Sherrone Moore, the Michigan football coach, found himself spending the night in jail following a day of dramatic developments that saw his career unravel due to an affair with a colleague.

The 39-year-old, who is married with three children, was dismissed on Wednesday for having an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staff member. Later that day, he was arrested in connection with an alleged assault at an Ann Arbor apartment complex.

Moore remained in custody at the Washtenaw County Jail early Thursday after the incident reportedly took place on the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road.

The University of Michigan discovered proof of the relationship and promptly terminated his contract, which had been highly lucrative.

The staff member involved has not been named publicly. Moore has been married to his wife, Kelli, since 2015, and they share three children.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel stunned the college football world with his shock announcement about Moore on Wednesday. 

‘This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,’ Manuel said.

Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, pictured with wife Kelli, was taken into police custody hours after he was fired from his job as police investigated an alleged assault

Moore has been married to his wife, Kelli, since 2015. They share three daughters together. Moore was fired earlier in the day over an alleged ‘inappropriate relationship’

Moore was arrested after the alleged assault on the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road 

An anonymous source told The Athletic that the school received a tip regarding the relationship, which led to the investigation. 

That inquiry did not initially produce evidence of a relationship, but ‘additional evidence came to light in the last 24 hours that led to Moore’s dismissal.’

Moore, who went 16-8 as the head coach of the now-No. 18 Wolverines, was set to coach the team in the Citrus Bowl against the No. 13 ranked Texas Longhorns on New Years Eve.

Associate head coach Biff Poggi has been elevated to interim head coach in the wake of the firing.

Moore was hired under former head coach Jim Harbaugh – the current head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers – as the tight ends coach in 2018. He worked his way up to becoming the offensive coordinator by 2021.

In 2023, while Harbaugh was suspended in the midst of recruiting violations as well as a sign-stealing scandal, Moore served as interim head coach and led the Wolverines to victory in all four contests.

After Harbaugh left at the conclusion of Michigan’s 2023 national championship-winning season, Moore was elevated to being the full-time head coach. 

The Wolverines went 8-5 under Moore in his first season – beating fierce rivals Ohio State and winning the ReliaQuest Bowl.

This year, while they couldn’t beat Ohio State, Michigan improved to a 9-3 record. 

Moore was officially hired as Michigan’s head football coach in 2024 on a lucrative contract

Moore took over from Jim Harbaugh after he left for the Los Angeles Chargers job. Moore served as interim coach for Harbaugh amid a pair of scandals in the 2023 season.

Earlier in the season, Moore was suspended for two games after he was found to have deleted text messages sent to Connor Stallions – the former Michigan analyst at the center of the sign-stealing scandal.

Moore signed a deal in 2024 that would pay him roughly $6million per year through the 2029 season.

His buyout was listed at $13.89million, according to USA Today’s college football salary database. 

It was the second-lowest buyout among all listed Big Ten coaches – with the exception of USC and Northwestern, which are private schools and do not publicly disclose contract details.

However, due to Michigan’s move to fire Moore for cause, it’s possible they’d be off the hook for some – or all – of that buyout figure. 

The news stunned the college football world, with fans reacting in shock.

Dave Portnoy, a Michigan alum and the founder of Barstool Sports, posted, ‘On a serious note there have been a lot of schools over the years who have looked the other way with scandals. I’d just like to say I’m proud that Michigan refused to do the same.’

Earlier this season, Moore was suspended two games for his role in a sign-stealing scandal

Prior to Michigan, Moore played on the offensive line at the University of Oklahoma.

He then got his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Louisville, where he would eventually become the tight ends coach.

From there, he moved to Central Michigan for the same job. In 2017, he had the titles of associate head coach and recruiting coordinator added to his role. 

The timing of this firing couldn’t be any worse for the Wolverines – not because of the bowl game, but because of the few available coaches they could hire to replace Moore.

2025 saw a much busier-than-normal coaching carousel – with top schools hiring and firing coaches left and right.

This season, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, Penn State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and many more Division-I schools went out and hired themselves new coaches.

Now, Michigan is caught in a situation where the pool of suitable candidates who can match the ambition of this storied job is aggressively diluted. 

Barring the Wolverines going out and poaching a coach who signed an extension this season, or convincing an NFL coach to move to Ann Arbor, it’s more likely than not that Michigan is led in 2026 by someone who is not of the caliber they need.

Two possible coaches who could move to Michigan are Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer (L) and Washington’s Jedd Fisch (R)

The firing may lead to some Michigan players, like quarterback Bryce Underwood, transferring

Possible candidates include under-pressure Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and Washington head coach Jedd Fisch among others. 

It may also have a massive effect on the construction of their roster. In addition to the transfer portal opening on January 2, the NCAA allows recruits a 30-day transfer period in the wake of a coach’s firing.

Among the names to watch to enter the portal include star quarterback Bryce Underwood, who Moore flipped from LSU in 2024 before the freshman had a standout season.

Moore is the sixth football staffer hired under Harbaugh who have had run-ins with police.

Former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was charged with hacking and was accused by federal prosecutors of stealing thousands of private, intimate images of student-athletes. Weiss has pled not guilty to all 24 charges he’s facing.

Director of football operations Jim Minick and assistant coaches Denard Robinson and Greg Scruggs were arrested for alleged DUI.

Michigan’s former director of performance science, Fergus Connolly, was also arrested for DUI – but was also charged with multiple felony counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer. After being transported to a hospital, Connolly allegedly attempted to bite someone.