'I Thought That Was Lizzo': Michigan Stuns With Sudden Head Coach Replacement. The Timing Raises Even More Questions

Months of speculation about the replacement of Sherrone Moore as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines have finally ended. The team has announced Moore’s replacement for his upcoming two-game suspension, and it has shocked the fans. 

The former right-hand man and associate head coach at Charlotte, as well as the Wolverines’ head coach, Biff Poggi, has been assigned as the interim head coach. At the same time, Moore completes his suspension for weeks 3 and 4 in Central Michigan and Nebraska, respectively.

As Biff Poggi gets ready to lead the Wolverines in the upcoming games, the fans reacted to the veteran replacing Moore for the time being. A fan shared a hilarious reaction to Moore’s replacement. 

“I thought that was Lizzo.”

What Michigan’s Sudden Coaching Change Signals About The Program’s Direction

The Michigan Wolverines suffered a brutal loss against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night. Michigan’s true freshman starting quarterback and number one overall draft pick, Bryce Underwood, has been brought up due to his underwhelming performance during the game. 

Without their head coach, things could turn out to be disastrous for the team in the upcoming games. The announcement about the replacement came from Moore himself on Monday, September 8, in Ann Arbor, just two days after Michigan’s 24-13 loss against Oklahoma in Week 2. 

Despite this major setback, Moore ensured in his statement that his team would stay focused without his presence. He explained the lineup for the upcoming games and clarified that his players will be ready to perform at their best. 

“We’ll operate as a collective unit — Chip (Lindsey) will handle the offense, Wink (Martindale) will handle the defense, JB (Brown) will handle special teams, but the overall operation, Coach Poggi will stand in as interim. It’ll flow like normal. Obviously, I won’t be on the sideline and be there, but how we handle gamedays … our players, they’ll be ready to go.”

Why The Timing Of The Move Could Spark Even More Turmoil

The move to make Poggi the interim head coach is certainly a tough decision; however, it does make sense for a couple of reasons. The veteran is familiar with U-M’s gameday operations and works closely with Harbaugh. The approach for the game between the two is likely to be quite similar. 

The biggest difference, except for Moore’s absence, in the coming week is that Poggi will now be wearing the headset during the game. It wouldn’t be a major problem as the 66-year-old has worked for Michigan as an analyst in 2016. He also served as the head coach in 2021-22 before leaving the team to work for Charlotte. 

Poggi has been a collegiate-level coach for more than a decade and has more experience running a program in high school. However, it is safe to assume that the Michigans are in good hands in Moore’s absence. The fans also believe in Poggi’s vision for the team as we wait and see how the team plays under him in the upcoming games.