Charlotte 49ers football program has decided on a new head coach. Here’s what we know

The Charlotte 49ers have found their next head football coach in Michigan Wolverines assistant Biff Poggi, the program announced Tuesday.

Poggi, 62, will replace former head coach Will Healy, who was dismissed last month following a 15-24 record with the 49ers.

“(Poggi) is a transformational leader and has a sterling reputation as a coach, having had phenomenal success at the highest levels of college and high school football,” 49ers director of athletics Mike Hill said in a statement. “But he is much more than that. He has demonstrated it by pouring himself into young men and communities, and the results have been spectacular.”

Poggi has served as Jim Harbaugh’s assistant for the past two seasons and will remain on staff through the end of the Wolverines’ season. He has routinely been credited for playing an integral role in the undefeated Wolverines’ turnaround, especially on the recruiting trail.

Poggi will join a Charlotte program that ranked 108th and 114th in the nation in recruiting over the past two seasons. For reference, Michigan ranked 13th in in 2021 and 12th in 2022.

“Joining the Charlotte 49ers is an incredible opportunity,” Poggi said in a statement. “The great momentum created by the leadership of this university and its athletics program gives us every opportunity to build a successful pathway for so many young men in our region. For me, this is a full-circle moment, a chance to pay forward the wonderful opportunities that were given to me as a young man. We can build a championship program at Charlotte, and I can’t wait to get started.”

Poggi was successful as a high school head coach at St. Frances Academy and Gilman High School in Baltimore. He built St. Frances into a national powerhouse and led Gilman, his alma mater, to 13 state championships.

Like Healy, Poggi lacks experience as a head coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. He played at Pitt and Duke, and had early-career coaching stops at Brown, Temple and The Citadel.

Hill, the 49ers’ athletics director, spoke about paying a competitive coaching salary when joining the American Athletic Conference during his press conference following Healy’s firing.

“We’ll have conversations privately on how we might be able to fund some of those things. The other five schools that are moving to the American with us – many of them are in a similar situation. We’re joining a league where the incumbents have larger resources because they’ve been a part of a league that has much bigger payouts than we’ve had,” Hill said of remaining competitive in terms of salary.

“We’re not going to be able to jump from where we are today to the top of the league, but we’ll be competitive for sure.”

A millionaire hedge fund manager, Poggi poured in thousands of dollars into the St. Frances Academy program he helped launch in Baltimore. He even paid the salaries of his staff and underwrote housing and tuition for multiple student-athletes during his tenure.

The 49ers (2-9) conclude their season under interim head coach Pete Rossomando on Saturday against Louisiana Tech at Richardson Stadium.

This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 4:28 PM.