Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly named as possible Sherrone Moore replacements at Michigan

Michigan football forced Sherrone Moore to clean out his head coach’s office Wednesday. The Wolverines shockingly fired Moore following an “inappropriate relationship” with a staff member. Now, Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly have risen as immediate replacement ideas in Ann Arbor.

College football insider Pete Nakos of On3/Rivals mentioned both the USC and former LSU head coach on his hot board.

“The former Oklahoma head coach went 9-3 this season at USC. Lincoln Riley has worked to bring the Trojans back into the spotlight. He’s come close, a Pac-12 title win away from crashing the College Football Playoff in 2022. Will he be pulled away to lead Michigan?” Nakos wrote.

Riley would move from one Big Ten school to another if he were to make such a jump.

Why Michigan can look at Brian Kelly as Sherrone Moore replacement

As for Kelly, Nakos believes he’ll receive a phone call despite his controversial exit from Baton Rouge.

“The former Notre Dame head coach was fired at LSU in October. But that won’t stop Michigan from taking a look at Brian Kelly, who will be one of the top available coaches this cycle. He is 297–109–2 as a head coach and brought the Fighting Irish back to national relevance,” Najos wrote.

Kelly proved to be successful near the Great Lakes and close to Michigan — including leading one national title game appearance in South Bend.

Michigan can still look into other names, though. NBC Sports college football insider Nicole Auerbach mentioned Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer as a possibility. DeBoer does have Big Ten ties, as he was briefly Indiana’s offensive coordinator in 2019.

Former Charlotte head coach Biff Poggi will lead the Wolverines for the time being. Poggi joined the coaching staff following his 2024 dismissal from the American Athletic Conference program. Ann Arbor now opened the latest massive head coaching opportunity — with Riley and Kelly already linked.

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