Manuel spent a decade at the helm of one of the most turbulent runs in Michigan athletic history. The university announced Monday that Manuel will step down as athletic director at the end of the calendar year.
Manuel, a former defensive tackle at Michigan, returned to his alma mater in January 2016 after four years running athletics at UConn. He leaves with a record that includes both significant achievements and serious controversies, according to a report by Yahoo Sports.
On the field, the results were hard to argue with for a stretch. The football program posted a combined 30-3 record over three seasons under Jim Harbaugh, including three consecutive wins over Ohio State and a 2024 College Football Playoff national title. The men's basketball program also won a national championship. Manuel drew scrutiny, however, for his decision to keep Harbaugh after the quarterback went 2-4 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
That loyalty came with consequences. Harbaugh left after the 2023 season while a sign-stealing scandal surrounded the program. The NCAA cited what it called "overwhelming evidence of such a scheme" in a 2025 report. Manuel then hired Sherrone Moore as Harbaugh's replacement, but Moore was fired for cause after the university cited an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Before Michigan, Manuel's time at UConn was defined by quick decisions made under pressure. He was hired in February 2012, just months after Pitt, West Virginia and Syracuse had all left the original Big East Conference, forcing the Huskies to navigate a shrinking landscape. Two months into the job, he also had to replace Jim Calhoun, who retired after the 2012 season following decades as one of college basketball's most recognizable coaches.
Manuel turned to Kevin Ollie, a national championship point guard at UConn who had two years of experience on Calhoun's staff. On the football side, he fired Paul Pasqualoni just four games into the program's first American Athletic Conference season in 2013, following embarrassing losses to Towson and Buffalo. He replaced him with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.
At the time Manuel left for Michigan in 2016, both hires looked solid. UConn football was coming off its first bowl game in five years, and the men's basketball program had won a national title in 2014. The team was sitting at 14-5 in 2016 with wins over Michigan, Texas and Ohio State.
Things fell apart after his departure. Diaco was fired the following year after a 3-9 season. Ollie was let go in 2018 following back-to-back losing campaigns. Manuel had also overlapped with UConn women's basketball's unprecedented run of four consecutive national championships, and the field hockey program won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2012 and 2013.
No announcement has been made about a replacement.
