Report: Athletic director Warde Manuel finalizing five-year contract extension with University of Michigan
According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, athletic director Warde Manuel and the University of Michigan are close to sealing a five-year contract extension. Manuel’s current contact was due to expire in 2026.
TheWolverine.com’s Chris Balas reported Nov. 26 that Manuel was likely to be offered a long-term extension “that would put him among the highest paid athletic directors in the country.”
The University of Michigan board of regents are scheduled to hold a 3:30 p.m. ET meeting Thursday, where Manuel’s extension could be approved.
Manuel, the current chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, has been with Michigan — his alma mater, where he played football in the 1980s under the legendary Bo Schembechler — since 2016.
Manuel has had an eventful 2024 to this point. Weeks after Michigan football won the national championship Jan. 8, he saw head coach Jim Harbaugh — whose salary Manuel cut in half in 2021 — depart for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh, despite winning three Big Ten titles and 40 of his final 43 games at the helm, was not one of the top 10 highest-paid head coaches in college football at the time he departed.
Manuel promoted Sherrone Moore, previously the offensive coordinator, to head coach. Moore and Michigan are 7-5 this fall, posting Michigan’s lowest full-length regular-season win total since 2014. However, the Maize and Blue beat Ohio State, 13-10, Nov. 30 and are set to finish near the top five in the national recruiting rankings for the 2025 cycle.
Michigan’s athletic director made a leadership change with the men’s basketball program, firing Juwan Howard in March following an 8-24 season and hiring Dusty May from Florida Atlantic. Howard and fired ice hockey head coach Mel Pearson were two of Manuel’s early high-profile hires on the job.
Top 10
- 1Hot
SEC Football Schedule
Week by week schedule revealed
- 2
FSU lands transfer QB
Thomas Casterllanos commits to Noles
- 3
Rich Rodriguez
WVU expected to hire former HC
- 4New
Belichick contract
Details out on UNC deal
- 5Trending
Flag planting felony
Ohio politicians get involved
The Michigan basketball team is 7-1 and coming off a ranked win over No. 11 Wisconsin, which marked the program’s fourth victory in Madison over the last 15-plus years.
The 2023-24 year in athletics was a successful one for the Maize and Blue, who finished No. 8 overall and first in the Big Ten in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings.
The 56-year-old currently has a $1.1 million annual base salary. In addition, Manuel receives a $350,000 employer contribution to his retirement fund that is paid out June 30 of each year through 2025.
Prior to his time at Michigan, Manuel was the athletic director at Buffalo (2005-12) and Connecticut (2012-16).
