Over the years, fans of the Michigan Wolverines have learned how important the president of a university can be when it comes to the success of athletic departments.
That's as true at Michigan as it is anywhere else, especially nowadays. You need alignment between the president, the athletic director, and the head coach.
The Michigan football program has that right now. It also had that, for the most part, under Jim Harbaugh. There were rumors of a cold relationship between Harbaugh and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, yet Santa Ono played a key role in keeping Harbaugh as Michigan football head coach, at least long enough for the Michigan Wolverines to win a national title.
Santa Ono leaving as president won't be great for Michigan Wolverines
Having a supportive president was a change for the Michigan football program. That's why a report of Santa Ono being a top candidate to become the next president for the University of Florida is a little worrying.
The University of Florida appears close to finding its new president.
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) May 4, 2025
The chair of the UF Presidential Search Advisory Committee has unanimously recommended Dr. Santa J. Ono, the current president of the University of Michigan, as the sole finalist for consideration to become…
Graham Hall of 247 Sports posted on X, "The chair of the UF Presidential Search Advisory Committee has unanimously recommended Dr. Santa J. Ono, the current president of the University of Michigan, as the sole finalist for consideration to become the 14th president at UF."
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg also posted about what a huge loss it would for the Michigan Wolverines.
"Would be a tough loss for Michigan athletics, as Ono is a huge sports fan and has been very supportive of the program during his tenure. Definitely would be a plus for Florida," The ESPN college football reporter posted on X.
It also wouldn't be the best timing with the NCAA investigation moving closer to an end. Ono was hired on July 13, 2022.