Is lack of NIL hurting Football Program

More questions, considering that Michigan is the NATIONAL CHAMPION in football.  Is a booming NIL program necessary to win games?  Does it even help in the long run, if players are committing more for the money than for the program itself?  Is it possible to win even if you don't get "big time players" in the portal?  (answer to that seems to be yes, at least recently)  There are lots of variables in college sports programs, including recruiting, development, coaching and locker room culture, solid and supportive fan base, NFL pipeline, and many other things.  NIL is fine, but if you don't have the other things, it will cost you money and not make your program any stronger (my opinion only).

The program could arguably be the best in the nation. It is in my opinion, but we definitely aren't competing against our opponents the same way they're all competing against us. It could be even better.

Absolutely 

Committing to a school who's HC is interviewing to leave is a risky life decision. Most kids are not going to consider going to a school they think will lose it's HC, and rightfully so. They will have to hope and pray the new coach will still want them here just as much and fit the new schemes and style of play. 

I think we’d absolutely be better off if and when revenue sharing becomes a thing and we can just pay players directly as opposed to having to do it via third parties with NIL.

Yes.  Michigan is not a leader in NIL.  Warde Manuel was a skeptic and, therefore, had to be dragged into it. 

I'm wondering if sticking with maize and blue as our colors isn't a big problem moving forward. Is this why we are not in on any of the big names? 

Just looking for opinions.

The NIL program is just fine. There's no room in Michigan football for entitled players who want stuff given to them instead of earning what they get. Those players can sit on a 50,000 dollar couch, and watch Michigan win championships on TV.

Just looking for opinions.
 

You’re certainly in the right place!

This OP… lord. 

Jim is a little busy preparing for NFL interviews to be recruiting the portal. We’ve recruited the portal just fine the past two years and are bringing in two starters this year. NIL isn’t an issue with transfers, just high school kids. 

This season was perfection - perfect HC, perfect developers, perfect schedule, perfect no major injuries aside ZZ.

OSU is out for blood.  They have seen our "buy the juniors" style and brought everyone back aside a top 4 draft pick.  They unlike us will buy the HS seniors as well.  We won't.  At some point there are just too many chips stacked up against you.

I will cherish this 3 year run.  Anyone not named JH at the helm is not JH.  Whatever you think - there are 5 of these people on planet earth.  We don't have 3 of them on our staff despite repeated pleas we do.

Oregon just bought 2 QBs after buying a Heisman finalist. Meanwhile we are praying Indiana's savior Jack Tuttle comes back for 7th year and hope a running back at QB1/QB2 will suddenly be better than multiple 5*s elsewhere. 

OSU bought a RB1A to go with their RB1B.  OSU bought a 5*QB in same class as their own 5*QB.  We are praying for Jack Tuttle or a running back at QB.

We did win with 5*s - we aren't winning the NC without Will Johnson and JJ and Donovan etc.  Granted we don't have 25 of these but we had some.  

Anyhow I am realistic.  Michigan I see more in the Notre Dame/Penn State realm go forward after these heights.  That's where they have been for decades and without the star power (No elite QBs coming here nor elite WRs) it just isn't going to repeat hoping a bunch of 22 year olds show up in the transfer portal.  That will be due to our own choosing and cultural arrogance.  OSU and those teams in the south have no such qualms.  We will be back to hoping we get a win for every senior class once in their life vs OSU because their donors will do anything to win.

What was done this year in this current environment was truly magical and once in a lifetime.  Maybe if there is a hard salary cap put in Michigan can compete down the road but we hit the jackpot this year and that's going to be the summit unless another magical HC shows up and competing with those other schools on their terms not ours becomes a norm.

The marginal cost of not doing it in as fulsome a fashion as others is, I believe, offset by the marginal uptick in chemistry and team unity which I believe to be quite real.  

Caveat - I think this works with Jim Harbaugh as coach.  I am less bullish on the long term viability of this approach under literally anyone else.

It may already be hurting hoops in a very acute manner.

Yup

It’s been a combination of factors. I think one that isn’t mentioned is the leadership. Other collectives are run by heavy hitters bringing in decades of professional experience. Our collective is run by a former player with no real world work experience. It’s not an indictment on him, his vision, his passion, or potential. It’s a glaring difference between what we have versus competitors. It may be a factor in why we are a third tier NIL program according to the cc presentation.

Simply put…yes! We aren’t seeing the impacts now, but in the near future Michigan is going to have to get going with  their NIL collectives

We are doing it the right way. The players who take NIL from the start have little.incentive.to earn it, and then skip town.  

Too many people don't actually care about football on the field.  It's bizarre.

Yes and kids don't want to commit when no one knows what the coach is doing 🤷

It’s me. I’m the reason. 

We're at the top, lets just enjoy it now.

We may or may not beat them at the end of 2024, but there are a lot of games to be played before that point. 

1A) Lack of tier 1 NIL.

1B) NFL drama from Harbaugh.

I like turtles. 

NIL and no contract.  Missing out on the top portal candidates while Ohio’s sucking them up.  Warde’s hell bent on doing to football what he did to basketball.  Atrocious!!

I think we aight!

Is this 2021? Warde that you?

Well, nobody (or few people) know who will be Michigan’s head football coach next year. That certainly hampers the recruiting effort.

I’m sure our NIL efforts could be improved, but didn’t Texas A&M just spend like tens of millions of dollars on the highest-ever rated recruiting class? All of that to finish 7-6 and 0.500 in the SEC, which had a relatively weak year mind you.

They just sold out Crisler Arena, all proceeds going to NIL.  What are you talking about??

How many quarterbacks can Michigan put on the field at one time?

The corollary to making a big splash through the portal is that someone who worked with the system for years gets passed up by an outsider.

Are we willing to say right now that no quarterback who originally signed with Michigan can take over for McCarthy?

I think in the long run, not only those who stay become champions, but primarily those who wear the M from the start.

Fill in when you need a season - I get why welcoming Priebe is a good idea. OL take a long time to eat and bulk and you need six or seven really good upperclassmen. All the consternation about guys like the unending series of quarterbacks who keep getting sucked in and spit out of Columbus... no thanks. Save that for basketball.

One word:  GO BLUE