Sherrone Moore firing: Pete Thamel reveals 'uneasiness' on Michigan staff before announcement

Wednesday afternoon, Michigan announced it was firing head coach Sherrone Moore. Athletics director Warde Manuel confirmed the termination was with cause, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel said the situation had been brewing for some time.

During an appearance on SportsCenter Wednesday evening, Thamel said there was a sense of “uneasiness” among the Michigan coaching staff. He reported Moore was apparently acting differently, but things quieted down before ramping up in the last week.

Ultimately, Moore was fired for cause after a university investigation uncovered evidence of an alleged inappropriate relationship with a staff member. As a result, Michigan does not owe him a more than $12 million buyout, Thamel added.

“This is something that’s been percolating at Michigan for the last couple weeks,” Thamel said. “There was [an] initial flurry of speculation in the early investigation. That died down toward the end of the regular season. There had been a lot of uneasiness on the Michigan staff. Sources had told me Sherrone Moore had been acting strange, berating assistant coaches, not acting in a normal way. Things had quieted within the last couple weeks and, obviously, percolated back up within the last week.

“Look, I’ve been around this for a long time. It is rare you get a statement like the one Michigan had, being as explicit as they are, saying it was an inappropriate relationship with a staff member that led to Sherrone Moore’s firing. He would have been owed more than $12 million on the three years remaining on his initial contract. Michigan will not pay him that money after firing him for cause.”

Moore was in his second season as Michigan’s full-time head coach and led the Wolverines to a 16-8 record during that time. He missed two games this season due to a suspension stemming from a sign-stealing investigation into the program, and Biff Poggi served as the acting coach. Poggi is now the interim following Moore’s dismissal.

Moore arrived at Michigan in 2018 as tight ends coach and moved up to co-offensive coordinator in 2021. In 2023, he became the sole offensive coordinator on staff and also served as acting head coach while Harbaugh served a suspension from the Big Ten as the result of a sign-stealing scandal. Michigan went 3-0 during that time and won another game while Harbaugh served a separate suspension.

Michigan is currently making preparations for the Citrus Bowl after going 9-3 during the regular season. The Wolverines are set to take on Texas Dec. 31.