Who is Biff Poggi, Michigan football's interim head coach

With Sherrone Moore serving a two-game suspension related to Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, it has been announced that the Wolverines will be led by interim head coach Biff Poggi in their next two matchups. Poggi will step in this Saturday when Michigan hosts Central Michigan and the following week on the road at Nebraska.

Poggi is currently the associate head coach in Ann Arbor and is the only coach on staff, other than offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, with college head coaching experience.

The 66-year-old has over 35 years of coaching experience at both the college and high school levels. Most recently, he served as head coach of the Charlotte 49ers in 2023 and 2024, where he compiled a 6-16 record. Prior to that, he was Michigan’s associate head coach under Jim Harbaugh during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

While Poggi may be more known for his unique sideline attire, he is one of the most fascinating figures in college football with an incredible life story.

After playing college football at Pittsburgh and Duke, Biff began his coaching career with assistant roles at Brown, Temple, and Citadel. In 1988 he decided to return to his hometown of Baltimore to be a volunteer coach and teach at his alma mater, Gilman School, making just $8,000 a year.

Around this time, Poggi got into hedge funds and did extremely well. He became a multimillionaire and founded his own firm, Samuel James Unlimited. However, Poggi loved ball too much to just focus on business or to relax and enjoy the rest of his life with the immense money he already made.

He continued coaching and ultimately became head coach at Gilman, and a good one at that. Over his 19 seasons as a coach at his alma mater, he led the team to 13 state championships.

This helped him get a role on Michigan’s staff in 2016, but that did not last long as he returned to the high school level the following year. He returned home once again, but this time to be head coach at Saint Frances Academy located in a rough area of Maryland. Poggi was already familiar with Saint Frances, having personally donated $60,000 in 2008 to help their struggling football program.

As head coach, Poggi made a huge impact both on and off the field. He reportedly paid for scholarships for 85 players out of his own pocket, and had his team nationally ranked as one of the top high school football programs in the country. In his first season, the team outscored their opponents 342–50, and many schools began refusing to play them.

After a four-year stint at Saint Frances, Poggi returned to Michigan and played a role in the team’s resurgence in 2021. He then went on to Charlotte before returning to Ann Arbor, which brings us to the present day.

Poggi is certainly one of the most fascinating figures in college football, and will now have a huge spotlight on him as the head man at Michigan. This will not be an easy task with the Wolverines coming off a disappointing performance against Oklahoma, and being at the helm for a tough road game at Nebraska. But given his journey, it’s a challenge I am sure Biff Poggi will embrace.

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