The past week and a half has been nothing short of chaotic for Michigan football. In the wake of former head coach Sherrone Moore’s arrest and firing, the university was thrust into a high-stakes coaching search at a time when stability is needed more than ever. The search has gone national - as you'd expect from a program of Michigan’s stature - but inside Schembechler Hall, there’s a growing sentiment that the answer might already be in the building.
That answer, at least in the eyes of several current players, is interim head coach Biff Poggi.
Poggi is no stranger to Ann Arbor. This is his third stint at Michigan, and his ties to the program run deep.
He first joined the Wolverines as an analyst in 2016 before returning to Baltimore to lead powerhouse St. Frances Academy, where he built one of the top high school football programs in the country.
He came back to Michigan in 2021 as associate head coach under Jim Harbaugh, a role he resumed again in 2025 before stepping into the interim head coach position following Moore’s departure.
Now, with the program at a crossroads, some players are making it clear: they believe Poggi should be the one to lead Michigan into its next chapter.
Senior tight end Marlin Klein didn’t mince words when voicing his support on Friday.
“(Poggi) just truly cares about the people in the building,” Klein said. “Not just the coaches, not just the players, but really everybody.
He cares about the janitor, and he wants to make sure that everyone’s doing good. He’s a Michigan man and he loves it here and everybody loves him.
I do believe he’s the right person for this job.”
That kind of endorsement speaks volumes - not just about Poggi’s leadership, but about the culture he’s helped foster. He’s known as a relationship-builder, someone who prioritizes connection over clout.
A coach who’s just as comfortable talking X’s and O’s as he is checking in on a staffer’s well-being. That presence has been a steadying force during a rocky transition.
Let’s be clear: Poggi’s head coaching record at the college level doesn’t jump off the page. He went 6-16 in two seasons at Charlotte before being let go in 2024.
But that hasn’t dampened the support he’s receiving from within Michigan’s locker room. In fact, it may be strengthening it.
These players aren’t focused on win-loss records from another program - they’re focused on the guy who’s been in the trenches with them, guiding them through one of the most uncertain stretches in recent memory.
Linebacker Jimmy Rolder pointed to Poggi’s communication with players and families as a major reason for the team’s continued cohesion.
“Coach Biff’s done a great job even with the parents,” Rolder said. “(The parents) are not always included in all the news and everything, but he’s done a great job reaching out to them.
He’s been on Zoom calls with them multiple times just making sure they’re up-to-date. Everyone’s just rallying around him and trusting him.”
That kind of trust doesn’t come overnight. It’s built over time - through consistency, transparency, and a genuine investment in people.
Poggi may not be the flashiest name on Michigan’s shortlist, especially with coaches like Kalen DeBoer and Kenny Dillingham reportedly in the mix. But there’s no denying the impact he’s had on the people inside the program, and that counts for something - especially during a leadership vacuum.
Whether Poggi ultimately gets the job or not remains to be seen. But if Michigan chooses to go in a different direction, keeping him on staff in some capacity could be a critical move - not just for continuity, but for culture. Because in a moment where everything could’ve unraveled, Poggi helped hold things together.
And in a place like Michigan, where tradition and relationships run deep, that kind of leadership still matters.