Michigan Football Recruiting: Impact of the Sean Magee Hire on NIL
Michigan football made official the hire of General Manager Sean Magee on Wednesday. Magee worked for Michigan from 2017-22 before joining the Chicago Bears as their Chief of Staff the previous two years. According to Michigan's press release, "Magee will oversee all aspects of the recruiting and player personnel departments as well as coordinate the program’s NIL initiatives."
Simply put, this is a huge hire for Michigan football. Not only is Magee very good at his job, but this shows that the Athletic Department is finally starting to come around on NIL. With the rise of NIL, the general manager role has become more popular around the NCAA, and Michigan is the latest to join in on the trend.
Coupled with other positive NIL trends, such as the partnership with Altius Sports Partners, Michigan is finally looking like it's moving towards becoming competitive with NIL. There is no reason that Michigan football should be lagging behind in NIL. It has one of the most powerful alumni networks in the world and isn't lacking donors.
Magee is going to work very closely with the Athletic Department, which should be another huge win for Michigan football. Having someone dedicated to NIL constantly meeting with the AD should create more support for NIL across the university.
Sean Magee was a huge hire for Sherrone Moore
Magee was very close to signing a deal with the Oklahoma Sooners to be their GM, but Sherrone Moore stepped in just in time with an offer to bring Magee back to Ann Arbor, according to ON3. I say that to emphasize that Magee is a very strong hire. If an SEC school that's embracing NIL was going after Magee, that should tell you that he means business.
So what do I think Magee will do for the university? A lot. All indications are that Magee is a very highly respected, hard working individual who will get the job done right. He understands the world of NIL and that this is how college football works now. Having him work alongside the Athletic Department should garner more support for NIL, and hopefully bring Michigan closer to the NIL powerhouse it should be.
I expect that Magee will create real plans for how to allocate money between recruits and current players, and expect that he will be leading the charge to create more opportunities for recruits. Whether or not you're a fan of pay for play, the reality is that the college landscape has shifted. Magee will understand that, and hopefully succeed in giving Michigan the chance to recruit at an elite level.
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To sum up, Magee will have a huge impact over the next few years. Yes, coaches understand NIL and have been telling the AD for years to boost their funding. However, having a dedicated manager to oversee NIL alongside the program as a whole should be far more successful. Only time will tell, but I foresee Michigan competing with the best of them in terms of NIL over the next couple of years.