Day: July 20, 2026

I can already smell the freshly cut grass. I can hear the players’ barks, grunts and screams of excitement. I can feel the August sun. Training camp is almost here. Which means football season is almost here. And, man, what an offseason it has been. So before we look ahead to the 2026 season, let’s make sure we take stock of the offseason, which will inform what comes next. I’ve been on paternity leave, and I can’t wait to hit on a few controversies and blockbuster trades. There’s nothing better. This is “Sound Smart,” where I try to spin forward, dive deeper and think outside the box. If I do my job, you’ll have a better understanding of what really happened during the NFL offseason. When it comes to Jalen Hurts, there might not be a quarterback who says less but who is discussed more. Hurts is actually the personification of a handful of clichés about football players. For example: He lets his play do the talking. Here’s another one: All he wants to do is win. That’s the personified cliché that interested me most as the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2025 season wound down. Ironically, in a league that values winning above all else, Hurts’ obsession with winning is what makes him polarizing. His at-times unorthodox playing style makes for a nontraditional path to victory. It’s also possible that distinctive playing style is what led star receiver A.J. Brown to leave Philly. But Hurts does win — quite often. He has won 69.5% of his games as a starter, ninth-best all time (among QBs with at least 70 starts). It’s just a hair below Peyton Manning (70.2%) and it’s better than Aaron Rodgers’ mark (63.6%). You’d think that’s the type of statistic that implies greatness. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’d call Hurts “elite.” There’s the crowd that doesn’t think wins are a quarterback stat. To some degree, I’m with them. Football is a team game. When a team loses, the blame unfairly falls on the quarterback. And when a team wins, the praise overwhelmingly lands on the QB. Roughly five years ago, it felt like wins were an overly common metric to measure a QB’s success. And yes, again, that was unfair. But there are exceptions to the rule. Hurts might just be one of them. “I think it’s convenient,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told me in April when I asked about how to assess Hurts’ winning percentage. “It’s convenient to say that wins matter for this particular player. And then sometimes we forget about that [and say wins don’t matter]. I think wins for a quarterback is huge. And I think what you’ve seen with Jalen is he’s won every different way we’ve asked him to, and I think that’s what I admire about him.” Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the perfect example of a player whose wins are a clear reflection of his success. During the Chiefs’ incredible Super Bowl run, five title games in six seasons, Mahomes was widely considered the best QB in the NFL, even when his statistics were average at best. Because he was winning. The longer he did it, the more those wins became a part of his legacy. And yet the same isn’t true of Hurts. In my conversation with Sirianni, I bought up Tom Brady, who spent most of his early career with the New England Patriots dealing with criticism that he was a game manager and a system quarterback — even after winning three Super Bowls. At many different points in his career, Brady sacrificed his individual statistics for team success. When the Patriots lost, it made the criticism of Brady even louder. That must sound familiar to the Eagles. “That’s what I’m saying,” Sirianni told me. “What’s bizarre is like, we look at these stats and put a player’s worth on it. Like, ‘Oh, he threw for a lot of touchdowns.’ Well, you know what? When we get down in the red zone to win the game, we run it, and when we get real close, the quarterback sneaks it in. So maybe he doesn’t have as many touchdown passes. And that affects your passing efficiency [and passer rating]. “What does that matter when you’re scoring the touchdown? That’s the ultimate goal there, and I’m really thankful to have a quarterback that’s like that.” Now, of course, Brady has seven Super Bowl wins and Mahomes has three. Hurts has one. And maybe those numbers — alone — explain why he gets different treatment, despite having a similar mentality to Brady and Mahomes. Hurts has dealt with plenty of criticism following the team’s defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round of last season’s playoffs. Infamously, we now know Hurts asked his coaches to let him run four-verts on the team’s final offensive play from scrimmage, where he threw an incompletion. He called his shot, which included a play that is as simple as plays come, and it didn’t work. He took the blame publicly. “They played a cover-four structure,” Hurts told reporters, saying that was the expected coverage. “I just didn’t make the play. I own it. I own it all.” But the Eagles’ struggles led to the trade of their star receiver, Brown. The Eagles also fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Philly’s issues have also triggered speculation that maybe the Eagles could move on from Hurts — not this offseason but perhaps in 2027, particularly following an ESPN report in April that the QB is not always receptive to coaching. I, for one, thought the anecdotes in the story showed Hurts’ strong-willed leadership style, the type that generates respect for Rodgers. In this case of comparison, Rodgers has one Super Bowl victory, just like Hurts. The key difference is that Rodgers’ physical tools in his prime (particularly as a thrower) were undeniable. Hurts’ arm can’t compare to Rodgers. One year after Hurts’ Super Bowl win and Super Bowl MVP, he is among the league’s most polarizing quarterbacks. Pull up the lowlights and you’ll see a QB who struggles to optimize an offense with some of the league’s best skill players. Pull up the highlights and you’ll see a guy who just finds a way while blending his rare mobility and throwing abilities. “He’ll do whatever he needs to do,” Sirianni told me. “Every quarterback wants to throw it, but there’s times where he knows that the best thing for us to win the game is to hand it off or to run it. And that’s what you admire about him, because all he really cares about at the end of the day is getting the win. And I love that about him.” Sirianni added: “When your best players play that way and live that way, that sets the table for the entire football team.” When I asked Sirianni for examples of Hurts’ will to win, he picked neither the highest highs nor the lowest lows. He picked a pair of games I didn’t expect. First, he brought up Philadelphia’s 38-7 win over the New York Giants in the divisional round of the 2022 playoffs, when Hurts was 16-of-24 for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 34 yards and another touchdown. Even if you look at the advanced statistics, you won’t come away marveling at what Hurts did. The Giants blitzed on 53.8% of his dropbacks, and he managed the game and avoided mistakes. But this was a game Sirianni brought up to exemplify Hurts’ winning mindset. He quietly played his role in a massive blowout that set off a run to the Super Bowl (where the Eagles lost to the Chiefs). Then, Sirianni brought up another playoff game — this time from 2024 during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning run. Hurts was 13-of-21 for 131 yards and two touchdowns with 36 rushing yards. Again, ho-hum. But the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 22-10 in the wild-card round. “We didn’t throw for a bunch of yards. We didn’t play great on offense,” Sirianni told me. “All Jalen wanted to do is win that game and move on. And we ended up doing the most ultimate thing [by winning the Super Bowl]. And so he’s a stud. I can’t say enough good things about it.” The Eagles are not necessarily rebuilding this year, but without Brown, they might not be the same juggernaut. Hurts will have to do more, and with his sixth offensive coordinator in his seventh NFL season. Hurts will have to contribute in bigger — and perhaps unorthodox — ways. And you can bet that the success of his season will be measured one way — above all others. It’ll be the Eagles’ win total. Hurts’ win total. That’s all that matters to him. And you’re kidding yourself if you don’t admit it’s what really matters. I haven’t yet seen the “Dream Team” expression bopping around. And even though it’s something of a curse, it’s also fairly accurate when looking at what the Rams have assembled. These are The Avengers. Iron Man: Matthew StaffordBlack Panther: Myles GarrettCaptain America: Kyren WilliamsFalcon: Blake CorumDoctor Strange: Sean McVaySpider-Man: Puka NacuaVision: Davante AdamsThor: Alaric JacksonLoki: Trent McDuffieWar Machine: Kevin Dotson Now, I know you’re wondering … who’s The Hulk? Or maybe you already know: Aaron Donald. This team was a play away from making the Super Bowl last year. And so L.A. responded by adding two of the league’s most outstanding players: record-setting edge rusher Garrett and All-Pro cornerback McDuffie. They might just add their third in Donald, one of the best defensive linemen ever. He was spotted working out at the Rams’ facility after the team added Garrett. Donald reportedly wanted to do a trial run on his body after two seasons in retirement. If (and maybe when) Donald returns, the Rams could quickly form the most unblockable defensive line since the turn of the millennium. Because nose tackle Poona Ford might not be a household name, but he was the team’s top-rated defensive player in 2026, per PFF. He’s incredibly reliable despite his humble stats: 47 tackles and two sacks. It has long been a curse to throw around “Dream Team.” And I wouldn’t dare. But … also … how could you not?! It has stuck with me that, in the A.J. Brown trade, the Eagles received a 2028 first-round pick. When they make that selection, the country will be talking about the next presidential election. We’ll be about ready to watch the L.A. Olympics. And NASA will have sent someone back to the moon for the first time since the 1970s. In other words, that feels a long way away. When the teams began seriously talking about the deal at the NFL Combine in February, the pick was three drafts away. So not only did the Eagles decide they were OK with bypassing the 2026 pick (in large part because of the financial incentives for waiting until June 1 to split up Brown’s salary cap hit), but Philly also accepted that it wouldn’t get a 2027 first-rounder either. Nominally, the compensation looked like a win for the Eagles: a first-rounder. But it’s not so clear-cut, given how long they’ll have to wait to get paid (so to speak). Yes, they’ll also got a 2027 fifth-rounder, but if Eagles GM Howie Roseman converts that pick into a starter, then it’ll be his best fifth-round selection … ever. It’s not an area of the draft where Roseman has thrived. The point is, this deal looked typical on paper: an (aging) star receiver for a first-rounder. But I think it’s much more unusual than you’d think. In fact, I can’t think of a deal over the past few years that (effectively) deferred payment quite like this one. “We’ve always been in the mindset a pick is a pick — a first-round pick is a first-round pick. Doesn’t matter. Teams are still going to be playing football in 2028,” Roseman said last month after the trade. “I know there’s a lot of attention on the 2027 draft, but at the same time, looking at the ‘28 draft, I feel confident that that’s going to be a good draft as well, and that we’ll be in position to really improve our football team.” That helps explain, at least partially, why the Patriots were happy to defer payment — and give up that 2028 pick. This year, they’re all-in on the core they’ve built around Mike Vrabel. In free agency, New England snagged receiver Romeo Doubs, guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones and safety Kevin Byard to serve as starters. The Patriots have actually upgraded their Super Bowl roster, which suffered only a few key departures, like receiver Stefon Diggs, DT Khyris Tonga, edge K’Lavon Chaisson — most of whom the team promptly replaced. Next year’s draft class is about as hyped as draft classes get, loaded with elite quarterback and receiver prospects. (Yes, the Patriots already have their quarterback. But if five quarterbacks go before the Patriots make their pick, that means the prospect that slides to them is that much better.) New England was smart to hold onto that selection. The Patriots want to stack their roster as they build around Drake Maye. But they also want to build a young core, which was sorely lacking following the departures of coaches Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo. “We have to win. That’s our job, is to win,” Vrabel said following the trade when asked about the first-round pick — and whether his team is in win-now mode. This deal is a major investment in the Patriots now. It’s also more of a coup for New England than people realize. It’s possible that Brown isn’t on the Eagles in 2028 when the team makes the Patriots’ first-round selection. But that won’t necessarily mean that the Patriots didn’t win the trade. What happened here? The NFL players ranked their peers this offseason, and Jackson fell from No. 2 to 69th in the “NFL 100” rankings. So far, Jackson hasn’t responded, not on X nor in a press conference setting. But it’s pretty safe to assume that he saw it, in part because he doesn’t live under a rock and in part because he reposted the news that Zay Flowers landed at 71st in the same ranking. It’s just that Jackson couldn’t have possibly expected to land just two spots away. It’s one thing for a player to get criticism from the media. It’s another to see this level of disrespect from his fellow players. It’s possible that Jackson’s athleticism is fading. It’s possible that his body is breaking down. No doubt, he struggled to play through injuries last year. But I don’t see what the players are seeing. I don’t see him landing at this spot in 2026. Lamar is going to be a top 10 QB — and perhaps even a top 10 player overall.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Here’s what’s happening this week Inside The Garage: NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY (Lebanon, Tenn.) — Christian Lundgaard admits he was surprised. A driver who has two wins in a season is rarely told he won’t be offered a new contract for the next season. But he also knows he has, in a way, no choice but to move on from the decision made by the Arrow McLaren brass. And, frankly, most expect Lundgaard to land a solid ride — most likely the one vacated by Scott Dixon at Chip Ganassi Racing as Dixon is headed to McLaren. “There’s no news,” Lundgaard told me and other reporters Saturday. “I’m committed to [this team] for the rest of the year and we’ll see what next year brings. I’ll be doing something … I hope.” Lundgaard, when asked if he was bitter, felt the results and reactions by many in the industry questioning the decision, speak for itself. “Everybody knows my opinion and everybody has their own,” Lundgaard said. “I don’t need to go into preference and what people think, but I think there is a general image on the situation.” Lundgaard is one of 10 INDYCAR drivers who don’t have contracts for next season and currently are in limbo. Only two — Lundgaard and his Arrow McLaren teammate Nolan Siegel — have been told by their team they won’t be back. “I’m talking to as many people as I can,” Siegel told me and other reporters on Saturday. “We’ll see. There are things in the works. I’d love to stay in INDYCAR. That is certainly the goal. “I’m more focused on the last seven races and the best thing I can do to find myself back here next year is do a good job the rest of the year.” Siegel jumped at the chance to join Arrow McLaren during the 2024 season. He comes with funding but he wouldn’t second-guess maybe jumping into a premier INDYCAR ride too early. He has inconsistent results, as would probably be expected for a driver who is just 21 years old. “When you get a call to drive for McLaren in INDYCAR and you have no other options, saying yes to that opportunity is absolutely a no-brainer under any circumstance for any driver,” Siegel said. The eight INDYCAR drivers who also don’t have deals set for next year: — A.J. Foyt Racing drivers Santino Ferrucci and Caio Collet — Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Mick Schumacher — Dale Coyne Racing drivers Romain Grosjean and Dennis Hauger — Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers Rinus VeeKay and Sting Ray Robb — Andretti Global driver Marcus Ericsson Some of those drivers could remain with their teams, with Ericsson, a former Formula 1 driver and Indianapolis 500 winner, having a strong enough year to likely earn another season in his current ride. “I’ve been around for a while, so I’m sort of used to all those things happening in the season, so it’s not really something I put too much focus on,” Ericsson told me and other reporters Saturday. “I’m just trying to really deliver out on track and do a good job with the team. That’s where my priorities are.” The driver who might be in the most demand is Rinus VeeKay, who is 11th in points for a team that isn’t considered one of the elite organizations, has earned him plenty of inquiries. He said he hasn’t had any concrete offers just yet. VeeKay said he would like to know what he’s doing next year by the end of the season in the first weekend of August. “I want to get it done before the season is over,” VeeKay said. He reiterated that staying at Juncos Hollinger is a possibility. “There’s seats that are open, and I’m evaluating all the options that are there,” VeeKay said. “What everybody would do if you’re not signed for next year. … The better I perform, the better the offers are going to be for next year. “It’s kind of open. Staying with JHR also is a good opportunity and it is something we’re definitely looking at.” As is the case many times in motorsports, it could come down to funding and sponsorship. Teams are expecting to have to spend additional money next year to get ready for the new car in 2028. That could be offset by winding down inventory that would not be applicable with the new car. For a driver such as Dennis Hauger, who has had a respectable rookie season and was leading the rookie points heading into the race Monday at Nashville, he is hopeful something works out. He has been under contract with Andretti Global this year. He wouldn’t say whether he has any obligations to them (or them to him) for future seasons, but it appears he needs to look. “I’ve showed what I can do when we have a decent car to play with,” Hauger said. “I’m confident I can do good stuff. I am going to try show that whenever I get the chance. We’ll see.” Even drivers with contracts can’t always feel safe. With RLL expected to sell one of its charters to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, that means one of the drivers likely won’t return. That is expected to be Mick Schumacher, who told reporters that he would like to stay if he could. Louis Foster signed a long-term deal last year to race for the team. “Obviously, I’ve got a deal signed for multiple years,” Foster told me and other reporters. “I’ve heard nothing [about changes] from within the camp.” NASCAR Changes Daytona Aero Package NASCAR changed its aero package for Daytona in hopes of creating cars that have more control to pass on their own. They hope if drivers have more ability to maneuver, then they would be less likely to try to save gas and keep track position in the pack, where pulling out of the pack can be costly if the driver can’t pass and loses spots in the packs. The rear spoiler will be reduced from 7 inches to 4 inches. And the horsepower will be reduced from about 515-520 horsepower to 465. NASCAR Event Management President John Probst said the idea is that it eliminates the ability for the cars to get nose-to-tail, which allows the cars to separate and more ability to dictate their own destiny. The teams will not get practice at Daytona, which will keep them from trying to run simulation after practice to help with adjustments during the race. In The News –The Freedom 250 INDYCAR race next month in Washington, D.C., will be 125 laps on the 1.7-mile course. The 250 in the name of the race is about the country’s birthday, not a specific mileage or lap count. –Elliott Sadler will drive the Kaulig Racing No. 25 truck at his home track, Richmond Raceway, next month. –Jessica Fickenscher, who has held a variety of leadership roles for Speedway Motorsports including heading up North Wilkesboro Speedway, was named general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. –The trial date for the Joe Gibbs Racing-Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports lawsuit has been set. The trial, expected to take nine days, is scheduled to begin Feb. 1 in U.S. District Court in Charlotte. — Speedway Motorsports has joined the ownership group of the CARS Tour. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Justin Marks all remain as part of the ownership group. Social Spotlight Clinching Drivers Those drivers who clinched spots in the NASCAR Chase at North Wilkesboro: Cup: Ryan Blaney, joining Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. Truck: No additional drivers clinched. Layne Riggs and Kaden Honeycutt already had clinched. They Said It “Dad’s going to be home a little late.” — Joey Logano after his Cup Series victory Sunday at North Wilkesboro​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With each passing week and each additional layer of scrutiny surrounding Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, how differently could this saga have unfolded if not for the tragic news involving Kent Syverud, who was slated to become the university’s next president? A few weeks after Manuel hired Kyle Whittingham as the Wolverines’ next football coach in late December, the Board of Regents announced that Syverud would become the 16th president at Michigan. Syverud, who was previously the chancellor and president at Syracuse University, was scheduled to take over for interim president Domenico Grasso on July 1 of this year. But in mid-April, just a few days after Michigan’s men’s basketball team won the national championship, Syverud announced that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He stepped down from his presidency before it even began. Grasso was eventually elevated to the full-time position, though not quite in a permanent capacity: The Board of Regents said that the search for a 17th president would begin anew. Correctly or not, it was widely assumed that one of Syverud’s main objectives after assuming his new position would be to change leadership within Michigan’s athletics department. For years, Manuel’s tenure with the Wolverines had been peppered with hiring missteps, NCAA violations and embarrassing conduct from his employees. None more so than former football coach Sherrone Moore, whom Manuel fired last December after the department found “credible evidence” of an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. That Manuel interspersed each blemish with four national championships — including one each for football (2023) and men’s basketball (2026), the most lucrative and highest-visibility sports — was enough for him to keep his job longer than most people expected. But all of that ended on July 20, when Michigan announced that Manuel will be stepping down from his position at the end of the calendar year. So what does this mean? Here’s a look at what’s next for Michigan. What Does Warde Manuel’s Departure Mean For Michigan Athletics? In the same way that Michigan’s decision to hire Whittingham represented a noteworthy departure from those who were connected to the pockmarked tenure of alum Jim Harbaugh, this most recent divorce between the Wolverines and Manuel affords the institution an opportunity to do the same atop its athletics department. A native of New Orleans, where he was an All-American high school football player, Manuel matriculated at Michigan and played under legendary head coach Bo Schembechler in the late 1980s, including a spell as Harbaugh’s teammate. And though his gridiron contributions were prematurely halted by a neck injury, Manuel still won multiple varsity letters in multiple sports for the Wolverines, shifting over to the track and field team before the end of his undergraduate career. He went on to earn three degrees from Michigan between 1990 and 2005: a bachelor of general studies, a master’s in social work and an MBA. In other words, Manuel falls neatly within the framework of the proverbial “Michigan Man” persona that was popularized by Schembechler, who manned the sidelines for two decades and eventually became the school’s athletics director. That pedigree alone helps explain why Manuel, now 58, was hired by the Wolverines in 2016. Now, it’s also one of the reasons why so many fans wanted him removed. A steady stream of shameful institutional missteps and public relations nightmares during Manuel’s tenure have dulled the sheen so often associated with the proud “Michigan Man” archetype. Most notably, the stomach-turning sexual abuse scandal involving Dr. Robert Anderson, now deceased, and the university officials who overlooked — or flat-out ignored — years of accusations surrounding the physician’s suspected misconduct during a 50-year career. In 2022, Michigan eventually agreed to a $450 million settlement with more than 1,000 of Anderson’s victims. The jaw-dropping revelation that Schembechler, who coached at Michigan from 1969-89, was among those authority figures shielding in real time began to erode the outsized legacy he and his disciples left behind. Though Moore never played for Michigan prior to joining the Wolverines’ coaching staff in 2018, the decision to fire him amid another off-field controversy in December was seen as a necessary step if the program wanted to finally distance itself from anyone linked to Harbaugh, who himself is inextricably linked to Schembechler. Each victory Harbaugh amassed during an unprecedented run over his final three seasons — a period capped, of course, by winning the national championship in 2023 — seemed to be met with another round of eyebrow-raising headlines: There were plenty of other incidents, too. In effect, dismissing Moore meant that Michigan could finally move on from whatever remnants Harbaugh’s highly successful, highly controversial tenure had left behind — the good, the bad, the unethical and everything in between. It meant the Wolverines could distance themselves from a seminal figure in program history, a true Maize and Blue legend, but someone who also muddied the waters with his ongoing flouting of NCAA rules and longstanding ties to the increasingly stained Schembechler era. Parting ways with Manuel, whose time at Michigan can be connected to all of those things, offers Michigan another chance to start anew, to finally hit the reset button atop the athletics department hierarchy. His replacement should come from outside the Wolverines’ family. How Could Manuel Leaving Affect Michigan Football? As the day-to-day leader of Michigan athletics, Manuel preferred to operate beyond the spotlight whenever possible. He was far less outspoken than some of his colleagues across the country — fellow athletics directors like Pete Bevacqua at Notre Dame or Ross Bjork at Ohio State, for example — and reserved many of his regularly scheduled comments for a friendly local radio show in Ann Arbor. The only real exceptions came when Manuel puffed his chest for reporters in the immediate aftermath of championship moments for the football and men’s basketball programs, which were opportunities he seemed to relish. A connection can be drawn between Manuel’s relative disinterest in occupying the kind of mainstream, protagonist role ascribed to modern ADs and the most common critique surrounding how he approached the job. Both publicly and privately, detractors have questioned Manuel’s creativity and aggression when it comes to things like general fundraising efforts, NIL implementation strategies and negotiating contracts with Michigan’s coaches across various sports. It wasn’t until the Wolverines overhauled their pursuit of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood prior to his senior season of high school that Michigan employed a fully modernized approach to player acquisition, and that was roughly three years after NIL was introduced on July 1, 2021. Even then, sources familiar with the inner workings of Underwood’s recruitment never included Manuel when asked about the most influential figures in that pursuit. All of which is to say that the Wolverines could benefit quite significantly from selecting a leader focused more on enhancing Michigan’s future than simply honoring, or preserving, its illustrious past. This is particularly important when considering that Whittingham, the new football coach, will turn 67 later this year and has never coached in the power conferences. He built a decorated, Hall-of-Fame caliber career while doing more with less across two decades as the head coach at Utah. And now, as college football continues to evolve on what feels like a daily basis, he’ll need strong leadership and guidance from atop the department to properly wield Michigan’s considerable institutional advantages. What About Michigan Men’s Basketball? For a moment, it appeared that Manuel’s uneven tenure might not last beyond the university’s Board of Regents meeting held in Traverse City, Michigan last Thursday. The days leading up to that regularly scheduled gathering hummed with speculation and scuttlebutt surrounding an independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block, whose bill with the school has now soared to nearly $12 million and counting since the project was commissioned. The Wall Street Journal said the investigation had already found evidence that Michigan received “repeated reports about [Sherrone] Moore’s behavior,” as it pertained to the inappropriate relationship with Paige Shiver, his former executive assistant. The Board of Regents meeting Thursday came and went without any discussion on Manuel’s future. Neither Manuel nor the investigation by Jenner & Block were discussed. Business, it seemed, would continue as usual for at least a while longer. And that’s exactly how Manuel had been operating. Six days before the Board of Regents meeting, Manuel announced that he was dropping the “interim” tag attached to men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. after the sides agreed on a two-year contract. Boynton, 44, served as the lead assistant and defensive coordinator for the Wolverines under head coach Dusty May the last two seasons, guiding the program to just the second national championship in school history. He’d worked tirelessly to retain the core of Michigan’s roster ever since May decided to leave for an NBA job last month. “Mike is a veteran assistant with strong head-coaching experience and a clear understanding of the standard we expect at Michigan,” Manuel said in a press release. “Over the past two seasons, he has been an invaluable member of our staff, bringing stability, leadership and perspective during an important period of success.” Within a week, though, members of the anti-Manuel contingent were given yet another reason to roll their eyes at the way he conducts business. Boynton’s new two-year contract, which will pay him $3.6 million for the 2026-27 season, includes a series of uncommon performance benchmarks he must meet simply to reach the second year of the deal, according to a records request by MLive and an article published Thursday. “The program can’t have any Level I or II NCAA violations,” writes beat reporter Andrew Kahn, “Boynton can’t violate any policies or rules, and all players must remain academically eligible. The Wolverines must also reach the Final Four or hit at least two of the following: win at least 24 regular season games (out of 31), finish in the top four in the Big Ten, win the Big Ten Tournament, or reach the Sweet 16.” All of those accomplishments feel reasonable for a program that returns several key players from a national championship-winning squad and has also welcomed another star-studded transfer portal class to Ann Arbor, not to mention five-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr., the jewel of Michigan’s high school recruiting class. But with such specific criteria comes plenty of additional pressure for a head coach who already has immense shoes to fill.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports