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Tag: Michigan Wolverines football

  • Sherrone Moore jailed as police investigate situation that led to the fired Michigan coach’s arrest

    ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Sherrone Moore was being held in jail Thursday while police investigate the situation that led to his arrest hours after the once-promising coach was fired at Michigan for what the school said was an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

    Authorities have yet to release details on Moore’s arrest, other than to say he has been held since Wednesday night in the Washtenaw County Jail and remains under investigation.

    Pittsfield Township police had issued a statement that said officers were called to investigate an alleged assault and took a person into custody, without mentioning anyone by name. The statement, however, was released in response to media inquiries about Moore.

    The police department updated its statement in the morning to say the suspect is scheduled for arraignment on Friday.

    Moore, 39, was fired by Michigan, college football’s winningest program that has been mired in scandal, after the school verified evidence of his relationship with the staffer.

    Athletic director Warde Manuel said the behavior “constitutes a clear violation of university policy.”

    The announcement did not include details of the alleged relationship. Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

    His departure ends an up-and-down, two-year tenure that saw the Wolverines take a step back on the field after winning the national championship in January 2024 and getting punished by the NCAA for a sign-stealing scandal.

    Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore celebrates with kicker Dominic Zvada (96) after an extra-point kick during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

    He led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.

    Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.

    His firing leaves Michigan suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.

    Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.

    Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to the Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach. Moore was suspended for two games as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to the scandal.

    The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sideline for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.

    Moore previously deleted an entire 52-message text thread with former staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the center of the team’s sign-stealing operation. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.

    Just a few years ago, Moore was Harbaugh’s top assistant and regarded as a rising star.

    Moore, who is from Derby, Kansas, didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. He played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and as an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

    His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville before moving on to Central Michigan, where he caught Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him in 2018 as tight ends coach.

    Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, when the Wolverines bounced back from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years.

    He worked his way up within the Wolverines’ staff and filled in as interim coach for four games during the 2023 championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for potential NCAA rules violations.

    Moore also served a one-game suspension during that year related to a recruiting infractions NCAA case.

    Earlier in the 2023 season, Michigan State fired coach Mel Tucker for cause after he engaged in what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. In 2012, Arkansas fired coach Bobby Petrino due to a sordid scandal that involved a motorcycle crash, an affair with a woman who worked for him and being untruthful to his bosses.

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    Associated Press Writer Ed White contributed.

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  • Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara enters transfer portal

    Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara enters transfer portal

    ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara has entered the transfer portal, team spokesman Dave Ablauf confirmed on Monday.

    McNamara had a season-ending injury to his right knee on Sept. 17 against Connecticut, one game after J.J. McCarthy won the starting job.

    McCarthy will lead the second-ranked Wolverines against Purdue on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, needing a win to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

    Last year, McNamara helped Michigan end an eight-game losing streak to rival Ohio State and go on to win the conference championship for the first time since 2004. The third-team All-Big Ten player in 2021 threw for 2,576 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions.

    McNamara, who is from Reno, Nevada, can potentially play at another school for two seasons. He redshirted as a freshman in 2019 and the NCAA has given any student-athlete from the 2020-21 school year an extra year of eligibility.

    Coach Jim Harbaugh allowed McNamara and McCarthy to start a game this season before deciding who would be the first-string quarterback. That did not sit well with the returning starter.

    “I would definitely say it’s pretty unusual,” said McNamara, sounding surly, after a win over Colorado State in his last start. “It was kind of a thing that I wasn’t expecting. By the end of camp, I thought I had my best camp and put myself in a good position.”

    Earlier this month, McNamara posted a picture of himself in a wheelchair with a brace over a protective wrap on his right leg after being under the care of Los Angeles Rams and Dodgers team doctor Neal ElAttrache.

    “Turns out I have been dealing with a serious injury since the middle of last season,” McNamara wrote on Instagram. “Then after suffering another serious knee injury this season, my goal was to get back on the field as soon as possible. Sadly I was unable to heal properly but thanks to Dr. ElAttrache he was able help me determine exactly what I needed to do to come back the best version of myself. What lies ahead is a lot of work and rehab but I will come back better than ever!”

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  • Michigan State president: Post-game melee ‘unacceptable’

    Michigan State president: Post-game melee ‘unacceptable’

    ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan State President Samuel Stanley called actions by Spartans players involved in a postgame melee with members of rivalry Michigan’s team “unacceptable” and said Sunday those involved would be held responsible by coach Mel Tucker.

    “I’m extremely saddened by this incident and the unacceptable behavior depicted by members of our program,” Stanley said in a statement. “On behalf of Michigan State University, my heartfelt apology to the University of Michigan and the student athletes who were injured.

    “There is no provocation that could justify the behavior we are seeing on the videos. Rivalries can be intense but should never be violent.”

    The scuffle broke out in the Michigan Stadium tunnel out after fourth-ranked Wolverines beat the Spartans 29-7 Saturday night. Social media posts showed at least three Michigan State players pushing, punching and kicking Michigan’s Ja’Den McBurrows in and near a hallway that does not lead to either locker room.

    Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Saturday that a second player, who he did not identify, was also attacked and that one player was injured and might have a broken nose.

    “Two of our players were assaulted,” Harbaugh said. “I saw on the one video. 10 on one. It was pretty bad. It needs to be investigated.”

    Tucker said in a tweet Sunday that his program will cooperate with law enforcement and the Big Ten in any investigation.

    “As Spartans, our program has a responsibility to uphold the highest level of sportsmanship. While emotions were very high at the conclusion of our rivalry game at Michigan Stadium, there is no excuse for behavior that puts our team or our opponents at risk,” Tucker said. “In complete cooperation with law enforcement, the Big Ten Conference and MSU and UM leadership, we will evaluate the events in Ann Arbor and take swift and appropriate action.”

    University of Michigan Deputy Police Chief Melissa Overton said an investigation is underway in partnership with Michigan State police, and Michigan’s athletic department and football program.

    “Coach Tucker will be holding the players involved responsible, and our football team and university will be cooperating with all related investigations by law enforcement and the Big Ten Conference,” Stanley said.

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  • Wynton Marsalis joins forces with Michigan Marching Band

    Wynton Marsalis joins forces with Michigan Marching Band

    ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Wynton Marsalis has done just about everything in the world of music.

    One thing he hasn’t, however, is team up his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with a college marching band — until now.

    “I’ve never seen a jazz band like ours play with a marching band, where the actual music we’re playing is integrated into the music the band is playing,” Marsalis said during one of his many stops this week in Ann Arbor, where the Grammy and Pulitzer winner is taking part in a weeklong residency at the University of Michigan.

    On Thursday, the 60-year-old Marsalis and members of the JLCO strode onto the Michigan Marching Band’s practice field to rehearse for Saturday’s show. They’ll play during the Michigan football team’s game against Penn State at the 107,000-seat Michigan Stadium.

    The legendary trumpeter opened the rehearsal with a solo that was met with raucous applause from those who packed the field. Afterward, Marsalis was surrounded by band members and others who waited patiently to pose for a picture with him.

    The University Musical Society, a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Michigan and one of the oldest performing arts presenters in the country, brought Marsalis and his orchestra to southeast Michigan for the residency. It includes a pair of concerts at the school’s Hill Auditorium as well as masterclasses and workshops, plus a performance for K-12 students and a visit to a federal prison.

    And, of course, the halftime show at the Big House.

    “Hopefully, you are going to win the game. We know the music is going to be good,” Marsalis jabbed at Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel during a lecture and discussion earlier in the week at the Michigan Theater.

    “That’s the plan,” Manuel said.

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  • No. 5 Michigan, No. 10 Penn St meet with Big Ten, CFP stakes

    No. 5 Michigan, No. 10 Penn St meet with Big Ten, CFP stakes

    No. 10 Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at No. 5 Michigan (6-0, 2-0), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)

    Line: Michigan by 6 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

    Series record: Michigan leads 15-10.

    WHAT’S AT STAKE?

    The highly anticipated game potentially has Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff ramifications. The winner will control its fate, having the chance to win out to claim the conference championship and earn a spot in the playfoff. The loser will need some help to reach its goals.

    KEY MATCHUP

    Michigan RB Blake Corum vs. Penn State’s run defense. Corum has run for 500 yards, for nearly 6 yards per carry, and four TDs over three Big Ten games. He ranks third in FBS with 735 yards rushing, including a 19-plus yard run in every game, and second with 11 scores. Penn State is giving up just 79.6 yards rushing per game, ranking fifth in the country.

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Penn State: CB Joey Porter Jr. The son of Pittsburgh Steelers great Joey Porter was named the Big Ten’s top defensive player at midseason by The Associated Press. Porter ranks second nationally with 10 pass breakups, an impressive total because teams don’t throw his way often.

    Michigan: QB J.J. McCarthy. The sophomore is starting against a ranked team for the first time. McCarthy has completed 78% of his passes, ranking No. 1 among FBS quarterbacks. Penn State has allowed opponents to complete just 49.6% of their passes to lead the nation.

    FACTS & FIGURES

    Michigan and Penn State are meeting as top-10 teams for the first time since 1997 and third time in the series. … Penn State RBs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton are averaging a combined 153.2 rushing yards per game. … Singleton, who leads the nation with five runs of at least 40 yards, was named the Big Ten’s best first-year freshman in The Associated Press’ Big Ten midseason awards. … The Nittany Lions held Northwestern to 31 rushing yards on 28 carries. … Penn State has 11 takeaways over the last three games and leads the Big Ten with a plus-6 turnover margin. … The Wolverines are aiming for consecutive 7-0 starts for the first time since they won their first 10 games in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. … McCarthy threw for a career-high 304 yards last week at Indiana. … Michigan has 14 sacks and 21 tackles for losses over their last three games along with a total of 18 total QB hurries. … The Wolverines and top-ranked Alabama are the two FBS teams that rank among the top 10 in scoring offense and defense.

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