Michigan State’s athletic department has its own uncertainty, but at least the picture is starting to come into focus. Jon Palumbo was named interim athletic director earlier this week after J Batt left for Kentucky after one season, and that at least gave Michigan State a direction, even if it’s only temporary.
Michigan, meanwhile, is still stuck in the fog.
On Sunday, word surfaced that Warde Manuel was out as Michigan’s athletic director. Then came new reporting that it wasn’t official yet.
That kind of mixed messaging only made the situation look worse, and it underscored how messy things have become in Ann Arbor. While Michigan State is moving toward the finish line on its AD change, Michigan seems to be standing at the starting line, still trying to figure out what happens next.
That uncertainty is only the latest twist in a department that has been under plenty of scrutiny. Just a few days earlier, Manuel 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 State fans, the contrast is hard to miss. They may envy the trophies, but they don’t envy the fallout.
Michigan has won a football national title and a basketball national title, but the success has come alongside a string of major problems. Jim Harbaugh and several assistants have been investigated for a cheating scandal and banned from the sport for years. May was accused of tampering after the basketball title, and the program is now dealing with the consequences of the coaching change and Boynton’s interim tag being removed.
There’s more, too. The Jeff Jackson debacle, the Sherrone Moore scandal and the Matt Weiss computer hacking scandal were all handled poorly and, in the source’s words, mostly swept under the rug.
That’s why many Michigan fans have wanted Manuel gone for years, even with the on-field and on-court success. They’ve pointed to questionable hires and a long list of scandals that have never really gone away.
Winning national titles is one thing. Winning them while leaving behind that kind of mess is another.
And for Michigan State fans, the strange comfort right now is that Michigan’s nightmare may soon be over if Manuel is fired.
In Other News...
Michigan Hit With Another Lawsuit As Warde Manuel Pressure Boils Over
The latest off-field headache for Michigan comes from former football assistant Chris Partridge, who has filed a lawsuit against the university, athletic director Warde Manuel, president Santa Ono, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and the Board of Regents. Partridge says he was wrongfully fired during the 2023 season, a move that came after he was accused of discussing the investigation with a player before being cleared, and the filing adds another legal layer to a program that has already spent months dealing with fallout from the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal and the Matt Weiss investigation.
What makes this one especially combustible is the way it keeps the pressure on Manuel at a moment when his future is already under scrutiny. The allegations in the filing have not been proven in court, but they arrive as a Michigan Board of Regents meeting is expected to address Manuels status with the university, turning what might have been a routine governance matter into another flashpoint for a department that has not had much room to breathe. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Have Every Right To Be Frustrated About Jordan Marshall
Michigans backfield did not get much national respect this offseason, with CBS Sports leaving the Wolverines off its top-10 college football running back groups. That omission is easy enough to argue with after Jordan Marshall emerged as Michigans most productive runner in 2025, leading the team in rushing yards and touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry and drawing a strong overall grade from PFF.
Marshall still enters 2026 as the clear lead option, but the picture around him is shifting. Freshman Savion Hiter adds another layer of talent to the room, and a new offensive coordinator will help shape how Michigan uses its backs, which makes the next step for Marshall and the offense worth watching even if the national rankings have already moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Have Found A Crucial Answer At Linebacker
With Michigan moving on from its top three linebackers, the spring spotlight has shifted quickly to the next wave, and Chase Taylor is right in the middle of it. The sophomore, part of the 2025 recruiting class, already saw the field in 10 games last season, and now he is being talked about as one of the players most likely to help stabilize the position as the Wolverines reshape the defense under Jay Hill.
Taylor has been grouped with Troy Bowles and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng as one of the top three linebackers on the roster this spring, which says plenty about how fast the picture is changing. For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: Taylor brings the size and athleticism coaches want in the middle of the defense, and the question now is how quickly that promise turns into a bigger role when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]