ANN ARBOR, Mich. – University of Michigan Athletic Director and former Wolverines defensive tackle Warde Manuel will be stepping down at the end of the 2026 calendar year.
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U-M President Domenico Grasso shared the news in a video posted online Monday morning announcing the completion of an independent review into the culture, conduct and procedures of the Athletics Department.
The investigation, launched in late 2025 by the law firm Jenner & Block, set out to examine the circumstances surrounding the conduct of former Head Football Coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired in December 2025 for having an inappropriate relationship with a former staffer.
The firm also reviewed the overall culture of the department to identify potential concerns, specifically identifying “interference, poor oversight, and failures of accountability by the highest levels of university leadership,” Grasso said. “This must change.”
Manuel, who was first hired at U-M in January 2016, played under coach Bo Schembechler from 1986-1989. Prior to being hired as the university’s athletic director, he served in the role at both Buffalo and UConn.
In recent years, in addition to overseeing the university’s national championship wins in men’s and women’s gymnastics, football, and men’s basketball, Manuel has dealt with multiple controversies within the athletics department. While he himself was not directly implicated in any scandals during his tenure, the recent investigation into the department’s culture “identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees.”
Grasso, who said Monday that he has the “deepest respect for Warde and his countless contributions to Michigan,” noted that those failures fall on the shoulders of all university leaders, not just within the athletics department.
Specifically, he said the university has “significant work ahead to restore Michigan athletics to its standing as a model program, not only on the field, but also off the field,” he said. Grasso said he asked Manuel to stay on until the end of the calendar year to serve as a special advisor to the president and help implement the reforms laid out by the university in response to the investigation’s findings.
Investigators say they interviewed nearly 300 individuals, including employees, student-athletes, and others associated with the university using a hotline to follow over 90 leads and reviewing over 20,000 records.
Grasso says he plans to launch a national search for the university’s next athletic director soon.
Watch Grasso’s full announcement below.