The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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4 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026 THE NEXT BLUEPRINT The news that Warde Manuel will step down as Michigan's athletics director at the end of the calendar year produced the kind of wide-ranging reaction one would expect from The Fort, the mes- sage board on TheWolverine.com. Manuel's tenure was not simple to summarize. Michigan won national championships in football, men's bas- ketball and gymnastics during his time leading the athletics department, and the Wolverines remained one of the most prominent brands in college ath- letics. At the same time, the depart- ment has navigated a turbulent stretch off the field, with major leadership c h a n ge s, i nve s t i ga t i o n s, coa c h i n g turnover and constant questions about whether Michigan has moved aggres- sively enough in the new era of NIL, the transfer portal and revenue sharing. That combination made the discus- sion less about one administrator alone and more about what Michigan wants its athletics department to become next. Some posters viewed Manuel's departure as a necessary reset. Oth- ers pointed to the championships and successful hires that came during his tenure. Many landed somewhere in be- tween, acknowledging the results while arguing that Michigan's next athletics director will need to be more proactive, more modern and better equipped for the business realities now shaping col- lege sports. The conversation also came shortly after Michigan named Mike Boynton Jr. its men's basketball coach, giving fans another major decision to evalu- ate in real time. Here's a sampling of responses from The Fort. Opportunity for us to, like with our football coach, make a huge fall upward. Hopefully, politics don't get in the way of hiring the best candidate. drewdileofan69 I think it just needs to be the best candi- date, and the hire needs to be made by a per- manent president. Insider v outsider is less important than competent v incompetent. dangoldss This is a great opportunity for Michigan. Michigan has a chance to be better than ever in the new environment and needs someone leading the athletic department who will embrace the positives that are available for Michigan and not the limitations. BlueDroid3 It's funny — if Warde was proactive with NIL, maybe it extends Juwan's career a few years. Then we don't end up with Dusty and a natty. Never seen someone trip and fall into suc- cess more than that guy. DonQuixote 88 I have no idea whether he's going to have success as head coach at Michigan, but that was about as impressive an interview as you are going to hear from a head coach. No cliché coach-speak; seems genuine, has extremely specific player knowledge, is an excellent communicator, and is humble. He very much acknowledged that his ten- ure with the Pokes was not up to standard. Additionally, he didn't even take the bait when the hosts mentioned the postseason ban (that was punishment from the pre- vious regime). He did not use it as an ex- cuse, despite it being a very real obstacle. During his tenure at Oklahoma State, he al- ways had excellent defensive teams. That will certainly continue at U-M. The question will be whether he picked up the offense/ in-game management skills from Dusty or at least retained/hired the assistants who know/can teach the offensive system. The pieces are there for another DEEP tour- nament run. Best backcourt in all of college basketball, and potentially a very good/ex- cellent front court if the transfers live up to expectations. Obviously, I'm pumped about Moustapha [Thiam], but I also think JP [Estrella] was a solid pickup. I've watched the highlights of the U-M/UT Elite 8 game a bunch of times, and JP was one of only a few players who stood out for the Vols. I'll be rooting for him. GO BLUE – LET'S RUN THIS BACK!!! Hassan5TDHaskins ❱ Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters P.O. Box 2331 Durham, NC 27702 Or email: magazines@on3.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Letters/From Our Website: TheWolverine.com August 2026 • Vol. 38, No. 2 ISSN 1048-9940 TheWolverine.com Senior Editor Chris Balas Senior Writer John Borton Staff Writers Clayton Sayfie Anthony Broome Ethan McDowell Drew Hallett Contributing Editors Steven Bradley, Stu Coman, Matt Herb Cathy Jones, Chris Riffer, Steve Downey Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship, Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photo Lon Horwedel Editor & Publisher Mark Panus Business Analyst Sarah Boone Circulation Coordinator Beverly Taylor Marketing Coordinator Elena Rehberg Advertising Sales Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 Customer Service Josh Mattes, Cathy Jones, Elena Rehberg (800) 421-7751x The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $74.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. 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