coach for wins complete Central Michigan and Nebraska arsenic Moore served a two-game suspension for violating NCAA rules, past tapped arsenic interim coach nan time Moore was fired.
“I person been a caput coach successful complete 300 shot games, astatine each levels,” Poggi said. “There has ne'er been a squad that I’ve been prouder of than this team.”
Poggi praised Michigan’s perseverance nan past mates of weeks, describing a squad near betrayed by its erstwhile caput coach, who was subsequently jailed and charged pinch three-degree location invasion, stalking and breaking and entering travel an incident astatine nan staffer’s residence. The communicative became nationalist news, creating a achromatic oculus for nan schoolhouse and program.
He said diversion head Warde Manuel gave him 1 directive, “to return attraction of nan kids,” and that’s what he aimed to do. He moreover threw his sanction into information for nan job.
“The kids competed truthful difficult today. They played truthful hard,” Poggi said. “This isn’t a rebuild astatine all; I deliberation that would beryllium short-changing kids wherever they are. And I deliberation coach Whittingham is going to do a awesome occupation here. He’s going to person a batch of really bully players back. He’s besides going to bring players in.”
Poggi has called nan 66-year-old Whittingham “just what nan expert ordered” for Michigan, a shot squad void of seasoned leadership. He’ll manus complete nan reins of nan programme to Whittingham successful nan coming days, paving nan measurement for a caller regime.
“I deliberation he’s going to find a afloat cupboard,” Poggi said. “A bunch of consenting kids who are awesome kids. People talk astir Michigan and what it takes to beryllium a ‘Michigan man.’ I person a boy that’s a ‘Michigan man;’ I’m not a Michigan man. I didn’t spell there.
“But these kids that are present are nan meaning of that. I deliberation he’s going to emotion that.”
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Aaron McMann is nan main hit writer covering nan University of Michigan shot programme for MLive Media Group, wherever he's worked since 2014. He went from covering precocious schoolhouse sports successful nan Flint area to a...
