New Michigan AD Warde Manuel was formally introduced Friday, and as part of his five-year contract, he will "receive $800,000 in base salary with $100,000 in deferred compensation per year and a one-time recruiting incentive of $250,000," according to Angelique Chengelis of the DETROIT NEWS. He will "receive $51,500 in year one from the university for retirement contribution and $25,000 in years two through five." Manuel also will "receive the use of two automobiles through the dealer-provided auto program." He said that he was "approached in early December" by Turnkey Search, which was "hired by Michigan to assist in the hiring process," to measure his interest. Manuel said, "I laughed like, 'Are you really asking me if I have interest in being the Michigan AD?' ... I said, 'Hell, yeah.' That was my response." Chengelis noted Manuel played football while at UM and in '86 was a teammate of current UM football coach Jim Harbaugh. The relationship "has been constant and they have remained friends" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/30). In Detroit, Mark Snyder noted one of the few people at the press conference "who didn’t know Manuel until recently" was UM President Mark Schlissel, "the man who selected him." But their few meetings -- "combined with the research" of Turnkey and Schissel’s own search committee -- "made Manuel an easy choice" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/30).
RENAISSANCE AD: ESPN.com's Dan Murphy noted UM's last three ADs "all came from a business background." The school this time "wanted and needed someone different." UM "went looking for someone to fill a job that has become part general manager, part administrator, part CEO and part educator." When it comes to "handling the modern athletic director’s difficult array of responsibilities, Manuel checks a lot of boxes." Most importantly, Manuel "checks the box as an experienced athletic director." He ran the Univ. at Buffalo’s athletic department "for seven years before leaving for the same position at Connecticut." He has "hired successful coaches and managed big-time personalities while not stealing their spotlight." He has been "celebrated for his fundraising efforts at UConn and defended by his coaches when asked about the Huskies’ inability to land a spot in a Power Five conference during a recent bout of realignment" (ESPN.com, 1/29).
RIGHT GUY AT THE RIGHT TIME: In Detroit, Bob Wojnowski wrote Manuel "appears to be the ideal addition, and not just because of his connections with the school." It is his "understanding of what Harbaugh is trying to do, and his willingness to be the boss without playing the boss." UM now "could be set up for sustained success." Interim AD Jim Hackett "did a superb job with his focused agenda" -- hire Harbaugh, extend basketball coach John Beilein, land a "gigantic apparel deal with Nike -- and Manuel is charged with pushing the positive momentum." That is "also known by another phrase: Don’t screw things up" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/30). In Michigan, Nick Baumgardner noted Manuel represents the first sitting AD to be hired by UM, and with the athletic department needing a "consistent leader," it "may have found its mainstay" with Manuel. The school has now had eight ADs over the past 28 years, and for the "first time in a long time, it feels like Michigan's AD might be around for more than a pit stop" (MLIVE.com, 1/31).
LEAVING ON A GOOD NOTE: Manuel on Friday told his eventual successor at UConn to "come in here and embrace UConn, embrace the fans and everything it has to offer." He added the school "deserves to be in a Power Five conference, and I hope to see that soon." In Hartford, Jeff Jacobs noted Manuel "took great pains not to insult the American Athletic Conference, which he insisted is a 'great' conference." Manuel: "I don't want anybody to take my words and say because we're not in the Power Five we're still second-class citizens. I have never approached this job that way." Jacobs wrote it is "safe to say Manuel leaves well respected and as well-liked as any athletic director." Attention now shifts to "how much of a role former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese plays as adviser" to UConn President Susan Herbst in the school's search for Manuel's replacement (HARTFORD COURANT, 1/31).
