Former Michigan Wolverines assistant coach Biff Poggi is returning to college football in 2026, but not in a coaching role. Poggi will join the Big Ten Network as a college football analyst, with appearances on multiple studio shows alongside several other personalities as the network enters its 20th season of covering Big Ten football.

On July 29, the Big Ten Network announced a roster of analysts, including former Michigan associate head coach Biff Poggi, alongside Mike Hall, Michelle Steele, and others. The roster also has the likes of Ross Dellenger and Urban Meyer.

The Big Ten Network would particularly cherish Poggi for his blunt, unfiltered manner of expressing his thoughts. While he served as interim head coach before Kyle Whittingham’s appointment, he was interviewed by AD Manuel Warde for the head coaching role. He met with the media to share his manifesto, and what followed was a very raw assessment of the program.

“Everything that happens in this building has to be reevaluated, quite frankly, because it is not up to standard,” Poggi said. “The staff has to be reevaluated. I mean the coaches, the analysts, everybody in the building. … Our strength and conditioning, our nutrition, our medical, everything.”

Poggi’s relationship with the Wolverines began over a decade ago when he was hired by the program as an analyst in 2016 after 10 seasons at Gilman High School. However, he spent just one year working with former head coach Jim Harbaugh and returned to high school football, where he coached Saint Francis Academy.

He then rejoined the Wolverines in 2021 as the associate head coach, still under Harbaugh. But before Harbaugh could lead the Wolverines to their national championship victory, Poggi left again. This time, he resumed a head coaching role at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2023. Unfortunately, he was fired two games from the end of his second season with the program.

His most publicized stint with the Wolverines began in 2025 when he was named the associate head coach again under Sherrone Moore’s leadership. Sherrone Moore had a mid-season suspension, which saw Poggi take charge of the program for two games against Central Michigan and Nebraska, winning both. After Moore was fired, he took over as interim head coach, where he made it his duty to “love and take care of the kids” in such a tumultuous moment.

Poggi’s approach to the Citrus Bowl after Sherrone Moore’s firing

Poggi led the team for the third time in the Citrus Bowl Game, where several players opted out due to the controversy around the Sherrone Moore scandal. While Poggi and his team lost 41-27, he was incredibly proud of his players.

“I don’t know how anyone could sit in that stadium and watch these guys and not just (think) one word — respect.” Poggi said. “… They did fight, the whole game.”

Handling the tall task of coaching the players amid turbulence was difficult for Poggi, but he understood how to approach it. He listened more to the kids, prioritized their opinions, and was able to rally them around for the bowl game.