The University of Michigan has found its next president, and she’s already making one thing clear: athletics will matter in Ann Arbor.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the board of regents unanimously approved Vanderbilt provost C. Cybele Raver as the university’s 17th president.
She’ll officially take over on Dec. 1.
Raver was introduced at a ceremony in the Alexander G. Ruthven building, where regents pointed to her long résumé in higher education. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology at Yale, worked on the faculty at the University of Chicago and Cornell, and served as deputy provost at NYU before moving to Nashville.
Regent Mark Bernstein said Raver is someone who “is more than ready to be a university president,” but her arrival also comes with a real question: she has never worked at a public university, and certainly not one with the winningest football program in NCAA history.
Raver tried to answer that head-on. She said Michigan football and the broader athletic department will be priorities for her, and she framed that commitment in emphatic terms.
"I place tremendous importance on athletics − I come from the SEC, and I'm extremely excited and enthusiastic about the opportunity to lead such a powerhouse institution in the Big Ten," Raver said. "We recognize that athletics is central to that amazing winning spirit of the institution. I love the grit and the tenacity that I've seen among the football team during training camp, and I'm really excited to be able to drive that winning spirit forward."
Her first major athletics task could come quickly. Longtime athletic director Warde Manuel is scheduled to step down on Dec. 31, leaving Raver to help steer the search for his replacement. Regent Paul Brown said there could be an interim AD hired within the year while Raver and her team evaluate candidates.
Raver said she won’t come in trying to force answers before she’s heard people out. Regent Denise Ilitch said “she is a strong listener, she wants to hear everybody’s viewpoint and that will be key to her success.”
“One thing you should know … is that I love to solve complex problems by listening carefully," Raver said. “You can also expect me to take swift and decisive action after hearing the input of students, faculty, alumni and others about any given issue."
Her contract with Michigan runs five years and pays a $2 million base salary each year, according to paperwork distributed at the meeting. It also includes an annual incentive plan worth as much as 30% of her base salary if she hits performance goals that were mutually agreed upon.
Regent Sarah Hubbard previously said Raver came across in interviews as a forward-thinker, which matters as college athletics keeps changing fast. Michigan’s athletic department is projected to operate with a $297.3 million budget in 2026-27, and the school has already stacked up major recent success, becoming the only institution in the College Football Playoff era to win a national championship in both football (2024) and men's basketball (2026).
"In discussions I had with her about athletics, she was right on top of the current issues related to NIL or action before Congress or what it takes to run a really good athletics department," Hubbard said. "So I think that she'll have a good some good ideas in mind, but I don't know really what she's going to do exactly."
As for Manuel’s successor, there’s no fixed timetable yet. Raver said current president Dominico Grasso, who will remain in the role through November, already has a plan in place and “we'll see where we go from there.”
In Other News...
Michigan Freshman QB Rise Just Made The Opener More Interesting
Tommy Carrs climb up Michigans quarterback pecking order has quietly become one of the more interesting developments of camp. The true freshman has earned the QB2 job for the season opener, moving ahead of Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi after what coaches viewed as a steady spring and fall. Carrs mobility and knack for extending plays stood out, giving the Wolverines a backup option whose style adds a different layer to the offense.
Fowler-Nicolosi brought experience and a strong arm into the competition, but his late arrival to campus made the race tougher from the start, especially with Carr already building momentum. For Michigan, the backup spot matters more than just insurance - it can shape how the offense looks if the starter has to come out, and it also says plenty about how quickly Carr has earned trust. The opener should still answer the biggest questions, but this one leaves a little more intrigue than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Defense Gets A Needed Boost Ahead Of Week 1
Michigan heads into the 2026 season with a mostly clean bill of health, and that matters especially on a side of the ball that needs to set the tone early. The only major injury in camp is to freshman offensive lineman Ace Hamilton, while the defense appears to be getting some welcome stability with veteran Chris Bracy expected back in the mix and Rod Moore also slated to play as the opener approaches.
Moores return comes with a measured approach after a two-year absence, but the bigger boost may be the presence of edge rusher John Henry Daley, who is fully recovered from his Achilles injury and already working his way into the defense. Kyle Whittingham has pointed to Daleys readiness and explosiveness, the kind of development that can matter immediately for a unit looking to open the season with more depth and a little more bite. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Lost A Freshman Its Rotation Was Counting On
Brandon McCoy Jr. had already carved out a significant place in Michigans plans before the regular season even arrived, starting all three exhibition games on the Wolverines foreign tour. For a freshman expected to play a major role right away, those early reps suggested he was quickly becoming part of the rotation the staff was counting on heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
Instead, Michigan now has to move forward without him after McCoy Jr. suffered an ACL injury during the exhibition trip and will miss the entire season. The Wolverines said they will continue to share updates on his recovery as more information becomes available, but the immediate concern is clear: a young piece the program was banking on will be on the sideline just as the year begins. [Read more 🡒]