Michael Phelps will always be considered swimming royalty. The 28x Olympic medalist may have left the competitive swimming life behind. But he remains as competitive as ever. The 39-year-old has been an avid Wolverines fan since his contention at the 2004 Athens Olympics. So, it’s no surprise that he was present at College Gameday. However, this isn’t his first time at Ann Arbor. The Olympian served as the football team’s honorary captain in 2022 against Penn State. Spotted wearing shades and several shades of blue, the swimmer went all out to show his allegiance.

ESPN caught up with him on the sidelines, “If you were the assistant coach of these guys today, what would you tell them pre-game?” His answer was pretty simple. “These guys have done the work, right? They’ve done everything they need to do to just go out and be the best version of themselves.” While reiterating that they should have fun, he added, “Try to protect this house; this is our house. Hopefully, we can send the Longhorns home unhappy today.” Quite a bold statement by the G.O.A.T.

But why is Michigan so special for Michael Phelps? “I mean, for me, as a kid, I always dreamt of going here, swimming here, being a part of this tradition.” He followed this dream by enrolling at the University of Michigan to pursue sports management. “So for me, it was a dream come true when I was able to spend 4 years here.” However, there was another reason—his former coach, Bob Bowman. “My coach was the head coach here. I swam here, and I had the best experience. Honestly, this is what it’s about.” The swimmer was 11 when he started training with his coach. 

After Michael Phelps’ contention at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Bob Bowman joined the University of Michigan as their head coach. So, it only made sense for the Olympian to tag along. However, he mostly focused on training with him while sporadically attending classes over the four years he spent there. At one point, the swimmer even served as a volunteer assistant coach. But the long-time Wolverines supporter had nothing but good things to say.

Michael Phelps’ former coach Bob Bowman’s Texas move made waves

Since 2015, Bob Bowman has been the driving force for the swim team at the University of Arizona. The 23x Olympic gold medalist joined him there too. The coach even led the Sun Devils to their maiden national championship this year. However, after 9 successful years with them, he took on the role after Eddie Reese. Bowman accepted the role of director of swimming and head coach at the University of Texas. The Longhorns broke the news on X in April.

AUSTIN, TX – JUNE 05: Coach Bob Bowman talks with Michael Phelps during the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite on June 5, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)During his time at ASU, 2024 Paris Olympian Leon Marchand trained under him and went on to clinch 8 NCAA titles. However, like his former tutee, the French swimmer has followed his coach to train with the Longhorns. Despite his shocking departure, the Bowman still feels for his former camp. The move was incredibly hard for him: “I put my heart and soul into ASU, love it to death, love those guys.” But he believes this was the best move for himself. However, it looks like Michael Phelps and his former coach will be on opposite ends instead of the same side during the NCAA championships. And some of that seems to have spilled over at College Gameday.