Michigan Football - 2025 Season.

[iam416]

Yeah, he's not a particularly good recruiter in the first place. He's been non-elite when the playing field is basically fair. There's no way he can operate at a disadvantage.

[WingsFan]

Think Sam Webb is helping push a certain agenda here (I don't know what he has says about this, but I believe I know what he is pushing) and not saying it is a bad thing, but saying Harbaugh is telling recruits that he is looking at the NFL makes no sense to me at all, whether it is true or not and if he goes or not.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Whatever comes of this situation with Harbaugh and the rumors surrounding his play v. the U, if he succeeds and gets the coordination and infrastructure for optimizing NIL he apparently is seeking, and he's correctly seeking it if he is to head up a football program that is capable of competing for championships going forward, the next thing the U will have to worry about is a title IX class action lawsuit from M's scholarship, women's athletes. You know, equity, parity and all of that.

I think someone said after the OB debacle that there is less than a 0.1% chance Harbaugh will leave. The D has been decimated by departures for the NFL. I don't know if that's a signal that Jim has told the team he's looking, may have told recruits he's looking and, just as sure as I was just 6d ago that this was a concern of mine, he or more likely his agents and lawyers, seem to be leaking that he's looking.

We won't know much, at least with any certainty, until after the NFL playoffs are completed but there will be a ton of rumors flying around. My advice is to sit tight on this, get a box of popcorn and enjoy it.

[lineygoblue]

I think someone said after the OB debacle that there is less than a 0.1% chance Harbaugh will leave.

That was me, but I said it before I considered the impact of NIL.

I believe that if Michigan doesn't become a top player with NIL, it will increase the odds that Harbaugh goes.

[THE_WIZARD_]

He would have a higher salary cap with NIL than at the Bears...given their dumbass leadership...heh

[Mike]

Has there been any actual confirmation that Harbaugh is trying to convince administrators to organize an NIL strategy at the university level? Or are we just projecting here? Anyone is free to pay any player(s) they want. Brady is sponsoring Cade McNamara, for example. I'd like to see the university get on board with a cohesive strategy but nothing is stopping individual donors from acting independently or in coordination with one another.

As for Title IX, I don't see how that applies. Some of the biggest NIL deals to date have been for female athletes because some of them have huge social media followings. There is nothing restricting any women's team or player from benefiting from the NIL rules other than general lack of interest.

[THE_WIZARD_]

There is a pretty good sized NIL fund for UNL Volleyball players...hell probably more than for football...heh...

[Jeff Buchanan]

Has there been any actual confirmation that Harbaugh is trying to convince administrators to organize an NIL strategy at the university level? Or are we just projecting here? Anyone is free to pay any player(s) they want. Brady is sponsoring Cade McNamara, for example. I'd like to see the university get on board with a cohesive strategy but nothing is stopping individual donors from acting independently or in coordination with one another.

As for Title IX, I don't see how that applies. Some of the biggest NIL deals to date have been for female athletes because some of them have huge social media followings. There is nothing restricting any women's team or player from benefiting from the NIL rules other than general lack of interest.

Mike, as far as I know, it's John U Bacon that's been tweeting on this. He's vague about it and commentators on his tweets are reading in between the lines. The rumors that Harbaugh was a bit miffed about how he was treated by certain regents after the 2019 and 2020 seasons came from a good source so, the groundwork seemed to be laid for him to utilize a bit of leverage for whatever purpose he might choose to use it.

Using it to get the U committed to an organization and infrastructure to optimize NIL to help M build a football team that can successfully compete for championships in the emerging CFB landscape makes a ton of sense. There's no hard confirmation that's what's going on. WingsFan commented on the potential for Bacon to be pushing his own agenda on this subject not that it's coming from Jim Harbaugh at least not directly.

I'd add, there is a ton of difference between a sort of Ad Hoc NIL program going on at M and one that is organized and has infrastructure to optimize the inherent advantages of NIL in recruiting. I'm getting that what Harbaugh wants is a U approved, organized and staffed effort to do that. And yes, sure on your point on Title IX but having infrastructure and organization for NIL to benefit football and not all sports would lead to what I spoke of. Therefore, whatever comes of this and one good reason the U might not budge on it, is that point. Monetizing M athletics is not what any of the fuddy-duddies in a position to make policy like this will want it to look that way.

[Hannibal]

Are other programs going through the motions of having players lend their “Name, Image, Likeness” to an actual venture, or are they just flat our playing them?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Hannibal, I don't think there's a difference. A&M set up shell corporations it's rumored. The bottom line is to pay the athletes to get them to sign and play football for A&M. Since this is the wild west right now, there are no rules, no laws...... it's every institution for itself and some are moving A LOT FASTER than others to reap the benefits before there are rules..

[Mike]

Jeff, thanks for clarification on the Title IX point. That makes some sense but the school should be able to structure it in a way that isn’t all about revenue sports. I mean, they have a compliant athletic department and football tickets to big games run $100-$150 and you can get into a women’s basketball game by donating a can of soup.

Hannibal, one of the orgs that is paying the Texas O-line $50,000 each per year is a charity that uses their NIL to bring attention to “important local issues”. It’s quite comical actually. Hey, just send a tweet out highlighting the importance of fighting childhood obesity…. Here’s $50,000.

[THE_WIZARD_]

The SEC and Texas schools are professionals in this area. Hell the SWC was doing this shit in the 70's. In other words...you want to catch a criminal...hire a criminal...schools are going to need to create a department for this shit. Gonna have to a well planned and extremely well funded department. I say call up some former SMU administrators...

[hack]

One very important local issue for U of Texas is that last year Baylor had a much better rushing attack.

[iam416]

NIL is, I believe, anyone but the school paying the athlete for branding, autographs, etc. As the money is coming in from private parties there ought not be a Title IX issue of any import.

To the extent the University helps athletes with NIL -- e.g., if a school negotiates with Nike on behalf of their athletes for jersey sales -- then they have to offer that same service across all sports. The most likely result will be an NIL Office that serves the entire athletic department. And that will be entirely kosher.

Title IX will NOT be an issue for NIL. It'll be an issue if and when Universities get the go-ahead to directly compensate athletes.

[froot loops]

One of my favorite lines from "Red October"

"this will get out of control, .. it will get out of control, and we'll all be lucky to live thru it"

Fred Thompson knew it then and its happening now to CFB. They better institute some sort of NIL cap per team, or there's only going to be 5-10 'elite' teams in CFB, and everyone else will fall in behind that.

But, maybe that's what the NCAA wants.

The NCAA cannot do much about it. The Supreme Court laid the smack down on the prior arrangement.