.png)
_edited_edited.png)
Warde Manuel ends a 76-year streak and adds his name to the Michigan Athletic Department's history books as only the third AD to hire both a Men’s Basketball and Football coach in the same year. Manuel was given this task for two completely different reasons. In football Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL after winning the national championship and in basketball Juwan Howard was let go after going 8-24 along with missing the tournament for the second straight year. The last time both coaches were hired in the same year was 1948 when athletic director Herbert Crisler hired Bennie Oosterbaan for football and Ernest McCoy for basketball.
Manuel did not have to go far to find the replacement for Harbaugh as Sherrone Moore was already inside the Michigan football building. Moore was the OC for Harbaugh in 2023 and served as interim head coach for 4 of the 6 games Harbaugh was suspended for this past season. Howard’s replacement however took a trip down to Fort Lauderdale where Manuel was able the convince Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May that Ann Arbor was the place he needed to be. Moore and May are not only taking over their programs the same year they are also replacing coaches who were former players at the university.
Manuel’s two new head men are taking over programs that could not be further apart when it comes to the state, they are in. Moore comes in as a first-time head coach and is expected to continue the successes the football program has seen over the past 3 years seasons. In all three seasons, Michigan won the Big 10 Championship, and in this past season the CFP National Championship. On the other hand, May comes in after being the head man at Florida Atlantic for the past 6 years. May is expected to rebuild a program that went from making final four runs to not even making the NIT tournament.
Talent-wise Moore inherited a lot and was able to convince most of the key players to stay after Harbaugh's departure. Unfortunately for May, his cupboard is pretty empty with most of the players entering the transfer portal after Howard’s termination. Michigan fans will need to be patient and let both coaches put their touches on the programs they now lead.
Moore and May have now become Manuel’s two biggest hires, in his tenure at Michigan. Manuel who has been facing a fanbase that has been calling for his job will need both hires to work out if he hopes to win them back. How Michigan looks back on Manuel's legacy will be tied directly to the success of the two coaches and only time will tell how successful both will end up being.
.png)
.png)
Comments