The Jim Hackett Era will soon come to a close for the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines are expected to amplify their efforts to find a permanent athletic director this week. Hackett is the interim AD and won't be a candidate for the permanent job. That was the plan from the start for Hackett and Michigan.
"When I took this job, it was clearly as interim AD," Hackett said one month into the job.
Hackett took over for Dave Brandon at the end of October after Brandon resigned amid pressure from fans and boosters. Hackett had a short, but successful run as interim AD. He hired Jim Harbaugh as head football coach. It was move that delighted fans and was received with praise from pundits. Hackett secured an apparel contract with Nike that was the largest in the country at the time. He also extended the contract of basketball head coach John Beilein.
With Michigan moving forward in the search for a new AD, we've put together a list of the top options. With that in mind, here are the Top 4 Candidates To Replace Jim Hackett As Michigan AD:
Brad Bates, Boston College AD
Bates played football under Bo Schembechler as a walk-on, before earning a scholarship. He graduated from Michigan and Vanderbilt. He spent 10 years as the athletic director at Miami (OH), before taking the athletic director position at Boston College in 2012. Bates loves Michigan and took the Boston College AD position with the hope that it would eventually led to the gig at his alma mater.
Jeff Long, Arkansas AD
Long is best known as the chairman of the College Football Playoff committee, but has connections to Michigan. He was a graduate assistant for the football team in 1987, before taking a job in the athletic department the next season. His wife is an Ann Arbor native. He worked for the Wolverines for 11 years. He took over as the Arkansas AD in 2008 and was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year in 2013.
Warde Manuel, UConn AD
Like Bates, Manuel played under Schembechler, before a neck injury cut his career short. He worked in the Michigan athletic department for several years before taking over as the Buffalo AD in 2005. He left Buffalo for UConn in 2012. Manuel won the Athletic Director of the Year award earlier this year.
Joe Parker, Colorado State AD
Parker worked for Michigan for eight years, from 2003-11. He swam for Michigan and was an All-American. In 2011 he left for the deputy AD position at Texas Tech. He took over at Colorado State in March 2015.
Wildcard: Oliver Luck, NCAA
Luck lacks direct Michigan ties and isn't widely considered a likely option. However, Luck to Michigan does make some sense and it's why he's a wildcard. Luck was very successful as West Virginia's AD and there's no doubting his ability. Luck took a job with the NCAA in 2014, but could return to a school as an athletic director if the situation is right. He was linked to the Texas AD position both times it came open in recent years. Luck also has a strong relationship with Harbaugh. After all, Oliver's son Andrew played for Harbaugh at Stanford. That relationship with Harbaugh could help Luck get the job; if he wants it.
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