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Michigan’s athletic director Warde Manuel played alongside the host of The M Zone, Jamie Morris, at Michigan in the 1980s. When Manuel stepped down on Monday, Morris was one of the first people anyone wanted to hear from.
Morris spoke to WDIV Local 4 News on Tuesday after the university announced Manuel would leave his post at the end of 2026 to serve as a special adviser to President Domenico Grasso while a national AD search runs in parallel.
“We need a new president also; we need new ideas from everybody,” Morris said in the WDIV Local 4 News broadcast, per Click On Detroit. “If not going with Warde is the thing they want to do, I’m sure Warde stepped aside and said, ‘OK, we can go in another direction.'”
Morris is describing this step as two institutions moving in a new direction at the same time, with a new university president coming in needing their own AD pick.
He then went straight to explaining what Manuel actually built over the course of more than ten years in Ann Arbor.
“There’s nobody outside of Don Canham that has done what Warde has done in his career at the University of Michigan,” Morris said in the WDIV Local 4 News broadcast, per Click On Detroit. “Warde will go down as one of the great athletic directors in Michigan history.”
Don Canham is the gold standard in Michigan athletic director history. He built Michigan Stadium into the Big House, modernized Michigan’s sports marketing, and turned the athletic department into a national brand. Morris putting Manuel in that same conversation is the highest compliment a Michigan person can give.
When asked about the scandals that piled up under Manuel’s watch, including sign-stealing, the Matt Weiss federal case, and the Sherrone Moore situation, Morris zoomed out.
“This doesn’t just happen at Michigan,” Morris added. “This happens at every university. The NIL, they’ve got to get a hold of the NIL. This is bigger than Warde Manuel.”
Morris emphasized that the challenge extends beyond Michigan, framing it as an industry-wide issue. He noted that the sudden arrival of the NIL era left athletic directors navigating a landscape without an established playbook.
While Morris focused on contextualizing Manuel’s tenure, he also turned his attention to the future of the program.
Jamie Morris also named what Michigan needs in the next athletic director
Beyond defending Warde Manuel, Jamie Morris was specific about what the search should be looking for.
“It’s a business now,” Morris said in the same appearance. “You’ve got to bring in a business-conscious type of person that understands the whole NIL.”
Whoever walks into that AD office next has a lot waiting. NIL deals to manage. Revenue sharing to figure out. Players coming and going through the portal every few months.
On3 had Michigan near the top of NIL spending nationally in 2025. Keeping pace with that while building rosters in football and basketball is not a small ask.
What do you think about Jamie Morris’ verdict on Warde Manuel’s legacy at Michigan? Let us know in the comments.
