UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Jim Hackett — Michigan’s interim athletic director — finds himself involved in another high-profile employment search in Ann Arbor. He’s not leading the way this time, as he did when the program hired Jim Harbaugh as its football coach more than a year ago, but he’s playing a key role yet again. “Remember my old swim lane metaphor?” Hackett said with a smile Wednesday night. “There’s a swim lane here of ‘what does it take to do a good job?’ ” This swim lane centers around Michigan’s new athletic director search, which has been ongoing for more than a month after Hackett announced late last year that he would not be taking the AD job on a permanent basis. As was the case with Hackett’s football search, Michigan’s athletic director timeline is partially dependent on when candidates are truly available to transition into a new job in Ann Arbor and partially dependent on how long Michigan can wait before making a hire. And, unlike the football search, Michigan has a built-in ability to take more time with this job hunt. Thanks in large part to Hackett, who has agreed to remain in charge of the athletic department’s day-to-day operations until a hire is made. In fact, Hackett said Wednesday that he plans on remaining at Michigan for a few weeks or possibly a month after the hire is made, to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible. -Nick Baumgardner, MLive, Read More