Typically during the summer months, college athletics is pretty slow. Sure, there is always recruiting going on, but no games, just summer workouts, and typically not a lot of news. Well, Michigan proved that theory wrong all summer long by being the center of a lot of breaking news.
It all began when head basketball coach Dusty May chose to spurn the Wolverines and take the head job with the Dallas Mavericks. Then came finding his replacement, which ended up being assistant coach Mike Boynton, who was originally only supposed to be the interim until the university gave him a full contract. Finally, news broke that Warde Manuel would be leaving Michigan at the end of the calendar year.
That is a lot of news, but when it comes to the news of Manuel leaving, it isn't much of a surprise with the scandal-ridden years Michigan has had lately. While Manuel might not have been the reason for the issues, he is the athletic director, and it falls on him.
Manuel's career probably won't be one fans look at fondly, even though he hired two National Championship-winning head coaches, but he has a chance to redeem himself a little bit by bringing back one historic rivalry.
Warde Manuel's final act at Michigan could be to bring back the Notre Dame rivalry
With all the news of the Notre Dame and USC rivalry officially back on after a year hiatus of the Trojans being too chicken to want to schedule the Irish, it had me thinking about another historic rivalry that hasn't seen the light of day in years.
Michigan-Notre Dame was a big rivalry usually played early in the season, but the two teams haven't met since 2019. It was fierce and desperately needs to be back on the field as soon as possible. While there are games scheduled between the Irish and the Wolverines in 2033 and 2034 based on a former agreement, Manuel has the opportunity to go out with a bang.
If Manuel could renew the rivalry sooner than 2033, which is still seven years away, he just might earn back a little bit of favor in the Michigan sports community. It is a rivalry that even former players on both sides, like Wolverines legend Taylor Lewan and recent Notre Dame draft pick Jeremiyah Love, want to see back on the field.
Manuel still has some time before he leaves Ann Arbor at the end of the calendar year, so he could theoretically make some adjustments to the agreement or even add some games before 2033, giving fans something to look forward to sooner.
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