Jim Harbaugh officially decided to return to the Michigan Wolverines football program in 2023 after rumors of him possibly bolting for an NFL head coaching job. Even as Michigan football fans were overjoyed by the news, many couldn’t help but notice that it was University president Santa Ono who had a phone conversation with Harbaugh, and not athletic director Warde Manuel.

In fact, things might not be sunshine and rainbows between Jim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel. The relationship between the two has become “distant“, multiple sources told Austin Meek of The Athletic.

“The relationship has grown particularly distant in recent months, two sources said, with Harbaugh and Manuel communicating mostly through intermediaries.”