Tag: Wolverines

Kelli Moore, left, walks with her husband former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, and his attorney Ellen Michaels at the 14A-1 District Court in Ann Arbor on Friday, March 6, 2026.

No jail time for ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore in trespassing case

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was sentenced to 18 months of probation with no jail time on Tuesday after allegedly trespassing on the home of a staff member with whom he had an affair.

Moore was also fined more than $1,000 and ordered not to have contact with the staff member, Paige Shiver, or to use drugs or alcohol during his probation.

The sentencing followed a plea deal last month in which Moore agreed to plead no contest to new misdemeanor charges of malicious use of a telecommunications device and trespassing. In exchange, prosecutors in Washtenaw County (Mich.) dismissed the previous charges, which included third-degree felony home invasion.

“I don’t believe, when I look at the entirety of this situation, that incarceration should be appropriate,” District Court Judge J. Cedric Simpson said, per reports. “I warn you Mr. Moore, should there be a violation, all bets are off. I don’t like sending people to jail, but I don’t have a problem doing it.”

Moore’s lack of a previous criminal history helped him avoid jail time, and Simpson noted the support of his wife Kelli Moore as the person “saving you from the full wrath of this court.” The husband and wife have held hands as they entered and exited the courthouse during the proceedings.

Moore, 40, read a statement in court that thanked his faith and his wife. Neither of them took questions outside the courthouse.

“Sherrone is grateful for this matter to be resolved and he and his wife Kelli are ready to move forward with their family and focus on the next chapter,” defense attorney Ellen Michaels told gathered media.

Michigan fired Moore for cause on Dec. 10 for engaging in a longstanding relationship with his executive assistant. On the day he was fired, he allegedly went to the apartment of the woman with whom he had the affair. She told authorities he barged in, grabbed two butter knives and backed her into a corner.

Moore was arrested and spent two nights in jail. The original charges of home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering included penalties of up to five years in prison.

Moore had a 16-8 record at Michigan after taking over for Jim Harbaugh, for whom he served as offensive coordinator. Both he and Harbaugh were embroiled in a sign-stealing controversy from the school’s 2023 national championship season, with Moore ultimately serving a two-game suspension.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Michigan Wolverine helmets sit on the field near the sideline prior to a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Reports: Michigan parting with football general manager Sean Magee

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Michigan’s new head coach Kyle Whittingham is shaking up the football staff, including parting ways with general manager Sean Magee, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

Magee, 49, began his second stint with the Wolverines when former head coach Sherrone Moore announced the hire in March 2024. Magee came back to Ann Arbor, Mich., after working as chief of staff for the NFL’s Chicago Bears for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Under the title of senior athletic director and general manager, Magee’s duties, in the March 2024 announcement, were described as overseeing “all aspects of the recruiting and player personnel departments as well as coordinate the program’s NIL initiatives. He will handle the identification, evaluation and recruitment of prospective student-athletes in conjunction with the head coach and staff and manage the roster of current student-athletes while identifying future needs for the program.”

On his watch, Michigan landed the top recruit in the country for the Class of 2025, quarterback Bryce Underwood, who had been attached to LSU.

Magee’s first stint with Michigan was working under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh from 2017-22. After one year as the director of player personnel, Magee was promoted to associate athletic director for football.

Magee played offensive line and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2004. He later worked five seasons as the Midshipmen’s director of player personnel.

The Detroit Free Press reported that changes at the football program’s recruiting and personnel department will include director of player personnel Albert Karschnia, director of on-campus recruiting Kayli Johson and director of recruiting Sam Popper, the latter of whom has confirmed that he accepted the position of associate general manager at San Diego State.

Michigan officially hired Whittingham on Dec. 26 to guide its recent national-championship-winning program out of a period marked by scandal.

Michigan fired Moore with cause on Dec. 10 for having an extramarital relationship with a subordinate in the football program.

Whittingham has run a scandal-free program at Utah, making him a potential breath of fresh air after the recent turbulence in Ann Arbor with Moore’s dismissal and NCAA sanctions for a sign-stealing scheme under Harbaugh, who won a national championship in the 2023 season.

–Field Level Media

Michigan TE Marlin Klein declares for NFL draft

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Michigan captain and tight end Marlin Klein, an All-Big Ten honorable mention this season, announced Friday he is declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound senior has one season of college eligibility remaining. Klein caught 24 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown in 11 games in 2025, including four catches for 39 yards in a 41-27 loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday. He finished third on the Wolverines (9-4) this season in receptions and yards.

Klein told ESPN on Friday that he’s “ready for the next step.”

“The NFL is getting an explosive player that can do whatever is asked of him — play special teams, run block and catch the ball and someone who is not going to complain about his usage,” Klein said. “They are getting a player that’s willing to die for his teammates.”

Born in Cologne, Germany, Klein was selected the team’s most improved player on offense as a junior after catching 13 passes for 108 yards in 13 games (six starts). In four seasons in Ann Arbor, he had 38 receptions for 364 yards and one TD in 36 games.

–Field Level Media

Interim coach Biff Poggi wants chance to fix ‘malfunctioning’ Michigan

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Interim head coach Biff Poggi interviewed with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, using the opportunity to insist he’s the right man to repair the tattered reputation of the program.

“It’s been five years of a malfunctioning organization. Let’s call it what it is, it’s happened every year,” Poggi said Monday. “The athletic director doesn’t want any more of that. There will be a massive self-examination of what’s happened in this building.”

What’s happening in the building is under investigation and Manuel is leading the search for a new head coach. But Manuel might not stick around, pending the results of an independent review of the department following the firing of head coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10.

“I’m being considered. I’ve had multiple interviews, multiple conversations,” Poggi said of the process. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just appreciate being considered.”

Players have a window to transfer afforded by NCAA rules because of the coaching change, which is one of the reasons Manuel provided Poggi for setting his timeline to name a permanent head coach between Christmas Day and Michigan’s bowl game against Texas on Dec. 31.

“Everything that happens in this building has to be reevaluated, because it’s not up to standard,” Poggi said.

He said he believes he’ll be the right man for the job in the end because “I know what the hell I’m doing.”

Poggi was named interim head coach when Moore was fired with cause by the Wolverines for having an extramarital relationship with a subordinate in the football program. While Poggi is preparing Michigan for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Moore’s tumultuous two-year run since being hired to replace Jim Harbaugh wrapped in scandal.

Harbaugh hit the exits for the NFL after a 15-0 season in 2023 marred by the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal netted Michigan a national championship and a trove of penalties from the NCAA.

The NCAA issued show-cause penalties for Harbaugh and Moore, reduced the program’s scholarship allotment and fined the university to-be-tabulated amounts from bowl proceeds and profit sharing from the Big Ten.

A female staffer alleged to have had an affair of approximately two years with Moore told police the 39-year-old coach grabbed and pointed knives at her during a home invasion on the day of his firing.

Authorities recorded the statement of the female staffer disclosing her relationship with Moore, who is married with three children, to the university hours earlier. She said her intent was to leave town when an emotional Moore barged into her apartment.

Moore has not been charged with assault related to the knife allegations, but county investigators said last week they are still reviewing evidence.

Anything but the typical college football coaching candidate, Poggi’s full name is Francis Xavier Poggi, and he’s worth millions.

Poggi played football at Duke and Pitt and was a college coach at Brown, The Citadel and Temple before he said he was needed back in Maryland on a full-time basis to care for his ailing mother. He started Samuel James Limited, a hedge fund and investment firm, in 1986 and over more than two decades the value of the company grew to “hundreds of millions,” Poggi told ESPN.

Poggi, 65, went 6-16 as the head coach at Charlotte in less than two years before returning to Michigan. He was an assistant under Harbaugh and rejoined the Wolverines as assistant head coach to Moore.

“This place is magical, and the program means a lot to me,” he said. “It’s one of the things I want to fix before I go smoke myself to death with a cigarette. I want to fix this program.”

–Field Level Media

Michigan’s players ‘feel very betrayed,’ says interim coach Biff Poggi

Posted on | by Field Level Media

In his first public comments since becoming Michigan’s interim coach following Sherrone Moore’s firing and arrest, Biff Poggi declared Monday that his players “feel very betrayed.”

Poggi spoke in Orlando, Fla., where he and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian visited to drum up interest in their teams’ Citrus Bowl clash Dec. 31.

But thoughts of the game between the 13th-ranked Longhorns (9-3) and the No. 18 Wolverines (9-3) have been on the backburner since Wednesday, when the 39-year-old Moore was fired with cause by Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel for an inappropriate relationship with an employee in the football office.

Shortly after his firing, Moore went to the staffer’s residence uninvited. On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering. He was released after posting $25,000 bond.

“It has been a tumultuous time,” Poggi said. “A lot of … first, disbelief, and anger. Really, what we’re in right now is the phase of — the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed. And we’re trying to work through that.”

Poggi, who served as an associate head coach for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, spent the 2023-24 seasons as Charlotte’s head coach. After posting a 6-16 record there, he returned to Ann Arbor this year as Moore’s associate head coach. Poggi was named the Wolverines’ acting head coach for two games in September while Moore served a suspension for his role in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal.

To say the Wolverines’ current situation is rare would be an understatement.

“Multiple levels of complexity that our young people are dealing with, our university’s dealing with, our athletic director Warde Manuel’s dealing with,” Poggi said in low, measured tones. “You know, our team, our coaches and our kids (too). It’s been … I don’t know that you can prepare for something like this. It’s been, I’ll just say, complicated.”

Poggi indicated he has met with all of the players and their parents (via Zoom) on several occasions.

“The message has been listening, right? I want to listen to them,” Poggi said. “I want to understand what the kids are feeling and what their parents are feeling. And so, a lot of listening. There has been a wide range of emotions, as you can imagine. We’re kind of going through those steps. They’re not over yet, and I don’t expect them to be over for a while, quite frankly.”

–Field Level Media

Bryson Kuzdzal pushes No. 18 Michigan to ninth straight over Maryland

Posted on | by Field Level Media

In his first career start, former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns to propel No. 18 Michigan to a 45-20 win over Maryland, Saturday in College Park, Md.

Bryce Underwood threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) kept their hopes alive for a berth in the College Football Playoffs.

Underwood completed 16 of 23 passes without an interception. His top target, Andrew Marsh, caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown to help Michigan beat Maryland for the ninth straight time.

Malik Washington completed 19 of 39 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown the Terrapins (4-7, 1-7) lost their seventh straight and saw their hopes of becoming bowl eligible disappear.

The skid matches the longest of coach Mike Locksley’s seven-year tenure at Maryland. Early this week, the school said that Locksley would return next season.

On the game’s opening possession, the Terrapins drove 75 yards, scoring on a 1-yard pass from Washington to Dorian Fleming on a fourth-and-1 play.

Two of the Michigan scoring drives started in Maryland territory as the Terrapins failed to recover an onside kick and Michigan’s Mason Curtis picked off a Washington pass.

The Wolverines tied it, 7-7, when a tightly covered Marsh made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone.

On the second play of the second quarter, Kuzdzal capped an 83-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7.

Donaven McCulley increased the lead to 21-7 when he took a wide receiver screen from Underwood and raced 22 yards to the end zone.

Kuzdzal went 19 yards untouched on an off-tackle play to make it 28-10.

After Sean O’Haire kicked his second field goal for Maryland, Kuzdzal scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 35-13.

Kuzdzal, a junior who had not carried in a game before this season, was in the lineup because Michigan was without injured Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, who have rushed for a combined 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Michigan fullback and captain Max Bredeson did not play in the second half. He emerged from the locker room in the third quarter on crutches.

The Wolverines’ backfield injury woes continued in the fourth quarter as Jasper Parker departed minutes after scoring on a 6-yard run.

–Field Level Media

No. 18 Michigan prepares to avoid trap game at Maryland

Posted on | by Field Level Media

While Michigan believes it has a path to a College Football Playoff berth, the Wolverines might have to navigate it with a former walk-on running back in the starting lineup.

With injuries piling up in the backfield, Bryson Kuzdzal could get the call on Saturday when No. 18 Michigan (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) faces slumping Maryland (4-6, 1-6) in College Park, Md.

Kuzdzal’s rise up the depth chart has come after injuries to Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, who have rushed for a combined 1,728 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said on Monday that Haynes, who was the Big Ten rushing leader when he suffered a foot injury last month, is likely to miss the Wolverines’ final two regular-season games.

Moore added that Marshall is day-to-day after sustaining a shoulder injury in Michigan’s 24-22 come-from-behind victory Saturday at Northwestern.

The next man up is Kuzdzal, a junior who had not participated beyond special teams in his first two seasons with the Wolverines.

In 25 carries this year, Kuzdzal has 106 yards, half of which came last week at Northwestern as Michigan pushed its winning streak to four games.

“If Bryson has to be the guy, I feel very comfortable with him,” Moore said. “He’s explosive, probably faster than Jordan, probably not as strong.”

Also emerging Saturday for the Wolverines was wideout Andrew Marsh, who broke out with 12 receptions for 189 yards, both season highs for the true freshman.

Moore added that Marsh will likely take over as the Wolverines’ punt returner, providing an injection of speed to a unit that is averaging just 2.8 yards per return, third-lowest in the conference.

Maryland is reeling after losing six straight, but the Terrapins can find inspiration Saturday with news that coach Mike Locksley will be back for his eighth season next year.

On Sunday, Maryland athletic director Jim Smith posted an open letter on the school’s website supporting Locksley and vowing that the school will increase funding for the program.

“To have (administrators) now that share the same special vision that I have, while also seeing the foundation of what we have when we didn’t have all the resources that we needed, I’m excited,” Locksley said on Tuesday. “I see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Terrapins can still make something out of this season, as wins over Michigan and Michigan State would make them bowl eligible for the fourth time in the last five years.

During its skid, Maryland has regressed on offense. The Terrapins scored their season low in a 24-6 loss on Saturday at Illinois. It was also the first game that true freshman quarterback Malik Washington failed to throw a touchdown pass.

In its first season in the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland beat Michigan. Since then, the Wolverines have won all eight meetings.

With Michigan facing its annual rivalry game against Ohio State on Nov. 29, Moore said that the Wolverines are not taking anything for granted against the Terrapins.

“There’s nothing about this game that is a trap game,” Moore said. “This is about a really good team that if you don’t play well, you will get beat.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 10, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) prepares to throw the ball during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Prolific Washington QB Demond Williams Jr. faces reeling Michigan defense

Posted on | by Field Level Media

While it has been overshadowed by Penn State’s collapse, the first half of Michigan’s season hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

The Wolverines’ 31-13 loss last week at Southern California dropped them to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, which means they’ll probably have to win their last six regular-season games to have a shot at qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

Step One in that task comes Saturday when Washington (5-1, 2-1) visits Ann Arbor, Mich., for a conference clash.

Not much went right for Michigan in Los Angeles. The defense gave up 489 total yards and missed 14 tackles, while the offense averaged only 3.5 yards on 31 rushes and converted just 2 of 11 third downs.

Second-year coach Sherrone Moore passed on a simple message to his team Monday.

“We got to go back to work,” he said. “There’s no pouting. There’s no worry about it. There’s no making excuses for it. That’s all we got to do. They’re trying to fix all the problems and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The Wolverines defense will get a stiff test from Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. In a 38-19 win last Friday against Rutgers, Williams set a school record with 538 total yards of offense as he threw for 402 yards and rushed for another 136.

Williams, who set career highs for passing yards, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, fired two scoring strikes and ran for two touchdowns. He became the 16th player in FBS history to throw for at least 400 yards and run for at least 100 in the same game – joining a club that features Lamar Jackson, Taysom Hill and Johnny Manziel.

On the season, Williams has accounted for 2,010 yards of offense — 1,628 in the air. He has completed an impressive 74.1 percent of his passes with just one interception in 158 attempts.

“He made great decisions with the ball,” said Washington coach Jedd Fisch. “Everything that he’s continuing to do, he’s doing it at a high level. It was fun to watch.”

The Huskies won last year’s meeting with Michigan 27-17, which cut the Wolverines’ series lead to 9-6.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) drops back to pass against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC hosts No. 15 Michigan in first Coliseum meeting since 1957

Posted on | by Field Level Media

All six of Southern California’s Big Ten Conference losses since joining the league last season have been by one-score margins, a streak that began in 2024 against the Trojans’ visiting opponent on Saturday, No. 15 Michigan.

The Wolverines (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) welcomed USC (4-1, 2-1) to the conference last September by scoring a 27-24 comeback win in Ann Arbor, Mich.

When Michigan visits Los Angeles for this season’s encounter, the Wolverines will see a Trojans team returning to action from a bye and one game removed from a 34-32 loss at Illinois on Sept. 27.

But although USC ran into a familiar scenario for its first loss of the season, the 2025 Trojans are not the 2024 Trojans that finished 6-6 in the regular season. The same is true for Michigan, as coach Sherrone Moore noted during his media availability.

“This is this year, not last year,” Moore said when asked of avoiding a slide similar to 2024. ” … This is a different team, I think, with a different mindset and a different focus.”

A season ago, the Wolverines’ win over the Trojans, decided on an 89-yard drive in the closing minutes, was part of a 4-1 start. Michigan went 3-4 the rest of the regular season.

Following its 24-10 win against Wisconsin last week, Michigan is again 4-1 and a winner of three straight since a 24-13 setback at Oklahoma in Week 2.

“They just adjust,” Moore said of the current Wolverines defense, which comes into Los Angeles allowing just 16.2 points per game. ” … You watch the film and they are physical. They are tenacious. They are fast. They want to hit you.”

That includes hitting opponents in the backfield, where Michigan has racked up 15 sacks — tied for 18th-most in the FBS. Jaishawn Barham, Derrick Moore and Cole Sullivan lead the way, each with multiple sacks on the season.

Generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks has turned into takeaway opportunities for the Wolverines, too, with Michigan having picked off seven passes through its first five games.

Conversely, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava went the first four contests without throwing an interception.

That streak ended at Illinois, but Maiava finished the game 30-of-43 passing for 364 yards with two touchdowns. Both scores, thrown to Makai Lemon, came during a fourth-quarter rally in which USC pulled ahead, 32-31, with 1:55 remaining.

“I’m fired up,” said Maiava of facing Michigan. Last season, Miller Moss started the game in Ann Arbor, making Saturday Maiava’s first opportunity to face the Wolverines in Michigan’s first visit to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 1957.

“Super good team we’re about to play. Can’t wait,” Maiava said.

Maiava is now 98 of 139 on the season for 1,587 yards — his 317.4 yards per game trailing only Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson at 343 — and he has thrown 11 touchdowns to the one interception.

Lemon’s 117.8 yards receiving per game, meanwhile, rank second nationally and he has hauled in five touchdown catches for a USC offense averaging 48.4 points per game, third nationally.

“There’s not too much we’ve got to adjust because of Michigan,” Lemon said following USC’s practice on Tuesday. “We’ve just got to keep doing our job, paying attention to detail, and we’ll be good.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 4, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Justice Haynes (22) rushes in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Justice Haynes runs wild as No. 20 Michigan beats Wisconsin

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Justice Haynes rushed for 117 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns as Michigan downed Wisconsin 24-10 in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon.

The Alabama transfer has reached 100 yards in each of the first five games for the No. 20 Wolverines (4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten). Bryce Underwood completed 19 of 28 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown, while Donaven McCulley made six receptions for 112 yards and a score.

Dilin Jones rushed for 63 yards and the Badgers’ lone touchdown. Hunter Simmons completed 18 of 29 passes for 177 yards, with Vinny Anthony II making nine receptions for 97 yards.

The Wolverines emerged with a 10-7 halftime advantage.

Wisconsin (2-3, 0-2) drove 75 yards after the opening kickoff to take the lead. Jones finished it off with a 5-yard run.

Michigan only needed six plays to tie the score. Haynes burst through the middle for a 43-yard gain to eventually set up his 1-yard touchdown.

The defenses then clamped down as both punters got plenty of action the remainder of the half. The Wolverines took a 10-7 lead with 5:43 left in the second quarter on Dominic Zvada’s 32-yard field goal.

Michigan controlled the ball for nearly six minutes after the second-half kickoff but came up empty as Zvada missed a 27-yard attempt.

The Wolverines extended their lead to 17-7 with 4:11 remaining in the third. Underwood hooked up with McCulley on a 33-yard pass, and two plays later, the duo connected for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Rod Moore intercepted a Simmons pass deep in Michigan territory later in the quarter. The Wolverines drove as far as the Badgers’ 28 but wound up turning the ball over on downs.

A 61-yard drive, which ended with 9:24 remaining on a Haynes 1-yard touchdown run, gave Michigan a 24-7 lead. A 25-yard pass from Underwood to McCulley was the big play on that drive.

The Badgers drove all the way to Michigan’s 5-yard line during their ensuing possession. Derrick Moore’s sack of Simmons forced them to settle for Nathanial Vakos’ 39-yard field goal.

–Field Level Media