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Warde Manuel updates Jim Harbaugh contract talks, staff changes and state of program
By Keith Farner
Published:
Warde Manuel gave a wide-ranging interview to reporters covering Michigan on Thursday, and shared an update on contract talks with coach Jim Harbaugh.
“Jim and I keep talking and will continue to talk — he’s in the second year of a five-year agreement, but we’ve had conversations about that,” the Michigan athletics director said, per the Detroit Free Press. “At the appropriate time, we’ll make an announcement, but he’s in a good place, he and I have had great conversations and so I feel good about where we are.”
Pressed for a timeline, Manuel said there’s nothing yet to announce.
Regarding the NCAA investigation into the circumstances surrounding the departure of former co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, Manuel said he didn’t have a comment. Weiss was fired in January after he was previously placed on leave after it was revealed police were investigating computer access crimes.
“Nope. I’m not knowledgeable about the investigation, what’s going on, so we’ll move on from there,” Manuel said. “We have a great staff and we’re looking forward to this upcoming year.”
In terms of the fallout from the Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler departure over social media activity, Manuel said Michigan would review its process and do more due diligence with a new human resources firm.
“That process is underway and being handled, and we will continue to work to make sure we dot all our I’s and cross all our T’s,” the AD said.
About the football team, Manuel acknowledged the buzz around the upcoming season.
“Oh yeah, there is, in a good way. They look at it game by game. They’re focused on the big goal, but they take it game by game and that’s what I love about Jim, the staff and these student athletes, their focus and their preparation. That’s important,” Manuel said. “The summer is an important time for them to work, have fun, but work hard in the weight room, condition and get ready for the season. Coming out of spring, it was just fun to watch them enjoy competing against each other, preparing and doing the things they need to do. There’s no complacency, and that’s something when I look at each of our teams, you feel good when they’re not saying, ‘Well, look what we did last year,’ they’re saying, ‘No, we’ve got to do something this year,’ and they’re working towards that.”
Keith Farner has written about college football for newspapers and web sites since 2005.