The gavel has finally come down on Michigan football. The Wolverines are being dealt a harsh reality from the NCAA, involving heaps of fines and punishments on the coaching staff. Though it is still a rap on the knuckles at best for Michigan, they still have to work their way through this sentence. Moore, along with a 2-year show-cause notice, will be banned from one more game in the season. With Moore gone from the squad for these games, there are a few personnel Michigan football might be looking at to replace him.

Along with the self-imposed bans on Central Michigan and Nebraska games, Sherrone Moore will miss their grand opener against Western Michigan. A group of CFB fans must be feeling some sort of satisfaction seeing the NCAA’s punishments for Michigan. On paper, this was going to be Moore’s first season as the Wolverines’ HC–a position Connor Stalions wanted passionately. But when the interactions between the duo came to light, Michigan knew that Moore would be a subject of the NCAA ruling. That means his hope of a glorious Michigan career will not happen anymore.

Michigan is yet to name a replacement for Sherrone Moore. The administration could be looking at a number of options. There’s Biff Poggi, the current associate HC, who was hired this year after holding the same position from 2021 to 2023. Michigan can also go on the routes of assistant coaches, which makes OC Chip Lindsey and DC Don “Wink” Martindale equally good contenders to take over Moore. Head coaching experience at the college level is fleeting among these three, but they are Michigan’s best bets going forward.

Poggi has held a head coaching position only once in his career, which was an unsuccessful gig. He was fired from UNC Charlotte in 2024 after a 6-16 record. But he knows Michigan football better than Lindsey and Martindale. He had a strong relationship with former HC Jim Harbaugh, becoming his “right-hand man,” per Bleacher Report. Poggi came to Michigan as an analyst in 2016, when his son, Luke, started a career at Michigan. Until then, he had a 135-43 record as Gilman High’s HC, the school’s winningest football coach in history. In the 19 years he was there, he brought 13 national championships. At St. Frances, his next stop, Poggi pulled off a 26-game winning streak.

Leading something as elite as Michigan football will be a challenge for Poggi, despite knowing his way around the program. His record isn’t that great in college football as an HC, and the turnout of these 3 games can have an effect on Michigan’s playoff hopes. That shifts our lens on Chip Lindsey, who stepped in to save Michigan’s offense from tanking in 2025. He has been the genius behind players like Corey Robinson, Drake Maye, and Omarion Hampton. Lindsey has a 15-19 record as HC, serving in that position for Troy from 2019 to 2021. Lindsey has been with Michigan for only 8 months now, and it’d be interesting to see how he leads the squad if he is named Moore’s replacement.

Wink Martindale might be a safe bet for the Wolverines. Martindale comes with NFL experience and was behind the only good aspect of the program last year. He is a Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award winner, given to the best assistant coaches in the NFL. The DC was once considered for the head coaching job for the Raiders, having been with the franchise from 2004 to 2008. Martindale could join the group of Michigan head coaches with a defensive mindset, which includes names like Lloyd Carr and Bo Schembechler.

It’s still an unclear picture when it comes to picking a replacement for Sherrone Moore. Poggi, Lindsey, and Martindale come with their own pros and cons. One more staffer can throw his hat into the mix: Lou Esposito. If the Wolverines want to choose a dark horse for someone to lead them for these 3 games, they might as well widen their perspective to include the D-line coach. But it’s going to be a tough, tough road for Sherrone Moore’s replacement. This isn’t going to be like how Moore took over a shunned Jim Harbaugh back in 2023.

Why Sherrone Moore’s replacement will find it difficult as HC

Moore took over Jim Harbaugh when the scandal got too big to ignore. But Harbaugh had the luxury of attending practices for the few games when Moore was the interim head coach. The latter isn’t getting that this time. Moore will be away from practice sessions for the games he’s suspended from. That means either Poggi, Lindsey, or Martindale will have to look at all aspects of Michigan football. This also comes in a year that should see Michigan going back to its elite status.

“A lot of Michigan fans are extremely disappointed with the way that the athletic department are handling this. Because they were told [by Michigan] that we’re willing to fight. We want to have this pre-hearing meeting and all this sort of stuff. And now here you go, suspending your own coach. [And] not knowing whether or not it’s going to be accepted by the NCAA,” The host of The Wolverines discussed in May. Yes, Michigan won a Natty in 2023, despite Harbaugh coming under the scanner. But a scandal of this scale has dwarfed that win into almost nothing, and Michigan is scrambling to finally close this chapter for good.

2025 is not a litmus test for Sherrone Moore. That was for last year. But what awaits Michigan football this year should be troubling. The program has to bring in a new leader for 3 games, which can stand to define the season for Michigan if things become dire. The NCAA ruling might just be a rap on the knuckles for Michigan, but it can grow into big trouble down the line. Wolverine fans, who’s your pick to lead this team while Moore is out?