All the noise surrounding Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel got too loud to ignore, and after reports of his job being in jeopardy last week, it was reported by Pete Thamel on Monday morning that Manuel will step down at the end of 2026, the calendar year.
It's not that surprising. It was interesting to see Warde come out swinging last week in an interview with Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider. Manuel did dispute that his future was in doubt, just that it wasn't decided.
Well this week, it seems a consensus has been found. There have been people and parties who want Manuel gone, including a decent segment of the Michigan fanbase. Now, they will get their wish, although the most important thing is what's coming next?
What's next for Michigan after Warde Manuel?
The timing is interesting for sure. The fact that Manuel is going to stay until the end of the year, should remove the need for Michigan to hire an interim athletic director. This allows the school to hire a permanent president, who would then be allowed to hire the athletic director.
That's the way these things are supposed to work.
For his part, Manuel has often gotten too much of the blame and not enough of the credit. Michigan does need to improve its processes, especially when it comes to vetting hires. There were many mistakes made within the Michigan football program in that regard.
Manuel has also had difficulty keeping some of Michigan's best coaches, although the most high-profile exisits of Jim Harbaugh and Dusty May were to the NFL and the NBA.
Of course, rival fans will focus on signgate and burgergate. Those were both overblown. It's also hard to see what Manuel could have done differently with the Sherrone Moore scandal; However, the report expected to come out on the whole thing could shed a different light.
Manuel's tenure will feature three national championships, with the most significant being in football and men's basketball, along with gymnastics. However, it will be hard to ignore all the scandals that took part during his tenure, which ultimately played a role in this early exit from the Michigan AD job.
Now, the Wolverines need to get this hire right, and put all of these scandals behind them for good. Moving on from Manuel will probably help with that. At the very least, it allows for a fresh start.
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