The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543210
MARCH 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 9 BY ANTHONY BROOME T he fallout from the firing and ar- rest of former football head coach Sherrone Moore continues to reverber- ate in Ann Arbor as the university awaits the findings of the Jenner & Block in- vestigation, which began in December following the discovery of an inappro- priate relationship with a female staff member. There was a human toll from the Moore saga, including a near-total coaching staff turnover after the hiring of Kyle Whittingham. One of the program's newest assis- tants, special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs, was hired by Moore in early December, five days prior to his dis- missal, and Coombs' future was put into question almost as quickly as he thought it was resolved. "It really didn't hit me until we got down to the [Citrus Bowl]," Coombs told Jon Jansen on the "In The Trenches" podcast. "It was like, 'You know what? You might not have a job here. You might have been a two-week wonder and be out looking for work.' But it worked out that I'm getting to stay. I'm very excited about that. And so that first month was like no month I've ever had in my career. "But now we're back to normal." A return to normalcy and stability is welcome in Ann Arbor, and the changes go to the very top. U-M announced its 16th president, Kent Syverud, an alum- nus and soon-to-be former Syracuse chancellor and president, on Jan. 12 as it reshapes its leadership. Syverud will begin his work in Ann Arbor in July, and his arrival could have a major impact on athletics. That includes athletics direc- tor Warde Manuel. Manuel has come under fire for the handling of a litany of scandals within the department over the last several years, no matter the findings in the Jen- ner & Block report. "Any personnel decisions beyond the president are the purview of the presi- dent," regent Jordan Acker told the De- troit Free Press. "Whether it's athletics, whether it's the hospital, whether it's the main campus, the new president has a wide purview and the board trusts him implicitly to make good decisions for the long-term health of the university." Syverud does not have a mandate to make any decisions upon his arrival, instead choosing to prioritize getting to know the people he would be work- ing around in the months leading up to his start. Seen as a proponent and sup- porter of athletics, he was not ready to comment on the state of the athletics department during his introduction in January. "I have not been briefed on what's go- ing on in the athletic department more than reading the things you all write," Syverud said. "But I've been responsible for a Power Four athletic department for 12 years. So, I'm certainly going to learn a lot about it in the coming months." While there is not a concrete time- ❱ Inside Michigan ATHLETICS After Moore Fallout, U-M Awaits Answers, And A New President After serving 12 years as chancellor and president of Syracuse University, Michigan alumnus Kent Syverud will begin his new role as U-M president in July. PHOTO BY SCOTT C. SODERBERG, MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY