Hunter Dickinson says Michigan will lose out on "so many players" due to NIL inaction
I kept waiting for this to get posted but couldn't find it on the Board... One of our highest profile student-athletes calling out the school administration for its inaction on NIL.
This is likely one of the primary reasons we seem to be struggling in 2023 recruiting vs. comparable schools like Notre Dame and even lower level recruiting schools like Sparty. We know that Raylen Wilson is still talking / visiting other schools - he is almost certainly being offered tangible numbers while Michigan is only allowed to say that "there are exciting opportunities available".
The hire of the new school president is going to be a crucial sign - it has to be someone that is either "pro-athletics" or at least neutral. If the administration does not allow for the modernizing our NIL program in the next 12 months, it is going to be very difficult to compete. Next on the list is loosening the transfer credit issue (and that is a universal problem for students, not just athletes).
Solved it. I think we should just get one of those machines that blows cash around you like a tornado and you have a few seconds to grab as much as you can and stuff in your pockets or whatever. Have the donors restock it, let the athletes get X number of minutes in the machine based on how many championships they win.
I think it should be installed in the Athletic dorm so they can use it whenever they want to order a pizza, get a new pair of shoes or buy a new car. Kind of like an ATM that makes you work for it.
seen here in action for UK
Remember the halcyon days when we though NIL would be a boon to Michigan because of all the alumni money available? How silly we were to forget the university is run by holier-than-thou bluenoses.
This. Michigan is obviously blessed with wealthy donors. They're happy to pony up the cash for a new building, to fund academic programs and departments down to prof salaries and grad scholarships (thanks, Helen!). They'll fund a coach's salary but will object to paying athletes since that's not the Michigan way. It's not the Big Ten way. It's the SEC way, and we turn up our noses at them. Those donors are fundamentally conservative in their faith in amateurism when this is a new day.
I knew it was going to be a shit show from the get go. When posters were pearl clutching I knew we were in trouble.
Yeah, I never understood why Seth and others said something to the effect of “no college stands to gain more from NIL then Michigan”. I didn’t believe it then and don’t believe it will ever be like that in the future.
I always though NIL changes were most folks grasp of optimism towards the football program in the dong kick years of 17-20 but I was never one that thought the problems were with recruiting so maybe I just looked at it differently.
This seems like a situation where having an interim president impedes quick action. Formulating a comprehensive policy and strategy for coordinating NIL deals between donors and athletes implicates the university's overall relationship with donors and its strategy for seeking donations for athletic and non-athletic purposes alike. Any interim president would probably hesitate to make a decision that could diminish their successor's flexibility in crafting an overall development strategy.
In addition, it may be more difficult for UM to choose a development strategy that prioritizes NIL donations. Although UM has a big and relatively generous donor base, it's not the same kind of donor base schools like Texas, Alabama, and Georgia have. Let's say a donor has several million dollars to give to a university. It's one thing to donate several hundred thousand a year, every year, to fund NIL deals; it's a different thing to donate the entire amount in a single donation for the construction of a building that can bear the donor's name. I suspect (but don't know) that UM has a smaller pool of donors who are eager to fund NIL deals.
A university may have a big endowment or an impressive capacity for development, but that doesn't mean that it has a spigot for NIL money that it can just turn on.
Dude - we had donors paying for the Europe trips every year and those folks were not named Stephen Ross.
We have a LOT of 9 and 10 figure net worth alums that are big sports fans.
I know it's easy for me to spend other people's money, but you gotta think it wouldn't be hard to find donors willing to help with this even if it's just enough to make Michigan competitive.
Maybe a multi-million dollar NIL donation from a billionaire can be a tax write-off / charitable donation / etc. This would make it more palatable. That said, $500K to a dude that is worth $1B is not much skin off their back, especially if it's tax deductible. It's like an upper middle class guy with $1M in the bank forking over $500. We are not talking crazy numbers here.
This is where MSU’s little brother syndrome may actually benefit them. They have tools like Ishbia that are so desperate for MSU to be good at anything that they are willing to throw big money around. And we know that little things like rules are not of any concern to them.
NIL was always a way to level the field... the question was whether the University would act on it; you knew the coaches, athletic teams would be all in.
Michigan always were quick to point out bagmen, but now that things can be above board, they can't help but shoot themselves in the foot...
I'm sure HD is right for the most part. But don't think it's smart to openly bash the program and even Mention Harbaugh and Howard like that. And then go on to mention Alabama and Kentucky. These statements can also effect recruiting.
Then again maybe it will take this level of outspokenness to spark change at U of M.
As a fan this is starting to feel exactly like professional sports.
To me, it just feels like the real world.
College athletes must be the only people in the country who are expected to forego massive amounts of money to make other people feel better.
The current college athletics landscape probably makes it very likely that Coach Howard exits once both of his sons have completed their time in Ann Arbor.
Being the head coach of a college basketball team has to be exponentially more frustrating than it was even just a few years ago...and it's probably not worth the headaches when you have other options.
Exponentially more frustrating? I was going to ask, "what do they teach the kids at school these days?" but it looks like you graduated in the 80's.
Literally the dumbest thing the school could do would be to let sports in any way influence the hire of a new president. Of course you hope the president likes sports but dear god Michigan being a top 25 football program instead of top 10 is not a fucking priority for the school as whole.
There is nothing mutually exclusive about academics and athletics other than exempting some athletes from entry requirements (which we have always done).
And this is a very arrogant comment that Michigan's floor is a top 25 football team. Our floor is a non-competitive team that goes between 6-6 and 3-9 each year (it's like you have forgotten the 2008 - 2014 period) with annual ass kickings from our rivals. And yes, it should be a priority given the hundreds of millions of $$$, not to mention the prestige, that our top athletic teams contribute to the school.
And yes, it should be a priority given the hundreds of millions of $$$,
Can someone explain to me how athletics give “hundreds of millions” to the university? I thought revenue was 100% kept within the department. Sure , football funds non-revenue sports, but I didn’t think it had any impact on financial well being of the university!?
I am pretty sure that the Athletic Department typically sends funds back to the University general fund (outside of the Covid-impacted years) - but that is based on various things that I have read so I am certainly no expert there.
That is the direct impact, do you not think that athletic success impacts University fundraising? I can guarantee that it does. Also, something has to fund the non-revenue sports so we would either have to shut down all the other programs or the University would have to pay for them if not for the $$$ coming from football and basketball (and the other revenue sports).
How do you think athletic departments maintain a facade of being non or minimally profitable? It's not just spending on facilities. If Michigan is anything like most other schools they, as an example, book profits from concession sales to food and beverage, not the athletic department. Or merch sales to the campus book store instead of the AD.
My guess is the University is more or less fine with not being the tip of the spear on the NIL front. This is one of those things where if we (being the university) wanted to do it, we would. Not holding my breath on that changing in the near future.
Also, I can't help but feel its kind of dumb for a university to be doing this kind of stuff. Seems like it is time to really think about breaking these sports off from the schools in some way.
Helping coordinate financial opportunities for its students is dumb?
I remember the Business School setting up on campus interviews with the top accounting and Wall Street firms when we were juniors and seniors - was that dumb? I thought it was very helpful in getting the start to my career.
I think we can probably agree that your experience in the business school and NIL for athletes are not really the same thing. HD isn't talking about setting up interviews on Wall Street. He's talking about paying top end High School and Transfer portal athletes to come to UM to play X sport.
Broadly speaking getting students career opportunities is a great use of University time and resources. Finding ways to pay prospective high end athletes hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars by coordinating with donors etc. doesn't, to me, seem like a great use of University time and resources.
I want to see Michigan sports succeed and get the best guys etc. I think NIL is great for the athletes who can get it, and I support them earning millions of dollars. BUT I don't know that the work of that is something that should be the focus of any university really. Seems beyond the mission to me. That we are at a place where it basically has fallen on the schools to set these things up has put UM at a disadvantage because clearly UM doesn't really want to do this (they seem to agree that this is beyond the mission). Ultimately, College Football and Basketball (mostly) has morphed into something that just doesn't work with the other core things Universities are about. Something needs to change and although it is unlikely, my (unpopular) opinion is that detaching these high revenue sports from the institution in some way would be the best solution (for all parties).
Because signing basketball players should really be the deciding factor in picking the president of an elite university. If only you showed this much activism concerning the rise in tuition or the declining rates of admission for Black and brown students at a school worth many billions of dollars (most of which it just sits on). Get some perspective.
Also, Dickinson is reportedly getting plenty of NIL money.
How do you know what my concerns outside of sports are? I also didn't mention the war in Ukraine - does that mean I don't care about the deaths of tens of thousands of people. I also didn't mention that I lost multiple extended family members to Covid, do you want me to blog on my Covid thoughts too?
This is a sports blog so I posted about sports. Besides, this topic is literally dealing with financial opportunities for a group of student athletes which are primarily African-American, many coming from families which are not high income earners.
Do you want me to post my thesis on all the rest of my views and thoughts? Maybe you do but nobody else does. So don't lecture me on what I do or don't believe in when you have no f*ing idea.
Do you want me to post my thesis on all the rest of my views and thoughts?
Please - no! I think you’ve made you position clear. Many times. Many many many times!
And water is wet.
I still remember those quaint old days when some people actually thought NIL would benefit Michigan by evening the playing field. SMH
I feel like Hunter could find a more productive way to push for change with Michigan's NIL program than to openly bash it on the radio. Maybe he's already doing things within the university to push for change but I'm not sure him saying "if I'm a top basketball recruit, why would I go to Michigan?" is really helping recruiting either.
His biggest complaint seems to be that the university isn't facilitating the deals, rather allowing the athletes to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness. Isn't that what the law was meant to allow? It seems like many other schools are going well above and beyond what this legislation was meant to do. Michigan has never been that school to push the limits of the legislation and it's probably not going to now either.
Most Universities except Michigan and few others are facilitating their NIL. A recruit comes to a University and the University (AD, coach or both) say the University will be setting you up with a great NIL deal. When a recruit comes to Michigan, Harbaugh has to say there are good NIL deals out there but it will be up to you to go find them. Which University do you think this recruit will choose to play? They will push the easy button.
Could be that he has tried to work/talk with the University and has been rebuffed and feels this is his way to let people know what is going on and maybe stir up donors to step up. Also, these athletes from schools across the country are connected with each other more that ever, they more than likely have conversation with kids from other schools and can imagine NIL talk with them comparing what kids are getting or being offered by other schools and he can see that Michigan is behind what kids are getting to sign/stay with these other schools.
I believe a lot of people, including myself, have thought this same way, but have not been talking about it. It is only after one of Michigan's star athletes makes it known public that we begin to conversate on it.
MSU and some of their NIL partners are guaranteeing football and basketball players $500 a month for as long as they are at MSU, while Michigan is 'hoping' for "opportunities" for their student-athletes. A 17-18 year old young adult wants that guarantee, not possibility. Where are the hugely wealthy alums from Michigan stepping in to help Harbaugh and Howard in recruiting like Rocket Mortgage is for MSU?
Michigan seems to be invisible when it comes to making significant strides and attempts in bringing a heavy dose of NIL to their student athletes. It is a shame, and could be a major factor why recruiting for the football program is dead.
He's right. I know little about UMs strategy and I'm starting to think there isn't much of one aside from "panic mode" workings to keep kids already in the fold once a real NIL player offers a Brinks Truck.
I'll only say that Will Johnson is at Michigan because be loves Michigan. What UM put together for him was a fn joke compared to just the three others that I know about. I'd imagine that with no affiliation UM wouldn't have gotten so much as a visit if NIL was the main factor (which it is for most of his caliber, rightfully so). Blake Corum remains at Michigan because he loves Michigan. I'll leave that there.
It's the legal Wild West and Michigan is walking around with a butter knife & 14 bucks in their pocket when they got $100M under the mattress.
"The Money Cannon" is a term made up by people with no intention of actually firing their own "Money Cannon"? Not really sure if that's true or not. I know that I have never once been contacted by anyone to "assist" in recruiting. However, hundreds if not thousands of people on this site are more than willing to "assist."
As a fan base, we are entirely disorganized, and apparently, nobody has the time or energy to do this. Most of these schools with "NIL" programs have very organized groups who are all in getting the best players for their schools. We need to quit blaming the "administration"; we don't need the school to do this.
What???? It is exactly the school that need to coordinate this. That is the whole point of Hunter's comments.
Do you think that these other fan bases magically come together? Did you even listen to what Hunter said? He and his friends/ teammates are literally in the middle of all this and he is the rare athlete willing to speak openly about the process - how about you listen to what he says?
If the athletic department doesn't understand the importance of organizing this, there's a problem. However, they have already created a portal to assist with connecting companies with current student-athletes.
Now, as for prospective student-athletes? Other schools have boosters organizing and working those deals. Like they've been doing for years, the only difference is it's out in the open now. There is absolutely nothing stopping companies from "buying" recruits. The only difference is other Universities have a small handful of fanatical boosters whose personality swings are based on the outcome of a game played by kids and young adults.
Not surprised Michigan isn't doing much here. Never really expected them to. They may change in the future once they realize the $$$ hemorrhaging from the athletic department once people stop going to games and buying M hats/shirts etc., but I doubt it.
The University had a heck of an opportunity to support not only the student athletes, but also ensure a fiscally sound future for the AD. NIL brings top players, top players bring excitement and wins, excitement and wins bring fans, fans spend $$$ at games and buy merch etc.
The University doesn't have to do much, but they can't do nothing and expect to be anything more than Northwestern/Cal/Vanderbilt (minus the baseball) in the future.
I see lots of comments from folks saying that the administration (whether athletic or institutional) needs to do more. I don't disagree.
However, I also see a bunch of comments along the lines of "Geez, we have all these people willing to give money - why don't they let us?" I'd argue, you haven't tried very hard.
Now, could and should the university do more to be proactive rather than reactive? Probably. But to say they aren't doing anything is also a little lazy IMHO.
This is fine for the athletes already in the program but the next level that other schools have moved to is to organize NIL deals for recruits.
Michigan either does it or we move to the middle of the pack - that simple.
I wasn't addressing the recruitment side of NIL. Just the people complaining that "we would give money but the university won't let us!"
As I said, I too believe they can and should be more pro-active.
The state of Michigan NIL law specifically disallows doing anything for a "prospective" student athlete.
This is exactly what will delineate the "haves" and the "have-nots" going forward. Recruits see that some schools will guarantee them an amount of money for signing, and other schools offer "opportunities once you become a student-athlete here".
The latter is, I believe, the real intent of NIL. But the former is what some schools are willing to do, and it seems that it's not necessarily prohibited.
So, a coveted recruit is given a choice between guaranteed cash money and "opportunities". It's not a choice at all.
This basically states conclusively what has been suspected for some time: Michigan's NIL game is lacking. Good for Hunter to call it out--he came back twice when it was at least not absurd for him to go pro, so his commitment to the program is pretty definite. He is the perfect person to discuss this.
The issue is not willing donors/sponsors. We all know Michigan has wealthy alums with money who care about the program and are willing to spend some of their money toward its success. The issue is that the University isn't committed to getting on board with NIL.
In retrospect, this shouldn't be surprising: programs that were eager to be involved in bag games before NIL just transitioned eagerly to NIL programs. Michigan, very much set in its ways and in its concept of being above all that, did not transition effectively.
And our recruiting classes are suffering for it in both basketball and football.
Is this a Warde thing? I've been one of his staunchest defenders for years. He does the stuff ADs are supposed to do very well. But maybe he doesn't think this is really part of his job when now it *is* part of his job. Or maybe it's a holdup from somewhere else. There's a small chance this is a greed issue--money spent on athletes is money that might not be given to the department in tax-deductible donations--but probably it's an organization thing.
And a mentality thing. You need someone to take the lead and organize all this stuff. Does it feel dirty? Maybe. But this is big time college athletics. If Michigan doesn't want to compete in them, go to the Ivy League. But if you want to sell out a 100,000-person stadium, you have to compete.
Good for Hunter. Get busy, Michigan. Get this right.
Michigan is Michigan.
It will not play in the bowels of the sullied.
We all know this and should not be surprised when recruiting suffers.
Surprised no one has brought up what USC just did basically outbidding Pitt for Jordan Addison, before he even entered the transfer portal (which is pay to play AND tampering). USC is a peer school. Duke is better than us and Coach K was routinely getting one and dones towards the end of his career (maybe that's the reason why he retired, point is he did it, his successor will probably do it too to win).
The idea that somehow our degree has more value, which means we can't get too involved with NIL, is self-defeating and wrong. There is only one school that can make this argument, and it's Stanford. Everyone else has to play the game, and those like us and other like minded schools can work behind the scenes in the meantime to create some rules of the road so the "college" part stays. Once you fall behind, climbing back up will take decades. We are now threading a needle by having two coaches who in all likelihood wouldn't be here if they didn't play here.
Probably why Harbs was looking for an NFL job, frankly.
doubtful its the only reason
Oh sure, obviously not. I didn't mean to make it seem like it was the only reason. But if you know your institution is going to make it harder for you to win and doesn't seem particularly interested in changing that, it might put the thought in your mind to get while the getting is good.
We have one of the biggest NIL potentials out there but the University wants to act old school and we are losing out recruits. This was one of the reasons Harbaugh was ready to jump ship to the Vikings.