College recruiting in the NIL era is no less than a business deal. While many recruits still look for the coach, the team, the legacy, and what nots, it’s no longer a secret that when the schools present their best bets, the decision is in the hands of an incoming young talent to agree or not. In the midst of these discussions is the name of a top recruit out of Belleville High School– Bryce Underwood. The QB, in January last year, verbally committed to LSU and Brian Kelly. However, there came a little road bump on his way to Baton Rouge.stars on his roster.
Top-tier signees like five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, and top-100 prospects Ty Haywood, Nate Marshall, and Shamari Earls have all landed in Ann Arbor on the back of lucrative NIL deals. In fact, Babalola holds the third-highest NIL valuation on Michigan’s roster, with $711k. Being the “haves” program and flexing its financial might, one would expect Michigan’s Champions Circle collective to feature among the elite group of programs. However, as the latest rankings stand, they are nowhere to be seen in the top names, raising suspicions.
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Crain & Company discussed the top 10 richest NIL collectives over the weekend, which surprisingly – and suspiciously – misses Michigan. Topping the list is 1870 Society & The Foundation, which supports Ohio State. Their top prospect is obviously Jeremiah Smith, who is getting a yearly payout of $4 million at the moment. But Michigan’s $12 million on Bryce Underwood alone did not show up on the list. Their absence led the hosts to raise questions.
Step 1 of 8
Quiz of the day
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Which college football program is paying Bryce Underwood $12 million, making it a notable example of NIL influence?
LSU
Alabama
Ohio State
Michigan
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Jake Crain asked, “This surprises though, right? How is Michigan not on this list?”
That’s when his co-host David Cone responded, “Well that’s one thing I wanna talk about. Apparently, Michigan spent what, $12 million on just one quarterback, and they can’t crack into the top 10? That’s why I’m not buying any of this. I’m not believing any of this list. It’s all gonna reshuffle before the fall camp starts,” said David Cone. He also joked, “Portnoy is probably going to get on the phone and say, ‘Look, we gotta pump these numbers up.’” David Portnoy, owner of Barstool Sports, is a member of the collective that funds Michigan.
Moreover, Cone believes Michigan is not giving away any details on how much funding they have received and are trying not to get much attention to that aspect of their recruitment. The workings of NIL rights and compensation are still not fully known to the public. NIL collectives, which run the show, have various ways of sourcing funds. They’re set up with the agenda of providing ‘opportunities’ for college athletes.
During the conversation, Jake Crain pointed out that if Michigan gave Underwood “that amount of money, you have got more money.” Bryce Underwood’s much-talked-about recruitment campaign is a textbook example of NIL-influenced ones. He was getting $1.5 million at LSU yearly. And then, Michigan drops a mic-drop package of $12 million, and Underwood happily jumped ship from LSU. His campaign, which featured the presence of the shunned-upon Connor Stalions, was funded by the Champions Circle Collective.
Cone added, “I just think they’re doing a good job of, ‘Hey, just going about our business, chopping wood, don’t put us on any top 10 list, just going about our business.” This prompted Jake Crain to throw some shade at Michigan, saying, “If anybody can hide something, it’s Michigan.”
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How does Michigan spend $12 million on a QB and still miss the top NIL rankings?
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This could be a reference to Michigan’s infamous sign-stealing scandal as well as the program’s alleged recruiting violation. Meanwhile, their recruitment of Underwood was powered by billionaire Larry Ellison, who has a net worth of a whopping $230 billion, and his wife, Jolin. Michigan is Jolin’s alma mater, and she’s extremely “passionate” about the school’s athletics.
Meanwhile, another key force behind Michigan’s changed outlook on NIL is Sherrone Moore.
The Sherrone Moore era is changing the mindset about NILs at Michigan
HC Moore, unlike Nick Saban, doesn’t seem to hold too much against NILs. “It’s part of football now, it’s part of college football,” he told the press last year. Although Moore seconded his support for former HC Jim Harbaugh’s ‘transformational over transactional’ motto, he has opened the gates wider for the latter part of it, given how NILs have become the norm in college athletics.
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One of Champions Circle’s top campaigns, ‘Those Who Stay,’ was directed at retaining the program’s elite players. That’s why guys like Mason Graham and Will Johnson chose to stay at Ann Arbor when they were planning to enter the transfer portal last spring. Former players were also appreciative about the uptick in the NIL efforts pursued by the front office.
“It was like one year we weren’t getting paid and one year we were all getting paid a good amount,” former TE Colson Loveland said at the combine. “I think it’s just a blessing how NIL works,” he added. Graham, too, noted the change. “I feel like they really stepped it up. They saw the other schools really excelling more than they would like to, but I feel like they kind of stepped it up in these recent years.”
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“[It] isn’t just always financial, it’s putting guys in position, whether it’s internships or different things, to make sure you can have a goal that you want to do, and football is not here forever. What can we do to help you to accomplish that goal? So that supports a big piece of it, too,” Moore said. He’s one of the few coaches who seems to have changed their mindsets about how NIL controls college football now.
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Michigan is ranked as the 6 richest program in college football, and is valued at $16.3 million, according to NCAA estimates. Michigan has money, even if Moore tries to be modest about it. If the program can afford the recruiting class’s best player at $12 million, it is believable there’s much more where that comes from.
With a chase of six months, a FaceTime with Michigan alum Tom Brady, conversations with former mastermind analyst Connor Stalions, and a promise of $12M over four years, Underwood did not flinch when he took his pen to sign for HC Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines. He, in fact, very openly accepted that his flip to Ann Arbor from Baton Rouge was “a family thing, a business aspect.” Reportedly, LSU was offering Bryce $1.5M/ year. But that deal gets doubled with Michigan. But while he was the highlight of the off season back in late November, Moore has more prized stars on his rosterCrain & Company discussed the top 10 richest NIL collectives over the weekend, which surprisingly – and suspiciously – misses Michigan. Topping the list is 1870 Society & The Foundation, which supports Ohio State. Their top prospect is obviously Jeremiah Smith, who is getting a yearly payout of $4 million at the moment. But Michigan’s $12 million on Bryce Underwood alone did not show up on the list. Their absence led the hosts to raise questions.
