Has Michigan Found a Replacement for Sherrone Moore? What to Know Weeks After Football Coach's Shocking Firing

NEED TO KNOW

• Michigan Football is reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to replace fired head coach Sherrone Moore
• Whittingham is expected to join the Michigan Wolverines on Dec. 31 before their game in Orlando against the Texas Longhorns
• Moore was fired on Dec. 10 after a staff member reported their inappropriate relationship and he now faces a felony charge of third-degree home invasion, and misdemeanor charges of stalking as well as breaking and entering

Michigan Football may have found a new head coach to replace Sherrone Moore.

Less than one month after Moore, 39, was arrested on Dec. 10, hours after being fired as Michigan's head football coach after a female staffer filed a report with the school about their inappropriate relationship, the university is reportedly close to announcing his replacement.

According to the Detroit Free Press,USA Today and ESPN, sources say Michigan will bring Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham on as head coach, though no official announcements had been made by the university as of Friday afternoon. The contract is expected to be signed on Friday, Dec. 26, per the reports.

Whittingham is expected to join the Wolverines in Orlando, Fla. on Wednesday, Dec. 31 when they play the Texas Longhorns in the Citrus Bowl.

Whittingham, 66, has been coaching at the University of Utah since 2005, and is Utah's all-time leader in coaching wins.

Whittingham announced that he himself was entering the transfer portal, and meeting with other organizations on Dec. 18. He told reporters, including the Salt Lake Tribune,“I did not want to be that guy who overstayed his welcome with people saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?' "

"That was not my intention — ever," Whittingham continued. "I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that. To me, the timing was right.”

When asked if he was considering retirement, Whittingham said it was a possibility. “Who knows? We’ll see. Stepping down and [I’ll] step away and we evaluate things.”

After Moore was fired on Dec. 10, Biff Poggi stepped in as interim head coach.

Moore is now facing a felony charge of third-degree home invasion, and misdemeanor charges of stalking, as well as breaking and entering the home of the staff member with whom he allegedly had a relationship.

Heidi Sharp, the lawyer for the staff member, alleged that "Moore had a long history of domestic violence against [her client], and that he was very dangerous," according to a copy of the transcript from the complaint authorization hearing on Dec. 12 obtained by PEOPLE.

The staffer told authorities that Moore "barged" into her home with "tears in his eyes" and allegedly "grabbed two knives out of her drawer and pointed them at her, saying, 'You ruined my life. You ruined my life,'" Welker said in court.

Moore denied ever threatening the staffer or trying to take his own life, according to testimony from Detective Jessica Welker.

The former head coach has been ordered to take anger management classes, wear a GPS tether and not contact the victim.

Read the original article on People