Sherrone Moore’s firing leaves Michigan and its troubled football program scrambling to find a coach

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore spent the night in jail awaiting arraignment while college football’s winningest school suddenly started searching for a new coach to lead the Wolverines.

Michigan has quite a mess on its hands.

The NCAA put the program on probation less than four months ago, stemming from a sign-stealing scandal, and athletic director Warde Manuel has said penalties will cost the department more than $30 million.

And now, the Wolverines are scrambling to find a new leader for their shaken football team.

Manuel informed the team of his decision to fire Moore on Wednesday afternoon for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

The move leaves Michigan looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.

Without a coach in place for next season, the program may lose players in the transfer portal this winter.

Moore led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.

He signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.

Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to the Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach. Moore was suspended for two games as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to the scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.

He was also suspended for the season-opening game during the 2023 national championship season as part of the the school’s self-imposed penalties for impermissible texts and calls to high school prospects during part of a pandemic-related dead period for contact with potential recruits.

Moore was arrested Wednesday night after his firing. In response to media inquiries about Moore, Pittsfield Township police issued a statement that said officers were called to investigate an alleged assault and took a person into custody without mentioning a name.

The police department said the suspect was scheduled for arraignment on Friday.

The 39-year-old Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment before he was taken into custody.