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).
This was one of the reasons Harbaugh was ready to jump ship to the Vikings.
And likely why Howard was at least mildly entertaining NBA offers despite what social media "news" will provide.
I love the company I work for but you know what? If I got an offer at a bigger, more prestigious corporation for more money, more recognition, and more help for those I was responsible for, my next call would be to my wife to tell her to pack her bags. I have a feeling the same is going to happen with both of them. Hard to be a coach at a place you love if the place you love is handicapping your ability to win a title, which is what you were hired to do.
NIL, rather, Michigan's failure to address the new norm because of an intense focus on values of the past that don't apply any longer is handicapping Harbaugh and Howard.
They're simply doing a disservice to the AD, players, coaches, potential players, etc.
I'm fine with Michigan not joining the current NIL circus. The NIL free agency arms race is absolutely unsustainable. I'm certain our marvelous university is biding time until this chaotic, wild west, pay-for-play scheme is eventually regulated. That's the smart move. That's the long play.
Go Blue!
By that time we could be 4 years behind 30 schools. You're either getting better or you're getting worse!
Without top talent Michigan will eventually become a middling B1G team with OSU way ahead of us and even MSU surpassing us!
Purely speculative, but mass calls for NIL regulation will commence after the 2023 football recruiting cycle resembles a George Steinbrenner style spending spree.
There are already colleges outbidding each other, and players threatening to transfer if they don't get a raise... and we're still half a year from early signing day!
cmon man get'r'done
I see that reality is setting in.
The more this becomes about players just going to whatever school pays the most (and that being the decision of whether they stay or go after each season), the less interest I have in college sports. It saddens me deeply, since college sports used to be one of the greatest aspects of the "college experience" (by which I mean the entirety of a young fan through older alum stages). If it ends up being almost indistinguishable from the pro leagues... I'll probably just stop altogether.
I don't think Michigan would have to recruit kids through bidding wars a la USC; however, they will have to be able to offer something to these kids to be competitive.
While I get that you don't want Michigan getting involved in this circus, I bet you will be even less interested if Michigan goes 3-9 in 2025 losing by a combined 100-25 to OSU and MSU like in 2008 or 2014.
Of course, I *want* Michigan to be successful, but if this is no longer even remotely about real students (meaning those who come to a school *for* school)... I just don't see the appeal. It was meaningful when the players were essentially students just like everyone else on campus, but when it becomes mostly kids getting 6-figures/year (or more) as freshmen (and maybe actually giving any serious attention to academic growth)... that's something else.
Since the NCAA & member schools have now essentially absolved themselves of even *trying* to keep this from being pay-to-play... I would prefer that Michigan sports choose another route.
It won't happen, people only listen to the money at this point, and... I will probably follow less & less. It is what it is... at least there were some good decades and I got to see us win the conference again before tuning out. No more point in shouting at the clouds when no one seems to care.
I think were still a little ways away from it not being about education at all (for a lot of players there is very little NIL money to be had), but I'm with you in a lot of ways here. I'm not of the mind that the players shouldn't be able to make money but the way NIL is "working" now tarnishes the spirit of the college game. As I said elsewhere, it seems to be time to detach these sports from the institutions. That would be better for the schools, athletes, and fans. These are schools, not professional sports organizations or talent agencies. Their mission should be about educating and helping the entirety of their student body find success. The longer this goes the further from that things seem to get.
really well said.
Oh boy.
Good for Hunter talking about what everyone knows and no one wants to talk about (at least publicly). The cliche' goes you either lead, follow, or get out of the way, we are in danger of the latter.
It's clear, even if it sucks, to be competitive now will depend on if you want athletes to play sports or play school. You cannot have both. If we do...death knell, might as well put us in the Iron Maiden to bleed out slowly for when players don't come, coaches leave, we die a slow death.
Anyone saying we'll drop into the middle of the Big Ten or below is being way over dramatic. Besides money, the school and athletic programs still have plenty to offer, beyond what most competitors can. We know we've been at a disadvantage in the bagmen era, yet still have won Big Ten titles and enjoyed national success in basically every sport within the last few years. The MSU mortgage guys are about to figure out that cash can't solve every problem - it's not gonna sell out Spartan Stadium, or build a historical football rivalry that's the best in the sport.
I believe that we're not doing as much as other schools to guarantee money, and may miss out on some recruits because of that. It's fine, not any different than before. There are plenty of other reasons we will or will not get and keep certain guys and I'm confident that our coaches can handle it.
I've also got a sneaking suspicion that this is all going to burn out quickly, and having a measured, conservative, long-term plan may work out for the best. Right now it feels like we're in the Liar's Poker (if you've read the Lewis book) phase, and all the money chasing is going to cause harm to some actors, which will result in an adjustment to a more "sustainable" system with better defined rules and commitments. Getting money from willing donors to athletes is Good; a Rube Goldberg of third parties, "NIL opportunities," and VICTOR platforms is unnecessary and wasteful.
If you read the SC decision, NIL is not a fad that is going to burn out. Most major universities have alumni with enough money to prime the NIL cannon. If Michigan chooses to take a rear seat, we stand no chance.
The whole thing is a mess...
When I think about the pro game parallel I wonder who plays the role of team GM to help put together the roster and negotiate contracts. There is no one in this role at the schools so you end up with Boosters negotiating with prospects on behalf of the University and the University and coaches don't have any direct say over the process. So, like the situation in Miami you can have an agent find a willing booster to cover the cost of a coveted player and the lose a pissed off key player from your roster (who is represented by the same agent) and the coach/AD have no GM to protect their interests.
I'm all for players being properly compensated but without any structure in place someone, a lot of someones are going to get burned.
So, fans want UM to dive head first into this mess...?
And its a game the SEC schools are already light years ahead and they love dirty, they don't play by rules, never have, just win no matter what...I just don't seen many schools outside of the SEC playing this game on their level. .
Schools like UM might be better off spearheading an effort to build some structure around player payola. And if the SEC doesn't want to go along then maybe that is the time to isolate that conference and work with the others.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I’m sure the next president of Michigan has a lot more important things to worry about—like lawsuits, governance controversies, college affordability, and access—than the state of NIL for sports that are supposedly about amateurism and student-athletes. It is the University of Michigan, no just the Michigan athletic department.
And yet I heard something in another post about a Michigan…Money Cannon?!?
Michigan and a lack of NIL action only contributes to a perception of arrogance and elitism. As if they don’t need to steep to such levels of other programs. Not saying it’s true, but perception is reality.
I'm not sure they're wrong to be gun shy about NIL, I'm no expert, but the current system seems poorly thought out, and they may be afraid that operating in this huge grey area will get them in trouble later.