Warde Manuel’s Michigan Exit Follows a New Sherrone Moore Report

Warde Manuel will step down as Michigan’s athletic director at the end of the 2026 calendar year. The school announced the timeline Monday, and a full search for his replacement will start soon.

The timing is not a coincidence. New details have surfaced in the ongoing saga involving former head football coach Sherrone Moore. According to reporting from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Manuel and the athletic department knew about Moore’s inappropriate relationship with staffer Paige Shiver long before it became public. That knowledge changes the story significantly.

What the Moore Report Means for Manuel

Last week, reports indicated Moore’s future at Michigan was uncertain. Now it looks like that uncertainty has a firm endpoint. Moore’s tenure is effectively over, and Manuel’s departure timeline suggests the university wants a clean break from both situations.

Michigan football has spent the last few years making headlines for reasons that have nothing to do with wins or losses. The NCAA investigation into the program’s sign-stealing operation. The off-field conduct questions surrounding former staffers. And now this — an athletic director who is stepping away after it came to light that he may have sat on information about a coach’s relationship with a subordinate.

Manuel has been a prominent figure in college athletics. He served on the College Football Playoff selection committee. He oversaw a Michigan football program that won a national championship in 2023. But that title season is now tangled up in a web of off-field controversies that refuse to fade.

What Happens Next in Ann Arbor

The AD search will be one of the most closely watched in the country. Michigan is a huge brand, and the person who steps into Manuel’s role will inherit a football program in transition, a basketball program trying to find its footing, and a department that has taken reputational hits over the last two years.

The university has not confirmed any timeline for naming a replacement beyond what Manuel announced. But with the 2026 deadline set, there’s plenty of runway. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on how much the school wants to move on from the current era.

Manuel’s legacy at Michigan is complicated now. He helped bring in recruiting wins and facility upgrades. But this Moore situation, and the question of when exactly the athletic department knew what, will follow him out the door.