Tag: Warde Manuel

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel awarded chair of CFP committee

This will ruffle some feathers.

The Michigan Wolverines will have increased representation on the new 12-team College Football Playoff committee with Athletic Director Warde Manuel being named chair of the selection group.

Manuel has received a lot of flack from upset Michigan fans in the last couple of weeks for allowing Jim Harbaugh and a lot of the staff to leave for the NFL. Of course, this disappointment is at least a little misplaced. A lot of the coaches who have left this offseason simply had NFL itches to scratch, and nothing short of bank-breaking deals could keep them physically in Ann Arbor.

However, Manuel should get some credit for being at the helm of a program that lost just three games in three years, won a national title, won the Big Ten three consecutive times, and made three trips to the College Football Playoff. It has arguably been the best stretch in Michigan football history and could not have come together without high-level execution at all levels of the program.

The College Football Playoff committee took a lot of flack last season for their decision to put in one-loss Alabama over undefeated Florida State. The Noles became the first undefeated power-five conference champion to miss the playoff while Alabama would go on to lose to Michigan in the first round (in case anyone forgot). Manuel will be a key part of the decision process moving forward so it will be interesting to see if the precedent changes.

Additionally, the playoff will triple in size starting next season and include 12 teams and home games (on campus) in the first round of the playoff. In the ever-changing landscape of college football, it is always good to see Michigan have representation.

After winning a national title, the Wolverines are looking to replace a lot of lost talent and make another run at glory.

Column: Your ire for Michigan football staff losses are likely misplaced

Many are blaming the wrong person for the change in #Michigan direction.

This is not going to be a popular opinion among those looking for a scapegoat following Jim Harbaugh’s departure from Michigan football, but it needs to be said.

Jim Harbaugh told The Detroit News’ Angelique Chengelis that “there is no villain” in Ann Arbor when it comes to his leaving for the NFL. Yet, all of the ire has continued to target athletic director Warde Manuel. That’s simple, but in my view misguided.

When Harbaugh was hired in December 2014, if you had told any Michigan football fan that he’d be around for nine years and his tenure would culminate in a national championship, with three straight Big Ten Championships and concurrent wins over rival Ohio State, every single fan of the maize and blue would have taken it and wished him well, regardless of the subsequent staff plunder.

You see, this is uncharted territory for the Wolverines. In the modern era of college football, never has the program’s head coach departed of his own accord for another job. Thus, the image of Michigan as a destination job has been shattered somewhat.

But Harbaugh was going to leave — he strongly covets a Super Bowl win, and that’s becoming more evident as the days pass.

Not only did Harbaugh flirt with the NFL for three straight years, but he also departed for those same professional ranks. On Sunday, he appeared on CBS Sports and told you exactly why he left:

“I love Michigan, but I love the NFL, too,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no Lombardi Trophy in college football.”

No matter what Manuel could have offered Harbaugh, there was no matching that — figuratively, nor literally. You can argue that he could have been more proactive, but it isn’t solely up to the athletic director to meet the terms Harbaugh was asking for when it came to his contractual demands. Those goalposts kept shifting as time went on, and Harbaugh was intent on testing the NFL waters — again, obvious due to his objections to not seeking an NFL job this cycle, further evidenced by his desire to have a potential new contract start after this NFL carousel had concluded.

Since last week, we’ve seen other departures: defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert. The chances of Michigan retaining Minter, regardless of Harbaugh staying or going, were slim.

Herbert leaving isn’t as cut and dried. The Wolverines hoped to retain him and all signs pointed to that being the case. But, again, Michigan usually doesn’t have to compete against the person who hired a staff member for his retention, and the NFL is — no matter a fan’s perception — a step up in terms of career advancement. As Maize & Blue Review’s Josh Henschke and Trevor McCue point out, when Harbaugh left Stanford for the San Francisco 49ers, he took defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and strength and conditioning coach Kevin Tolbert with him. It stands to reason that in his attempt to win the Lombardi Trophy, Harbaugh would want to continue to roll with as much of the staff that helped him succeed at the college level, and it’s hard for the Wolverines to compete with that — monetarily or even personally.

Herbert’s career was rejuvenated when he came to Ann Arbor from Arkansas. His career was marred by the lack of success under Bret Bielema in his SEC tenure, and in Ann Arbor, he had not only a resurgence, but he found himself nationally celebrated. That’s rare for a college strength and conditioning coach. So then the question becomes: To whom does Herbert’s loyalty lie? To Michigan or to the man who brought him there? And if we learn he got a pay raise beyond having reportedly been the top-paid strength coach at the college level, then the rest makes sense.

At this juncture, the Sherrone Moore staff has not been set. There have been no announcements of retained coaches and the tug-of-war between Michigan and Harbaugh continues. These are certainly losses, make no mistake about it, but to blame Manuel for Harbaugh’s plunder is misguided, in our opinion.

These may be unprecedented waters for this university, but it’s par for the course in football — coaches tend to take the staff they hired when they move jobs, and there’s very little an administrator can do to change that.

Certainly, if you’re a Michigan fan, it makes sense if you have problems with Manuel. The Juwan Howard hire is looking worse as his tenure goes on. However, John Beilein’s departure for the NBA was similar to Harbaugh’s for the NFL: They had higher machinations from a career standpoint.

But Moore was the right hire for Michigan in this instance, and though there appears to be less continuity than hoped for among the staff, there is still continuity. It’s still Michigan’s best chance at pushing forward with a vision that helped the Wolverines win a national championship. When Harbaugh left Stanford, he plundered the staff pretty thoroughly, yet the Cardinal kept winning under his protege, David Shaw. Shaw led Stanford to six top 25 finishes in the seven years following Harbaugh’s departure including three top 10 finishes and one in the top five. He had three Pac-12 titles in the first five years, to boot.

So let Moore figure it out. It’s on him to recruit his staff, whether they’ve been part of Harbaugh’s crew or not. But when it comes to blaming anyone for staff members who leave to be part of Harbaugh’s NFL staff, that blame belongs more to Harbaugh than to Manuel. Even then, the Wolverines’ situation may still be just fine.

U-M president Santa J. Ono, AD Warde Manuel issue statements on Jim Harbaugh departure

Oddly, some real interesting stuff here. #GoBlue

Jim Harbaugh flirted with the NFL the past few years, and on Wednesday that flirtation turned into a full-blown marriage. Harbaugh left Michigan football for the Los Angeles Chargers post.

Upon Harbaugh’s departure, University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel issued a statement. It thanked the nine-year Wolverines coach, conveyed what he did to in an attempt to keep Harbaugh and shared how the two will work together in the days ahead to ensure the maize and blue aren’t left high and dry by his absence.

“I want to thank Jim for everything he has done for our football program, athletic department and the University of Michigan over the past nine years,” Manuel said. “Every day, he has worked extremely hard to elevate the stature of Michigan across the world, with the goal of winning championships and developing young men on and off the football field.

“Jim did exactly what he sought to do at Michigan, build our program to consistently win Big Ten Championships and compete for national championships, culminating with a record three straight outright conference titles and the national championship this year. He did the same off the field by graduating his players and providing life experiences through mentorships, internships and team trips around the globe.

“We have been discussing a new contract that would make Jim the highest paid coach in college football. In the end, he wanted to explore and ultimately decided to pursue a return to coaching in the NFL. We can’t thank Jim enough for all that he has done for our student-athletes, staff and Michigan Football. He will always be a huge part of our rich history, and will be remembered as an all-time great Wolverine, as both a championship player and coach.

“Jim has always been extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities and has been helpful with this transition in leadership. We had a great conversation tonight when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward.

“We are working quickly to hire the next head coach for the program and will do everything possible to keep this current staff and team together.

“We appreciate Jim’s dedication and passion for Michigan, the university and Ann Arbor, and I wish Jim and the entire Harbaugh family much success with the Los Angeles Chargers.”

U-M president Santa J. Ono, who had done a masterful job of keeping Harbaugh around for the 2023 season, also issued a statement, indicating it was among his highest priorities to keep Harbaugh as the head coach of the Wolverines.

“We have been in talks with Jim Harbaugh for the last several weeks and have tried our best to retain him as our football coach,” Ono said. “Jim called me today and let me know that he has made the difficult decision to leave Michigan and join the Los Angeles Chargers in pursuit of his NFL dreams.

“For the fans, the players, and for me personally, we are sad to hear of Jim’s departure. His drive and ambition turned our program around, delivered our first national championship in a quarter century and maintained Michigan as the all-time winningest team in the history of college football.

“I thank Jim for all he has done for the University of Michigan and respect his decision. He has been an extraordinary leader and a friend. I will be cheering for Jim as he embarks on this next adventure.”

The next step for Michigan football is to hire a head coach, and it appears that the Wolverines have just the man in mind.

Warde Manuel issues statement on Jim Harbaugh suspension

Perfect. #GoBlue

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After rumors swirled that Jim Harbaugh would be on the sidelines for the Penn State game, it turned out Michigan football was unable to get a ruling on the temporary restraining order.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel issued a statement on the Big Ten suspension. You can read the full thing below:

Statement from athletic director Warde Manuel on Friday’s Big Ten Decision:

“I want to make it clear at the outset of this statement that no one at the University of Michigan is happy to hear of the allegations and preliminary evidence that has come forth about in-person scouting and sign stealing by a member of our football program. No one. We, like every institution in this country, preach and educate all of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, to adhere to rules and ask questions if something is unclear.

“However, no one here, and no one at other universities around this country, wants to be convicted and penalized without due process of a complete investigation and with significant harm to our student-athletes. This is a fundamental principle of our justice, NCAA and, until yesterday, our conference systems.  Sadly, that is not what happened yesterday.

“Yesterday, under the guise of the NCAA Rule regarding Head Coach Responsibility the Big Ten decided to penalize Coach Harbaugh without knowing all the facts, and I find that completely unethical, insulting to a well-established process within the NCAA, and an assault on the rights of everyone (especially in the Big Ten) to be judged by a fair and complete investigation.  Not liking someone or another university or believing without any evidence that they knew or saying someone should have known without an investigation is not grounds to remove someone from their position before the NCAA process has reached a conclusion through a full NCAA investigative process.

“All of the Head Coaches in the Big Ten (some who have been accused of actively participating in the trading of signals of opponents) and my Big Ten AD colleagues can rejoice today that someone was “held accountable,” but they should be worried about the new standard of judgment (without complete investigation) that has been unleashed in this conference.

“You may have removed him from our sidelines today, but Jim Harbaugh is our head football coach.  We look forward to defending Jim’s right to coach our football team at the hearing on Friday.  He has instilled his pride, passion, and the team’s belief in themselves to achieve greatness.  I will continue to support Jim throughout this process, my coaches and staff, and especially our student-athletes as we continue to play this game and fight to win for Michigan and all who love us.”

Santa Ono, Warde Manuel issue joint statement on Big Ten adding Oregon, Washington

Interesting move for the Big Ten. #GoBlue

The Big Ten is continuing to make moves, suddenly adding Oregon and Washington to the conference starting in 2024. The announcement came on Friday evening.

With the move, the two former Pac-12 schools (which will still compete in the West Coast-based conference in 2023) will join USC and UCLA in joining the Big Ten.

University of Michigan president Santa J. Ono was one who voted for the two new schools which help the conference move to 18 members in 2024. He and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel commented on the move in a joint release shortly after the Big Ten’s announcement.

Full release:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Big Ten Conference unanimously voted Friday (Aug. 4) to accept the University of Oregon and the University of Washington as full members in all sponsored sports, effective in August 2024.

As the conference continues to grow and expand across the country, we are pleased to confirm this decision and extend a warm welcome to our newest members, both of which are leading research universities and members of the Association of American Universities with championship-caliber athletic programs.

We also look forward to the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California joining the conference in 2024.

Over the course of the last year, following the acceptance of UCLA and USC to the Big Ten Conference competition, administrators across our membership have engaged in thoughtful study and dialog on wide-ranging logistical questions and considerations. Those efforts, aimed at ensuring a positive student-athlete experience and fiscal stability, leave us well-prepared to make additions at this time.

As the collegiate sports landscape continues to change rapidly, we hope that you will join us in welcoming the Huskies and Ducks to the Big Ten.

Go Blue!

Santa J. Ono
President

Warde Manuel
Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics

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Jim Harbaugh throws cold water on narrative there’s a rift with him and Warde Manuel

Do you believe him? #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan football fan base has been at something of a fever pitch the past several months as the drama perpetuated, once again, of Jim Harbaugh flirting with the NFL.

The fan base, certainly egged on by some insiders who do have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening behind the scenes, put all of the blame on Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel for there being any consideration for Harbaugh to potentially depart the program, especially given the pay cut the Wolverines head coach took following the 2020 season. Last offseason played out similar to this one, with Harbaugh interviewing with NFL teams before returning to Ann Arbor, but there seemed to be little danger this year of his departure compared to last year, when it appeared he would be offered and accept the Minnesota Vikings job. Add in that Michigan appears to be quite behind most other big-name schools when it comes to name, image, and likeness via recruiting, and Manuel has become and easy target for those who bleed maize and blue.

However, on Thursday, Harbaugh refuted that there was a bristly relationship with his former teammate, noting that he feels like he and Manuel get along just fine and that they’re on the same page.

“I feel like it’s great! It’s a great relationship,” Harbaugh said. “It’s one of those narratives that seemed to be out there but I have a great relationship with Warde Manuel. He’s been great for our athletic department and our university. Nothing but good. I trust Warde, he trusts me. I mean, as far as any kind of contract situation, we don’t talk about that. I just ask, ‘Hey, do you want me here at Michigan?’ after every season.”

One of the narratives that had surfaced over the offseason was that Harbaugh and Manuel had reportedly not spoken since last spring, though it was later clarified that that was only true in official capacity, as in about contract matters and such. We witnessed Harbaugh and Manuel speaking before and after games multiple times throughout the 2022 season, so assuredly the initial report wasn’t the case.

As far as speaking in official capacity and in terms of contract extensions — Harbaugh was announced to be remaining at Michigan by new president Santa Ono, and not Manuel — Harbaugh says that it’s all par for the course. He says he surveys the administration, others in the program, and even the fan base, to determine whether or not he stays with the team.

And, he says, that’s not a new development, either.

“After every season, anywhere I’ve ever been that’s the conversation I want to have. ‘Do you still think I’m the best person to do this job?’ And then I want to know what the rest of the administration thinks. I want to know what the players want, to know what the other coaches think, I want to know what the fan base thinks. And so when that season’s over, I sit down to have that conversation with Warde and do the same with the players and assess where the fan base is. Have never been, in all the eight years I’ve been here, that’s the feedback I got. In the month of January was as good as it’s ever been for me. Players, coaches, from Warde, the administration, president and from the fan base — let’s go to 2023.”

As far as Harbaugh looking to stay or depart, especially given the two-year flirtation with the NFL and the statement of his retention only mentioning 2023 and not beyond, he reiterated what he said after the Vikings exploration: as long as Michigan will have him, this is where he will be.

“I’m here as long as Michigan wants me here. You would have had a story if I wasn’t, but I’m here. And this is where I’m going to be.”

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Jim Harbaugh, Warde Manuel address MSU players assaulting Michigan players after game

What happened was beyond unacceptable. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It appears the rivalry rhetoric out of East Lansing has finally come to a head.

Two eyewitnesses described to WolverinesWire the melee in the Michigan Stadium tunnel after Michigan football beat Michigan State, 29-7. Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh should have been all smiles, considering his team beat its in-state rival. Instead, the tenor of the postgame was of a gut-punching loss.

Harbaugh described the scene as he knew it after the game.

“Yeah, two of our players were assaulted,” Harbaugh said. “You saw the one video — the 10-on-1. It was pretty, pretty bad. I’m going to let our athletic director Warde Manuel address it with the authorities. I’d like to talk about the football game the rest of the way. Maybe Warde will come up and talk after and give more detail to it. But it was pretty open and shut.

“One of our players has a nasal injury. Could be a broken nose. Just very unfortunate.”

Manuel joined Harbaugh to discuss the incident and said the Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, as well as Ann Arbor police are involved in investigating the matter.

“What happened after the game was completely unacceptable,” Manuel said. “I’ve talked to the commissioner; he is looking into it. We have the police also looking into it because they’ve seen the video. And so they’re addressing it. We’ll leave it in their hands. But this is not how we should interact after a game. This is not the way another team should grab a player and do what they did. It’s completely and utterly unacceptable. We will let the Big Ten and law enforcement handle it, but this is not what a rivalry should be about. This is not how it should be remembered. We won on the field, this man and his team and his players went out there and won and for that to happen is unacceptable.

“That’s all I’m gonna say. I’ll leave it to Kevin and the law enforcement to handle from here on out.”

The video of the incident was disturbing. And when Harbaugh got back to the locker room, in a moment that should have been spent celebrating the win with the Paul Bunyan Trophy, instead, there was a morose feeling.

“We were addressing (the assault in the tunnel),” Harbaugh said. “Just like anybody, want to protect your players and 10-on-1, whatever it was, it was bad. I think Warde addressed it, and move on.

“It needs to be investigated and brought to a conclusion. Our athletic director will make sure that takes place.”

More details will follow as they become available.

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Juwan Howard, Warde Manuel react to Big Ten suspension news

Perfectly said.

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In the immediate aftermath of the fracas at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin, Juwan Howard was not sorry, he was not contrite. That tune has since changed.

Upon receiving the news that Howard would be suspended for the rest of the regular season and would get a $40,000 fine, he was a little more apologetic for his actions on Sunday afternoon.

Both Howard and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel released a joint statement on Monday, reacting to the news of the suspensions handed down.

Read the full release with quotes below.

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Full release

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In response to today’s (Monday, Feb. 21) release of the Big Ten Conference’s findings and subsequent disciplinary decisions for the University of Michigan men’s basketball team, U-M’s Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel and U-M’s David and Meredith Kaplan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard have released the following statements.

U-M’s Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel

“Today’s disciplinary actions underscore the seriousness with which we take the incident that unfolded on Sunday. Simply put, there is no room at U-M for the behavior we saw. We will learn from this incident as a department, work to improve ourselves while operating under a spotlight, and move forward in a positive light.”

U-M’s David and Meredith Kaplan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard

“After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many. I am truly sorry.”

“I am offering my sincerest apology to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I would like to personally apologize to Wisconsin’s Assistant Coach Joel Krabbenhoft and his family, too.”

“Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride, I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes. I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!”

Michigan News & Notes

» Michigan has fully accepted all disciplinary actions handed down from the Big Ten Conference.
» Effective immediately, Juwan Howard has been suspended for the remainder of the regular season. Prior to reinstatement, all parties will meet to make a final decision prior to the Big Ten Tournament and any postseason participation.
» The Wolverine will be led by associate head coach Phil Martelli, starting with U-M’s home game against Rutgers Feb. 23. Director of Basketball Operations Chris Hunter will have a temporary elevation to the third assistant position.
» U-M sophomore Terrance Williams II and freshman Moussa Diabate have been suspended for one game each for their involvement. Those suspensions take effect immediately.
» No further disciplinary actions or comments will be made publicly.

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Warde Manuel named to College Football Playoff selection committee

#Michigan now has a man on the inside. #GoBlue

 

Finally, Michigan football has a man on the inside.

The College Football Playoff rankings and subsequent bowl games have been at the mercy of the inclusive selection committee since the organization formed in 2014, but Michigan has not had anyone on said committee since its inception. However, on Tuesday, the College Football Playoff released that there will be a new chair taking over for Iowa athletic director Gary Barta, as well as some new committee members. Among the latter, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel was announced.

Whether that helps the Wolverines or is merely anecdotal remains to be seen, but it can’t hurt having an advocate for the maize and blue inside that room.

Full release

The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee has appointed NC State Athletics Director Boo Corrigan as selection committee chair for the 2022 football season, it was announced today by Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the CFP. Corrigan replaces Gary Barta, the athletics director at the University of Iowa, who served as chair for the past two seasons.
Hancock also announced that the Management Committee has appointed Chet Gladchuk, athletics director at the U.S. Naval Academy; Jim Grobe, longtime head coach at Ohio University, Wake Forest and Baylor; Warde Manuel, athletics director at the University of Michigan; and Kelly Whiteside, longtime sportswriter for USA Today, Sports Illustrated and Newsday, to the CFP Selection Committee.
The new members will begin three-year terms starting this spring. They will replace Barta, Paola Boivin, Charlie Cobb and Tyrone Willingham, whose terms have expired.
“Chet, Jim, Warde and Kelly will be outstanding additions to the committee as we enter our ninth season,” Hancock said. “Their expertise, knowledge and integrity, along with their love of college football, will allow them to fit right in with the returning members.”
“We are pleased that Boo will serve as chair,” Hancock added. “He was an important member of the committee last year, and in this new role he will serve as a great manager inside the room and a wonderful spokesperson to the media and fans.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed my first year on the committee,” Corrigan said. “It was a privilege to serve alongside the other members.  I’m honored to be asked to serve as committee chair and look forward to working with an outstanding group of individuals who are deeply committed to college football.”
Corrigan has served as athletics director at NC State since April 2019. During that time, the Wolfpack captured the 2021 NCAA women’s cross country national championship, the first NCAA title ever by a Wolfpack women’s team and the school’s first national title in any sport since 1983. This comes on the heels of an enormously successful 2020-21 campaign where five programs finished in the Top 4 in the nation in their respective polls. NC State finished at No. 23 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, marking the second-highest finish in school history.
Previously, Corrigan served eight years as director of athletics at West Point.  Under his leadership, Army claimed 20 Patriot League regular season or tournament championships and sent 14 teams to the NCAA postseason. Corrigan was named a 2017 Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
Before joining Army, Corrigan worked for three years in the athletic department at Duke, serving as senior associate athletics director for external affairs. Corrigan also served five years as associate athletics director for marketing at the University of Notre Dame and three years as associate athletics director for marketing at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was the assistant director of marketing at Florida State University from 1992 to 1996.
Corrigan received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Notre Dame in 1990 and earned a master’s degree in education from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013.
Gladchuk has served as Director of Athletics at the U.S. Naval Academy for the last 20 years. Gladchuk came to the Naval Academy in 2001 from the University of Houston, where he had been the Director of Athletics for four years.
Before Houston, Gladchuk led his alma mater, Boston College, as its the Director of Athletics, Intramurals and Recreation for seven years. Prior to rejoining Boston College, he served as Director of Athletics at Tulane University from 1987-90 after a 1985-87 stint as an Associate AD at Syracuse University.
Gladchuk lettered in football at Boston College and after graduating went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he began his career in intercollegiate athletics. He also had served as Director of Athletics and head football coach for the New Hampton (Prep) School in New Hampshire prior to leaving for UMass.
Grobe spent 40 years in coaching, including 20 years as head coach at Ohio University (1995-2000), Wake Forest (2001-2013) and Baylor (2016). In 13 seasons at Wake Forest, Grobe led the Demon Deacons to five of the program’s eight all-time bowl appearances at the time. In 2006, Wake Forest won a school-record 11 games and defeated Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship to capture the school’s second-ever ACC title. Grobe’s work that year earned him ACC and National Coach of the Year honors.
Prior to Wake Forest, Grobe spent six years at Ohio University, posting five consecutive winning conference records. His coaching career began in 1975 as a graduate assistant at Virginia. He then spent two seasons as head coach at Liberty High School in Bedford, Va., before returning to the college ranks as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry, Marshall and Air Force.
Grobe played middle guard and linebacker at Ferrum (Va.) Junior College and the University of Virginia, where he earned a bachelor and master’s degree.
Manuel is in his sixth year as Michigan’s Director of Athletics. Manuel returned to U-M following a nearly four-year run as director of athletics at the University of Connecticut. Prior to arriving in Connecticut, he led the athletic department at State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo from 2005-12. A graduate of U-M, where he played football under Bo Schembechler, Manuel was coordinator of U-M’s Wade H. McCree Jr. Incentive Scholarship Program from 1990 to 1993.
He subsequently worked briefly as an academic advisor and assistant athletic director for academics at Georgia Tech before returning to Ann Arbor, where he served in several roles within Michigan’s athletic department from 1996-2005, eventually becoming an associate athletic director with oversight of football, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey and operational facets of the university’s athletic department.
Manuel earned his bachelor of general studies degree with a focus in psychology in 1990, his master’s degree in social work from U-M in 1993 and an MBA from U-M’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business in 2005.
Whiteside spent 14 years at USA Today as the national college football writer and also specialized in covering the Olympics and World Cup. She has covered seven Olympic Games, nine World Cups (men’s and women’s) as well as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and multiple college sports. Whiteside was also the first female president of the Football Writers Association of America. Prior to joining USA Today, she was a reporter at Newsday and a staff writer at Sports Illustrated. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times.
Whiteside has been an Associate Professor in Sports Media and Journalism at Montclair State University since 2014 and has taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Rutgers University.
She is a graduate of Rutgers University and the Columbia Journalism School.
The CFP selection committee is responsible for selecting the top four teams in the playoff and assigning them to semifinal games, as well as ranking the other top 25 teams. The committee meets in-person beginning late in the football season and produces a ranking of the top 25 teams each week leading up to its final selections. The other returning selection committee members are Mitch Barnhart (athletics director, University of Kentucky), Tom Burman (athletics director, University of Wyoming), Boo Corrigan(athletics director, North Carolina State University), Rick George (athletics director, University of Colorado), Will Shields (former All-American offensive lineman, University of Nebraska), Gene Taylor (athletics director, Kansas State University), Joe Taylor (Vice President for Athletics and Community Wellness, Virginia Union University), John Urschel(member of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ and former All-American offensive lineman, Penn State University), Rod West (group president Entergy Corporation and former linebacker at the University of Notre Dame).
For more information on the selection committee, visit www.collegefootballplayoff.com.
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Michigan announces AD Warde Manuel contract extension

The University of Michigan is keeping its athletic director around for five more years.

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It was not only long-surmised, it was reported earlier this week that Michigan athletics was extending athletic director Warde Manuel to a contract extension, as his original contract, signed in 2016, was coming to a close.

On Thursday, that extension became a reality.

The Michigan athletic department announced Manuel has signed a five-year contract extension, which was approved by U-M president Dr. Mark Schlissel on Thursday.

Full release:

Warde Manuel, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics at the University of Michigan, has agreed to a five-year contract extension to continue leading the athletic department. The reappointment was recommended by U-M President Mark S. Schlissel and approved today (Thursday, Feb. 18) by the Board of Regents.

Manuel, who earned three degrees from U-M and competed in football and track and field as an undergraduate, sees his contract extended through June 30, 2026. The 12th athletic director in Michigan’s illustrious history, Manuel returned to U-M in 2016 following a successful tenure as the athletic director at the University of Connecticut.

“I am pleased to recommend the reappointment of Warde Manuel as the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Intercollegiate Athletics,” said Schlissel. “With the support of Mr. Manuel’s leadership as the athletic director, Michigan Athletics has excelled in the classroom and on the fields of play.”

Under Manuel’s leadership, Michigan set an athletic department record in the 2020 NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report with a four-year average GSR of 94 percent, and 15 of the 25 varsity athletic programs earned perfect GSR scores. A school-record 405 student-athletes were recognized in the 2019-20 academic year as Academic All-Big Ten, which goes to student-athletes who carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above.

In the realm of athletic competition during Manuel’s tenure as the athletic director, Michigan has won 40 team conference championships, nine individual NCAA titles, a Women’s NIT basketball championship in 2017, and national runner-up finishes in women’s cross country (2016), men’s basketball (2018) and baseball (2019).

In 2019, Michigan achieved a second-place national finish in the NACDA Director’s Cup, matching the highest ranking ever for U-M in this overall honor for collegiate athletic achievement.

Off the field, Manuel revamped the Athletic Department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, highlighted by a five-year vision around education and student-led opportunities. He has championed student-athletes’ voices and empowered student leaders in 2020 to launch the department’s initiative for unity and diversity through sport, leading to unified messages for Social Justice Awareness on all U-M uniforms. He is one of 15 U-M representatives on the Big Ten Conference Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition.

Manuel is the current president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and sits on the Collegiate Women Sports Awards board.