Amid Juwan Howard firing rumors, Michigan AD clears air around men's basketball HC's job security ahead of MI state clash

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel expressed support for Wolverines coach Juwan Howard on Wednesday amid firing rumors.

In a brief Q&A session over Zoom, Manuel said that he continues to support the former NBA player and Michigan alumnus in the 2023–24 NCAA men's basketball season.

"Juwan and I have talked ... We'll continue to have those conversations as the season goes through and I continue to support him in an effort to turn this around and win like he expects to," he said.

Manuel did not indicate that Howard will be back for next season and admitted that it's difficult to decide while the season is ongoing.

The Michigan AD made the statement days before their inter-state clash against Michigan State on Saturday at 9:00 PM at the Crisler Center.

Juwan Howard firing rumors

Rumors of Juwan Howard's firing have gotten worse in recent days after the Wolverines lost to Illinois by 29 points.

It was the Wolverines' 17th loss in 25 games and they are in last place in the Big Ten Conference with a 3-11 mark. They have lost seven of their last eight games and have fallen to 115th in the league's NET ranking.

Howard still has two years left on his contract, which makes it more difficult to fire him. Should he get fired before July 1, Michigan would have to pay him $3 million.

Juwan Howard

Howard's Wolverines have underachieved since making the Sweet 16 in 2022

Howard guided Michigan to a Big Ten title and made it to the Elite Eight in 2021. A year later, the Wolverines made it past the Sweet 16.

However, the team missed the NCAA Tournament last year and lost important players Hunter Dickinson (who went to Kansas), Kobe Bufkin, and Jett Howard to the NBA Draft.

A ton of misses in the transfer portal and high school recruiting have led experts to project an 11th-place finish for Michigan in the Big Ten this season.

Howard gave the Michigan faithful a reason to be optimistic as they started 3-0. However, they went 5-17 afterward and lost 12 of their last 14 games.

Since leading the team to the Sweet 16 in 2022, he is now 45-49 over the last three seasons.

The Wolverines' tailspin has led to speculation that Howard may get fired after the season ends.

Should Michigan pull the plug and fire Juwan Howard? Let us know in the comments.