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Michigan recruiting should take off after House Settlement becomes official

Michigan football has been cautious with its approach toward NIL with the House settlement pending and now that's out the window.
ByChris Peterson|
Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

If Michigan football fans have been wondering why the Wolverines have been taking a more cautious approach on the recruiting trail with NIL, it's because of the lingering house settlement.

On Friday night, the House Settlement was finally approved by federal judge Claudia Wilken, who has been overseeing the case. The final holdup was based on roster limits, but the settlement was approved, which will allow schools to pay players directly moving forward.

NIL will still be a thing. Yet, going forward, deals will need to be approved by a new enforcement arm (College Sports Commission). That's probably going to be murky, but the good news for Michigan football fans is that the Wolverines now know what they are working with.

Michigan football recruiting is about to take off

The Wolverines dodged a bullet earlier this week when Navy didn't hire general manager Sean Magee to be its athletic director. He was a top candidate and played a huge role in putting together the 2025 recruiting class, ranked in the top 10 by On3 and 247 Sports.

Michigan football has a lot of irons in the fire in the 2026 class. The Wolverines are near the top with numerous highly-rated targets. They are battling fellow blue-bloods in many of these recruitments, and this clarity from the House settlement will be massive.

No longer will Michigan have to be "vague" about what it will pay players. Magee has talked about having a pay structure similar to the NFL. We'll see how that works out, but as Aiden Sen, a Rivals recruiting expert said, "Michigan recruiting is about to heat up."

Brice Marich of the Michigan Insider posted that "Michigan has been preparing for this."

With official visit season picking up this weekend, it couldn't have come at a better time for the Wolverines.

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