One More Year Fund Up to 90K
The One More Year Fund is about to cross $90K
Blake and Trevor have already committed to one more year with rumblings that Zinter is next.
While it may not directly be related to this initiative, the 914 who have donated (myself included) can feel like they did their part to bring back the most talented Michigan Football Offense in the last 2 decades (at least).
ECU on the clock, Go Blue!
January 13th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
This actually seems lower than I thought. I would love to know what players like Blake and Keegan are making outside of this. Between autographs, one-off endorsements, digital content (TikTok, IG, etc.) I have to imagine Corum needs to be making $500k-$1m to match what his year one salary would be in the NFL.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:02 PM ^
I can't imagine this fund was the only thing set up to try to retain these guys via NIL.
My take would be to think of it like a nonprofit raise initiative. You have a public aspect to drum up support, signal out to your following that you're ramping up for a cause, and supplement revenue but really you're going to your big whales and doing the lion's share of the raise behind the scenes.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:02 PM ^
There are defintely other sources, but this is a rather disapointing display of the mythical "Michigan money cannon."
For all the complaining that goes on about how Warde/Harbaugh/Michigan are behind the times with NIL and how bad we are at NIL/recruiting, I would have have figured that people would jump at the chance demonstrate how much Michigan fans are willing to support our best players.
I'm not sure how any recruits looking at this could coming away feeling like Michigan would offer a great place to maximize their NIL value.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:06 PM ^
Fairly certain the wealthy donors operating the money cannon are doing so quietly in exchange for some unique perks rather than through a crowdfunding outlet like this.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:23 PM ^
Bingo!
January 13th, 2023 at 1:34 PM ^
Personally I am not surprised. The vast majority of fans just want to watch Michigan (or their favorite team) play football and don't care about who pays for NIL. Also there is likely a detachment between expectations and reality when it comes to stuff like this.
The "what if everyone gave $10, we'd have millions" is and will always be a pipe dream not rooted in any practical reality, so it's a useless hypothetical to bring up. If i had a spare $10, I'd rather go to Culvers then give it to someone who will be making millions in short order.
January 13th, 2023 at 7:51 PM ^
If i had a spare $10, Michigan fans would rather go to Culvers then give it to someone who will be making millions in short order.
You're probably not wrong, but if I was recruiting a 5 star for a rival team, this is exactly what I would be telling them about how Michigan fans feel about supporting the players.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:19 PM ^
Donations larger than $5K are not shown as part of this count. So the big time donors & boosters who can actually move the needle when it comes to NIL aren’t counted here. I’m sure the number is much higher, as Keegan & Corum likely were given assurances about the amount they’re estimated to receive before making their decisions to stay. Bacon also said $7-8M had already been fundraised shortly after the AD communicated the officially endorsed collectives.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
It was about $25K on Monday, so it's moving up.
January 13th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
When John U Bacon said last week that NIL raised 7-8 million in a matter of days after the athletic department email in December I wonder which NIL he was referring to?
January 13th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
There’s like 4 other funds that add up to over $7m.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
I can't wait for the bake sale!
January 13th, 2023 at 1:34 PM ^
We already completed the Blake sale.
January 13th, 2023 at 2:21 PM ^
In the off-season I come here for this content.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:02 PM ^
Zinter already tweeted he was coming back yesterday! :)
January 13th, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
That was Trevor Keegan :)
January 13th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
I thought it was Joe Moore.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
no. its herbie hancock
January 13th, 2023 at 1:05 PM ^
Keith Jackson?
January 13th, 2023 at 3:11 PM ^
Too soon!
January 13th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
Zinter did retweet both Keegan's and Corum's announcements with positive emojis. CJ just enrolled in a grad program, so pretty sure he's coming back.
Considering it was these 4 shown (not DJ Turner, Green, Schoon, etc. that already declared), I expect all of them to be back and this was just a little extra way to make some money before announcing.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:04 PM ^
Whoops, I am wrong and misread his tweet. He retweeted Keegan. Apologies!
January 13th, 2023 at 1:47 PM ^
Weirdly, his tweets are from his hometown in mass, so he is not on campus.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
Is there a rake on this one? I'd like to know how much of my $5 makes it into the player's pocket.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
According to their website 100% of proceeds go to the players. I can't find it right now but I feel like I've read before that Valiant Management Group's collective - The Champions Circle does NOT charge a rake when just raising and distributing money to the players (like the one more year fund).
Where they do charge a 10% agency fee is when Valiant facilitates a marketing deal, like JJ and Dunkin Donuts or The O Line and the Army National Guard
January 13th, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^
Good to know, thank you. I just cancelled Ann Arbor NIL because of the high rake.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
I think a "rake" is totally reasonable. If your running a platform that raises and distributes money, you need people to run it and hopefully run it well. That takes money and the rake is the only way to raise that capital. Maybe the best way to do it is the money is raised into a fund that is held in escrow until distributed to a player. Upon distribution, the rake is applied.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
A rake can be reasonable. Ann Arbor NIL rake was 18%. That feels like an unfair split between the players and the nerds running the website.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:39 PM ^
18% does seems high. I don’t know anything about this particular collective, so I don’t know how they are raising and handling money, or how much they are raising. But the administrative costs are real, especially on the up start.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
That Fyre Festival guy is licking his chops right about now scheming up an idea to get into this NIL game...
/s (maybe)
January 13th, 2023 at 12:12 PM ^
61,808% of $144 goal
That initial goal seems a bit modest.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
Will 2023 be Team 144? That would seem to be the only explanation.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:18 PM ^
That's correct -- it states that on the fundraising page directly
Why is our fundraising goal $144? This number is symbolic of Team 144 and their run to the 2023 National Championship. Our goal is to raise as much money as possible to increase the likelihood that all key members of the Michigan Football Team return for the 2023 season.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
What my boss says when he sees my proposed goals for the year.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
Wait!! It's sounding like Zinter is coming back? We are going to manball mofos again next year, aren't we!?!?
January 13th, 2023 at 12:33 PM ^
Yes - regardless of whether Zac is back, or not. Two OL starters from Stanford and an All-PAC12 OL from UA are coming in to bolster OL depth. Manball is the Harbaugh Way...
January 13th, 2023 at 6:57 PM ^
I don't mean to be hypercritical but it appears that Henderson is very good but I don't think he was all- Conference PAC.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
I wonder who decides what players are good enough to be considered "making a choice" to stay.
But more importantly, I wonder to what extent this hurts recruiting, in that other schools are saying "look at the NFL success our players are getting" and we're trying to avoid that. I know it sucks to see great players leave for the NFL, but long-term that's what we want for recruiting. Maybe the NIL money involved changes that perspective, though. <s>On the other hand, a prolonged contract negotiation means no one wants to come here for the next few years anyway, so I guess that doesn't matter.</s>
January 13th, 2023 at 1:24 PM ^
I don't think it does hurt recruiting. These players will have the same or better chance to succeed in the NFL with more college experience. Also, since we don't pay recruits up front to come here the way some other schools do, recruits knowing they will get paid NIL eventually if they're good players here seems hugely important.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
With that kind of money, each player can go out to a fine dinner!*
*Alone. No alcohol. No appetizers
January 13th, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
Well done, sir.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Glad there are people more willing than me to send money to future, if not current, millionaires! Cheers to all of you with that much expendable income!
January 13th, 2023 at 12:43 PM ^
meh, i donated $25 which is basically lunch at a local restaurant.
January 13th, 2023 at 1:21 PM ^
Chipping in 50 bucks is basically like one night of a dinner and a movie. Except it may contribute to a hobby I spend a few minutes on every day and a dozen whole days on each fall. If it helps, think of it as an investment in enjoying your time more (assuming you enjoy it when Michigan wins), rather than a donation to a person
January 13th, 2023 at 1:44 PM ^
If it makes you feel good, then by all means go ahead and do it.
It does feel to me like this is more of a fan engagement program than a "buy a better team" program though. The amounts here aren't going to move the needle for the guys that are commanding top dollar and/or deciding whether to go to the NFL draft before their eligibility is up.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:15 PM ^
I enjoy Michigan football victories more than most movies. People are willing to fork over $10-15 bucks for movie tickets, money to millionaire movie stars and directors.
Pitching in a few bucks in an effort to sustain the enjoyment of the football season seems reasonable.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:36 PM ^
I am approximately 0.028% responsible for the contents of this posting.
January 13th, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^
I spend so much time watching and following Michigan football that this honestly feels like one of the best investments I could make. The return on each of these guys staying in terms of how much I'll enjoy this hobby is huge.