Dave Portnoy needed only seconds after stepping out of the shower to react to one of the most stunning coaching firings of the 2025 college football season.
Moments after Michigan abruptly dismissed head coach Sherrone Moore “with cause, effective immediately” over what the university called an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” the Barstool Sports founder opened his phone, hit record, and delivered a raw, unfiltered response that ricocheted through Wolverine Nation.
Portnoy began his video stunned, admitting he was caught completely off guard. “Just literally got out of the shower… Sherrone Moore fired,” he said. “I feel like I know stuff. I don’t know stuff. I thought it was getting another year. I don’t even know what to speak.”
Athletic director Warde Manuel said a university investigation had uncovered “credible evidence” that Moore, 39, had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, calling it “a clear violation of university policy.”
Former staffer Biff Poggi was immediately elevated to interim head coach as the Wolverines prepare to face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on December 31.
Portnoy, however, quickly shifted from shock to a message he wanted every Michigan fan and university stakeholder to hear. “I’ll just say this, and everybody better hear it loud and clear,” he began.
“Anybody who’s part of this program, anybody who goes to this university… we don’t play for 9–3 at Michigan. We don’t play for 9–3 at Michigan.”
He doubled down, tying the moment to Michigan’s broader athletic expectations. “We play for national championships like we’re doing in basketball — number one team in the country, clear favorite to win the whole thing, like we did two years ago.”
Portnoy continued, citing the Wolverines’ run under Jim Harbaugh. “We went undefeated, won the Big Ten, won the Rose Bowl, put Nick Saban into retirement, won the national cup.” While Moore posted a solid 16–8 record in two seasons, including a 9–3 finish in 2025, Portnoy made it clear that “solid” isn’t good enough in Ann Arbor.
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