Biff Poggi tells signees and parents Michigan hopes to hire a coach by end of month, AP source says

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan interim football coach Biff Poggi had a Zoom call with the program's signees and their parents just hours after Sherrone Moore was fired last week, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. Poggi told the players and their parents that athletic director Warde Manuel hoped to have a new coach hired by the end of the month, said the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details from the call. Moore's firing left the No. 18 Wolverines scrambling to retain recruits and give current players reasons to stay out of the transfer portal. That's going to be quite a challenge. Michigan has begun practicing for its bowl game with Poggi and assistants, none of whom know if they will be a part of the team's staff in 2026. The Wolverines announced less than two weeks ago that 27 prospects signed commitments to play football for the maize and blue and the class was ranked No. 11 by 247Sports. Two of those players, however, asked for and were granted their release by the school. Matt Ludwig, a four-star tight end from Montana, has already switched his commitment to Texas Tech and Bear McWhorter, a three-star offensive lineman from Georgia, opened up his recruitment last week. "In light of recent events, I've made the very difficult decision to withdraw," McWhorter posted Friday on Instagram. McWhorter made his decision Monday, committing to Auburn. Moore was fired Wednesday after the school said an investigation uncovered evidence of his inappropriate relationship with a staffer. He was later jailed for two nights and charged with three crimes. While a search firm helps Michigan quickly look for a new coach, other colleges are taking advantage of the opportunity to make offers to the Wolverines' signees because they're in a 30-day window to potentially get released. "Every day that a new coach isn't in place, there's a risk in more players asking for their release and current players planning to go in the portal," Allen Trieu, 247Sports national recruiting analyst, said in a telephone interview. "Time is of essence, if the primary goal is to keep the recruiting class in place. "Those families are waiting with bated breath — as many are who are invested in Michigan football — to see who the next coach is going to be." Current players, including starting quarterback Bryce Underwood, will have a chance to enter the transfer portal between Jan. 2-16 if they don't like the direction of the program or how they fit with the new coach. "It's a very unique time," Trieu said. "You have a coaching staff, not knowing if they'll be back, preparing for a game while trying to hold onto signees and current players — and everybody is impatient."