The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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66 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026 T he University of Michigan is mov- ing on from embattled athletic director Warde Manuel after 11 years. Manuel, who said it was his deci- sion to step down, is a casualty of the in- vestigation into the end of the Sherrone Moore era and athletic department's cul- ture ran by Chicago-based law firm Jen- ner & Block. However, in confusing fash- ion, U-M president Domenico Grasso "asked" Manuel to stick around until the end of the calendar year. "One of the most interesting things to me of the report and the situation is that the man who is blamed for a lot of this, who obviously got told he's fired — Warde Manuel — is going to stick around in a special advisor role to implement reforms being made to the athletic de- partment that he once oversaw and was fired from," Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger said on the "College Football Enquirer" podcast. As part of his buyout, Manuel will receive more than $7 million and other perks such as golf privileges, football tickets and contributions to his retire- ment accounts. Michigan is searching for a president to replace Grasso. Once an individual is appointed to lead the university, he or she is expected to have the opportunity to hire a new athletic director. College athletics administrators al- ready have interest in the Michigan job, so there won't be any shortage of can- didates. "I can tell you already that my phone is abuzz with administrators who are, in no surprise, very interested in this posi- tion. It will be a very sought-after job," Dellenger said in an interview on Big Ten Network. WILL MICHIGAN GO OUTSIDE THE FAMILY? Going all the way back to 1898, all 13 of Michigan's athletic directors either attended or worked at U-M before being hired to the position. It would be a first for U-M to look outside of someone with ties to Ann Arbor, but this is as good of a time as any. "It's an opportunity for someone. It's an opportunity for Michigan, too," On3's Andy Staples said. "If they want to put this stuff behind them, one way to do it is just look for a completely fresh start with a bright mind who can lead you into the future. And don't put any limits on it; don't say you need to have graduated from here or you need to have worked here before." BROADEN THE HORIZONS The job of an athletic director has changed in recent years. So, the candi- date pool should look differently than it would've if U-M was searching even three years ago. Revenue sharing has en- tered the picture and changed the way departments run, creating a starvation for generating more money through sponsorships, jersey patches and more. Notre Dame's Pete Bevacqua, who took over in 2024, is a perfect example. He's an ND grad, sure, but his background doesn't resemble that of most other ath- letic directors. Bevacqua worked for the USGA, CAA Sports the PGA and, most notably, NBC, where he was chairman of NBC Sports. Taking a look at adding someone from the television world or professional sports would be wise. "We are very insulated in our world of college sports," Staples said. "I think there's a group of people in the pro leagues — in the NFL and the NBA — who actually might be better suited to run college athletic departments in this era. And we don't know most of their names, because these are usually people who are kind of not the president of the Miami Dolphins but maybe the second in command. That's the sort of person you might be wanting to look at these days." Michigan has been in the news for the right and wrong reasons over the last several years, a fact that makes Manuel's legacy complicated. Stay in a high-pro- file job for that long, and it's bound to be that way, but add in some controversy and it just adds to it. However, the next person in charge could help continue to position Michigan as one of the leaders in this new era of college athletics as more changes come. "You just find the best candidate and let that person cook," Staples added. "And I think they're in a really good spot. As bad as things have been, as many dif- ferent little scandals that they've had and big scandals that they've had — and even just the idea of just winning a bas- ketball national championship and your coach takes off for the NBA — you're still in a great position, because you have a football team capable of winning na- tional championships, you have a bas- ketball program capable of winning na- tional championships. You have what every other school would kill for. So, just cast a wide net, pick the best candidate and it's probably going to keep on rolling, I would think." ❏ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Looking For A New Leader Warde Manuel will be stepping down from his role as Michigan's athletic director at the end of the calendar year, a post he has held since January 2016. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.