*Sigh* It's Finally Time, #FireWarde. (a wholly unoriginal take on why Michigan must move on from its AD)

[Diary-worthy. Bumped it to the top for a few days -S]

Another #FireWarde thread?  Yes.  Another post that should probably be a diary?  Yes, that too.  An early vote for the winner of TL;DR thread of the year?  Probably.  But these will probably be my last posts for awhile, so...fuck it, let it ride.  Hopefully it sticks.

My hope is that my unique perspective of college athletics administration and long history with this site, coupled with the fact that its OT season and this isn’t OT, will buy me some leeway. 

The idea for this thread was sparked by a few of my (really long posts) in THIS (https://www.mgoblog.com/mgoboard/herbert-gone?page=8) thread on Ben Herbert's departure.  With that in mind, I stopped adding to that thread because I wanted to sit with my thoughts for a little bit.  Like many of you, I was angry - more like, "fucking pissed" - and I didn't want this to be entirely a reaction of the moment.

In the eyes of many, there have been several reasons to fire Manuel over the years...so what makes this recent misstep any different?  I'll start by sharing a little about that unique perspective.

While still relatively young, I'd like to think of myself as a veteran college athletics administrator.  I have worked in college athletics my entire adult life, starting as a student intern...to this point where my title is now "Executive Associate Athletic Director" (which is just a fancy way of saying senior or executive level administrator).

I'm originally from Ann Arbor (no need to ask, Huron, but didn't graduate from there).  I do not work at Michigan, nor have I ever worked at Michigan.  I do have many friends and colleagues at Michigan.  I have also met Warde Manuel several times, going all the way back to his days at Buffalo. 

I've worked at 10(!) different colleges and universities over the years.  In THIS (https://www.mgoblog.com/mgoboard/herbert-gone?page=8) thread I talk about how college athletics administration is very linear.  Some people get lucky and they find a place they like and they're able to rise within that organization.  Others, like myself, have to move to get to the next rung on the career ladder (some of those were internships - I am intentionally not saying how many because someone in the Michigan athletic department is probably on LinkedIn trying to connect the dots, and that is not the point of this post).

In terms of conferences, my 10 can be broken down by 2 B1G, 2 ACC, 1 Big East, and 5 G5/Mid-Majors.  I've worked in departments just as big as Michigan's, and at public and private schools.

It's this experience which has allowed me to look past *some* of the frustrations that fans have had in the past.  The fact is, most people have no idea what ADs do or are supposed to do.  Some think they're GMs, others think they make every decision in an athletic department, and only few understand the climate around being an AD in 2024 (this NIL thing is wild and most aren't even close to figuring it out).

So many times Warde has been blamed for things that were:

• A. Out of his control
• B. Not part of his job responsibilities
• C. The result of unreasonable expectations 

Other times when he's been blamed, it's been absolutely warranted, but no one is going to bat 1.000.  When Warde was originally hired, I said Michigan was getting a B-level AD.  Solid, nothing groundbreaking, but certainly nothing to be ashamed of.  In fact, I compared him to Harbaugh...who at time wasn't Saban, Swinney or Meyer.  Wasn't Riley or Kelly either.

Since then, I've called him a C+/B-.  He's a C+ AD (Michigan could do a lot worse), and if you grade on a curve due to the fact that there aren't many GREAT ADs right now...a B- is fair.  Emotional people will say F, but come on, he is not an "0-12" AD.  He's a consistently 7-5/8-4 AD who never beats Ohio St. - and too many of those at Michigan will get you fired.

If you don't read much further, here is the problem with Warde.  I said he is a B-level AD...if it was 2004.  He operates at an exceptional level for a 2004 AD, we'd be lucky to have him.  To this day, he's between solid and great at the traditional "AD stuff."  Small problem though, it's 2024.

Athletics administration is moving faster than ever, for reasons I don't have to explain.  It blew past Warde 3-4 years ago and hasn't looked back.  He's antiquated.  The job description for a 2024 AD is like 15% 2004 AD and 85% something completely new.

Sidenote, this is why you are seeing a HUGE trend in college athletics with big time college ADs hiring sitting G5 ADs and making them their "#2."  Ole Miss just did it last week, hired LA Tech's AD to be the #2 at Ole Miss.  In today's world, the #2 is like your classic 2004 AD, while the 2024 AD is doing something almost entirely different.  Iowa's new AD was the AD at Ball St., she left to be the deputy at Iowa, the AD eventually retired, and now she has the top job.

Anyway, now I obviously no longer compare Warde to Harbaugh, I compare him to Brady Hoke.  Who if we're being honest, is probably a C+.  Remember no headset or long-sleeves Brady Hoke?  The guy who couldn't stop clapping and did everything as if he was replacing Gary Moeller in the 90s?  That's Warde Manuel.  Maybe not to that extreme, but it certainly paints the picture I want to paint without further explanation. 

So, why now?  Well, the past two weeks have displayed something you never want to see from ANY AD.  Regardless of the era, the last couple of weeks have been completely inexcusable.  I can look past missteps, some coaching changes, and mismanagement of "unwinnable" situations (e.g., Jim Harbaugh's constant flirting with the NFL during the best 3-year period of our lifetime), but one thing I can't overlook is...a lack of preparation.

Warde, I'm speaking directly to you.  Being prepared for outcomes is literally part of your JOB.  Preparing your staff and coaches for all possible outcomes is literally part of your JOB!  Yes, you have to lead and manage a department, and yes, you have to manage and grow a budget, and sure, you have to fundraise, build facilities, and hire/fire coaches.  But preparation is the key to success and Michigan has been unprepared for this coaching transition except for the obvious part of actually hiring Sherrone Moore.

There was always a chance that Harbaugh was going to leave.  With DeBoer and Fisch off the board, Moore was always the coach if Harbaugh left for the NFL (and probably even if they were on the board).  So why is Michigan so unprepared?

In my current role, I am the sport administrator to our Volleyball and Baseball programs.  In my career I've led the hiring process for 7 active head coaches across 4 different sports.  In my desk right now is a list of 25 volleyball coaches that I would interview tomorrow if I needed to...same for baseball.

On my computer is a checklist of exactly how I would handle the coaching transition with our student-athletes, alums, and donors.  I have already-written boilerplate press releases if we have to make a change AND more for when we hire a new coach.  I know exactly what I'm going to do every step of the way, including how I'm onboarding and setting a new coach up for success.

Why?  Because as a sport administrator, it's my damn job!  How the hell do I know when a coach is going to do something stupid and get fired or if they're going get a dream offer and leave?  I have to be ready for every situation, even if that's an impossible ask (but I can tell you from experience, it's a lot easier when you're prepared!)

Not too long ago I hired a first time head baseball coach.  Here are some things I did to set him up for success (beyond the obvious).

1. Contacted University Communications and made him go through TWO mock opening press conferences with our executive administration team acting as reporters.  Win the first impression!

2. Scheduled a series of meetings with three of our veteran coaches, so he could begin to learn what it takes to have success at our institution. 

3. Before we even offered, I made him share a list of assistant coaches he was interested in bringing on and I strongly recommended he find at least one assistant with D1 head coaching experience (kind of the Martelli thing, even though that hasn't worked out).  I vetted the list and made sure he could execute and move quicky if we offered. 

4. Got him in front of our social media team, it was important to engage and bring a new energy to the program...but I also know a first time head coach doesn't have time for all of that stuff when they're trying to move a family, build a staff, learn the roster, learn their JOB, etc. - so we got 3 weeks worth of content before we ever announced him as the next head coach.  Saves him time and keeps the positive momentum going in the background.

5. Helped him vet and hire coaches for his staff, with the goal of eliminating bias and a first time head coach's natural instinct to just go with what they know and rebuild the things that have worked for them up to this point.

...and so much more.  The point is, I was prepared, and it was a baseball search, and oh, I'm not the athletic director. 

Once again, Warde is not a GM...he can't just start hiring/retaining assistant coaches while Harbaugh is the head coach.  That is not his role, and would never happen.  However, it IS his job to set his new head coach up for success - and I believe he's failed miserably.  As soon as Sherrone was hired, there should have been a detailed plan on how to move the program forward.

Also, with Moore, money can't be an issue, not when you're saving $5M on a head coach.  But here is the thing I said earlier, Warde is antiquated.  He's clearly failed to grasp the notion of value.  Value isn't solely determined by success or merit, value in large part is determined by demand.

I'll give you an example, Erik Bakich is not the best college baseball coach in the country.  He's not.  He also hasn't had the success to warrant being the highest paid coach in college baseball. 

HOWEVER, Bakich's value to Michigan, a northern school in the B1G, with no prestigious history in baseball...is far greater than his value to say, Texas.

So unfortunately, this means you have to pay the man.  If he is the highest paid college baseball coach, so be it!  Get off the "principle" of things and make the best decision for your department.  Of course there is a limit (to salaries), but it's not "he's one of the best in the B1G, so I'm going to give him one of the best in the B1G money."

Ben Herbert was the exact same thing.  Unless he just absolutely wanted to go or unless they're paying him $4M/year...Herbert should still be at Michigan. 

Now, is it true people are leaving college sports at an alarming rate?  Absolutely.  Who knows, I might be next.  The NIL stuff and the money has gotten out of control.  Also, college athletics is a GRIND.  In many ways, much more than pro sports.  Post-COVID, people want their nights and weekends back, they want remote working opportunities, they want to see their families, and they don't want to always be working and tired.  It's only going to get worse.  We are not exempt from what the rest of the world is feeling just because we work in sports.

But again, preparedness.  This shift in society isn't a new phenomenon.  Where is your retention plan, Warde?  What are you doing to keep people at Michigan?  Not just these coaches...everyone, what are you doing that you have never done to keep people at Michigan?  Or are you just saying, "THIS IS MICHIGAN"?  How are you being proactive, considering the current climate?  Or are you just making excuses like almost every other AD out there?  What is your PLAN?

I have had multiple people at Michigan tell me that right now Warde is unprepared, reactive, and making excuses.  It's time to go.

Now Warde isn't all bad, he truly does love Michigan.  It's just time.  The same way it was time for Lloyd to step down because he couldn't stop hiring his friends while the game was passing them by, the same way Hoke had to go because he was too subborn to change or evolve.

I've shared the story many times, I was in the room when Warde told the B1G office, "fine us" when the B1G wouldn't let Michigan wear special #42 jersey patches honoring a fallen member of their community during the B1G Championship game when we played Iowa.  Saw it with my own eyes.

I know that Warde had to smooth over A LOT of damage that Dave Brandon left behind, especially with the conference office.  I know that Warde intentionally didn't go scorched earth in 2016 to defend Harbaugh because he was finally close to winning everyone over and getting things back to "The Big 2" where Michigan had say about some things (understand, at the time it was Gene Smith and everyone else...OSU ran EVERYTHING).  That was a big test to gain trust and he handled everything behind closed doors.  I know he was applauded by the most well-respected ADs on how he handled the Harbaugh post-COVID season contract situation (most ADs fold to the mob in that situation).

Warde has raised money and built buildings...and Michigan, admit it or not, is better/healthier today than it was when he arrived. 

But this nonsense post-hiring Moore was avoidable.  It has nothing to do with "era" and everything to do with doing your job and being prepared.  THAT is why this is the last straw for me.  Michigan could've had all of this ironed out with the remaining staff in 48 hours.  It's understandable that Moore hasn't filled the vacant positions (LB coach, Minter, and JayBaugh were always gone).  You have to interview new candidates for those roles, but Herbert, Elston, (maybe Clink)...these guys were already on the team!!  There could've been a whole "Those Who Stay" social media campaign for the returning coaches (celebrating their return to Michigan), we lost the moment and the momentum. 

So, the time has come, the industry came and went, and quite frankly, Warde is lucky he got a championship out of it.  It is clear, Warde was a solid AD for the past, but he is *NOT* the person that is going to lead Michigan into the future.  The thing he signed up for is not the the thing is oversees today, and we aren't going back - and for all of these reasons, #FireWarde.

 

Go Blue!