Michigan State’s athletic department has had its own shake-up, but the situation in Ann Arbor makes it look a lot more manageable by comparison.
Michigan State at least appears to have landed in a temporary landing spot. Jon Palumbo was named interim athletic director earlier this week, which felt like the most realistic outcome after J Batt left after one season for Kentucky. It’s a transition, sure, but it’s one the Spartans have at least managed to sort through for the moment.
Michigan is nowhere near that point.
On Sunday, word surfaced that Warde Manuel was out as Michigan’s athletic director, only for later reports to say it still wasn’t official. That back-and-forth only added to the sense that the problems inside Michigan’s athletic department run deeper than what’s visible on the surface. The whole thing has turned into a mess, and from the outside it looks like Michigan State’s sudden AD situation is the cleaner of the two.
The timing only made things stranger. Just a few days earlier, Manuel had signed basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. to a two-year deal and removed his interim tag after Dusty May’s NBA departure. Boynton has only one NCAA Tournament appearance on his résumé and went 51-74 in Big 12 play at Oklahoma State.
For Michigan fans, the uncertainty is the latest twist in a long-running frustration. They’ve been waiting for the day when the headline finally says “Warde Manuel officially fired,” but the conflicting reports left that hanging in the air.
And the larger picture around Michigan’s athletic department is hard to ignore. The Wolverines have celebrated both a football national title and a basketball national title, but those wins have come alongside major fallout.
Jim Harbaugh and several assistants have been investigated for a cheating scandal and banned from the sport for years. In basketball, May was accused of tampering, and the program now faces years of damage after the coaching change and the removal of Boynton’s interim tag.
That’s before getting into the off-field issues that have dogged the department, including the Jeff Jackson debacle, the Sherrone Moore scandal, and the Matt Weiss computer hacking scandal, all of which were mostly swept under the rug.
Manuel has long been a lightning rod for Michigan fans, who have wanted him gone for years despite the success on the field and the court. They’ve pointed to questionable hires and the way several scandals were handled as reasons his time should have ended long ago.
Titles matter, of course. But Michigan’s path to them has left plenty of people unimpressed.
For Michigan State fans, the silver lining is simple: whatever chaos they’re dealing with, Michigan’s could still be worse. And if Manuel is finally fired, the Wolverines’ nightmare may soon be over.
In Other News...
Tom Izzo May Have Found MSU's Frontcourt Answer Or Another March Worry
Michigan State spent the offseason reworking its frontcourt after the departures of Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, and Tom Izzo appears to have added size in response. Ethan Taylor and Anton Bonke arrive as the newest options inside, giving the Spartans a different look in a part of the roster that needed reinforcements. For a program that lives on physical play and late-season toughness, how quickly those pieces settle in could matter a lot.
Taylor is expected to be part of the rotation rather than an immediate starter, while Bonke brings the kind of traditional big-man profile that can change the feel of a game if it translates to Big Ten play. The upside is obvious: Michigan State may have found answers for a frontcourt that needed them. The concern is just as clear, because if the adjustment period drags on, the Spartans could still be searching for a true replacement when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Has Real Momentum With A Rising 4-Star Guard
Joshua Tysons path has taken a familiar route for Michigan State fans watching the recruiting board. The four-star combo guard has moved from Lakota West in Ohio to La Lumiere in Indiana, a prep program that has sent plenty of prospects toward East Lansing over the years. Tyson also recently made an unofficial visit to Michigan State, where Tom Izzo extended an offer and added another name to the long list of guards the Spartans are trying to line up for the future.
The next step is already on the calendar, and it gives Michigan State a real chance to deepen the relationship after that first visit. Tyson is planning an official trip, and the Spartans are in the thick of the race with schools like Xavier and Ohio State, which makes every impression matter a little more. There is also a useful wrinkle at La Lumiere, where Tyson will be teaming with fellow Michigan State target Kingston Thomas, giving the Spartans another layer to sell as they try to turn early momentum into a commitment. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan States Newcomers Already Bring A Real Minutes Battle For Izzo
Michigan States offseason overhaul has left Tom Izzo with a roster that looks deeper and more layered than it did a year ago, and the newcomers are already shaping the early conversation about who gets on the floor. With five new scholarship players expected to matter this season, the Spartans have a mix of freshmen and transfers who could change the rotation quickly, especially at the spots where the team needs immediate help and where the competition for roles is already crowded.
Jasiah Jervis and Carlos Medlock Jr. appear best positioned to force their way into meaningful minutes, while the rest of the class may have a longer road to regular playing time. Ethan Taylor and Julius Avent, in particular, are walking into situations where established options make every possession count, and that kind of internal battle is exactly what Izzo wants as Michigan State keeps building toward the bigger picture, including the programs long-term push to be in the mix when Detroit hosts the 2027 Final Four. [Read more 🡒]