Charlotte set to fire head coach Biff Poggi

Charlotte is set to fire head coach Biff Poggi, a source tells On3. The former Michigan associate head coach and Saint Frances Academy head coach is 3-7 in his second season with the 49ers and 6-16 in two seasons.

A key piece behind Michigan’s College Football Playoff bids in 2021 and 2022, he helped Jim Harbaugh win back-to-back Big Ten championships. He was also on Michigan’s 2016 staff. Charlotte is expected to owe Poggi a $1.3 million buyout. Tim Brewster is set to be named interim head coach.

Charlotte closes the season with Florida Atlantic and UAB, which are a combined 4-16. FAU fired head coach Tom Herman earlier Monday. Charlotte was Poggi’s first head coaching job in college football.

Any chance at bowl eligibility shut down Saturday when Charlotte lost 59-24 to South Florida. Before his stint at Michigan, he founded and led the football program at Saint Frances Academy. A former hedge fund manager, he invested significant dollars into Saint Frances and produced several top recruits.

When he took the Charlotte job, he sold Charlotte athletic director Mike Hill on his connections to Charlotte’s business sector. He also told Sports Illustrated at the time that he planned to donate $500,000 to the program.

Charlotte has struggled recently, boasting just one winning season since the program was restarted in 2013. Will Healy was 7-6 in 2019 at Charlotte, taking the program to its first bowl game. Charlotte has lost four consecutive games and is holding a team meeting Monday night to inform players of Poggi’s dismissal.

And before he was at Saint Frances, he led his alma mater, Gilman School, to 13 Maryland state titles in 19 seasons. A former Pitt and Duke football player, he also made coaching stops at Brown, Temple and The Citadel.