Who Will Michigan Hire to Replace Sherrone Moore? Insider Talks Possible HC Candidates

In what has already been a stunning coaching carousel season in college football with LSU, Florida and Penn State making new hires, another high-profile program in Michigan is now looking for a new leader after it announced Wednesday it fired Sherrone Moore for cause.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported on the situation and listed interim head coach Biff Poggi, Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, Washington's Jedd Fisch, Duke's Manny Diaz and New Mexico's Jason Eck as potential candidates to replace Moore.

While Poggi may not be a headline name, he has plenty of connections to the program.

Feldman deemed him "one of former head coach Jim Harbaugh's most trusted advisors" and noted he returned to the Wolverines as an associate head coach this season. He also coached the team when Moore was suspended for victories over Central Michigan and Nebraska and will have another chance to prove himself in such a role during the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup with Texas. 

But he also isn't someone who is going to generate as many headlines as DeBoer.

According to Feldman, DeBoer could face plenty of scrutiny at Alabama if the team loses its first-round College Football Playoff game to Oklahoma. National-title-or-bust expectations are in place every year for the Crimson Tide, and they lost four games in DeBoer's first season and three games in 2025.

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Even though they received the benefit of the doubt and snuck into the CFP, that is a lot of losses for a program like Alabama. Perhaps DeBoer will see an opportunity to reset at another powerhouse team.

It would be less shocking if someone like Fisch, Diaz or Eck took the job since they wouldn't be leaving a program of the same caliber as Alabama.

Feldman reported Fisch "was very well thought of internally" when he was on Harbaugh's staff at Michigan and is known as an offensive coach who could help quarterback Bryce Underwood live up to his potential after he struggled with consistency as a freshman.

Diaz also has plenty of momentum after leading Duke, which is anything but a historical football powerhouse, to an ACC crown. If he can accomplish that with the Blue Devils, it isn't a stretch to assume he could lead the Wolverines to impressive heights.

As for Eck, Feldman called him a "wild-card candidate" and highlighted his background as an offensive coordinator before becoming the head coach at New Mexico. The Lobos drastically exceeded expectations this season in Eck's first year with a 9-3 record and victories over UCLA, UNLV and San Diego State.

They are bowl eligible for the first time since 2016, and Eck seems like a coach on the rise.

It would be quite the jump after just one year at New Mexico, but the Wolverines could be early on a rising star in the profession if they take a chance on Eck.