ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Biff Poggi tapped on a lectern, accentuating each word, as he closed a news conference and made his case to be Michigan's football coach beyond its bowl game.
“I want to fix this program,” Poggi said Monday.
Clearly, college football's winningest program is broken.
The 18th-ranked Wolverines were shaken nearly two weeks ago when Sherrone Moore was fired as coach.
Michigan said Moore had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and two days later, he was charged with three crimes because prosecutors said he “barged his way” into the apartment of a woman with whom he had been having an affair and threatened to kill himself.
Poggi was put in charge, on an interim basis, to prepare the team to play No. 14 Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.
He wants the job beyond that.
“I'm being considered,” Poggi said. "I've had multiple interviews.
“Nobody knows what’s going to happen."
That's a fact.
Michigan hired a search firm to help it look for a new leader at a challenging time, following a coaching carousel that included Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss to lead LSU.
Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham, meanwhile, used Michigan's interest in potentially hiring him as leverage to get a raise for him and his coaching staff last weekend.
The next man to lead the maize and blue will be inheriting a mess, albeit one with upside because the school's donors are rich and generous enough to attract and retain talent in the new era of college athletics.
The NCAA put Michigan's football program on probation earlier this year, stemming from a sign-stealing scandal, and athletic director Warde Manuel has said penalties will cost the department more than $30 million.
Matt Weiss, who previously shared offensive coordinator duties with Moore at Michigan, was charged with hacking into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to find intimate images. A judge entered a not-guilty plea earlier this year for the former Baltimore Ravens and Wolverines assistant coach.
Other Michigan football coaches and staffers have been arrested in recent years, tarnishing the image of a school proud of its academic reputation and athletic excellence.
“It has been five years, let's just call it a malfunctioning organization,” Poggi said. “I know the athletic director has made very clear he doesn’t want any more of that.”
The university hired a law firm to investigate Moore's relationship with the staffer, who it said provided evidence that led to his firing, and attorneys are continuing a probe of the football 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 re-evaluated — the coaches, the analysts — everybody in the building.”
Poggi is in his fourth season at Schembechler Hall, where the team trains and the coaches have offices.
Former coach Jim Harbaugh hired Poggi, the father of a former Michigan fullback, in 2016 as an analyst and he left after one season to start a football program at a private high school in Baltimore.
Poggi returned in 2021 for a two-season stint as associate head coach before briefly getting a shot to coach Charlotte in the American Conference.
He was fired a little more than a year ago during his second season with a 6-16 record, and Moore brought him back last spring as associate head coach.
Poggi filled in for Moore this year when he was suspended for two games after breaking NCAA rules for a second time and he led the Wolverines to wins at Nebraska and against Central Michigan.
The 66-year-old Poggi was an offensive lineman at Pittsburgh, where Dan Marino and Hugh Greene were teammates, and transferred to and graduated from Duke. He was on coaching staffs at Brown, The Citadel and Temple.
Poggi became wealthy as a hedge fund manager and owns a hedge fund, which he said is run by his employees.
What has he learned in that industry that can help him coach at Michigan?
“When you’re in business, every day is game,” he said.
When the Wolverines get back on the field against the Longhorns, they will be without three key players. Edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham and offensive guard Giovanni El-Hadi have opted out of the bowl to focus on preparing for the NFL, Poggi said.
Backup quarterback Jadyn Davis plans to enter the portal next week and former signees Matt Ludwig and Bear McWhorter asked for and were granted their release from Michigan to enroll at other schools.
Bryce Underwood is waiting to see who Michigan's next coach is before he makes a decision about his future, and Poggi said he hopes the team's starting quarterback chooses to stay for his sophomore season.
“We’re focused on Texas right now,” Poggi said. "He’s focused on Texas. Have you seen any film on Texas?
"That’s what Bryce is focused on. We’re not focused on who’s going to go where next year.”
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