Jim Harbaugh talks Michigan’s approach to NIL heading into the 2023 season

NIL is taking over the world of college football, and with that, the University of Michigan has been forced to adapt. Recently, with the unveiling of ‘M Power,’ Maize and Blue head coach Jim Harbaugh had a chance to break down what the future of NIL looks like for the Wolverines.

Jim Harbaugh talks Michigan’s approach to NIL and more

When NIL was first introduced, it appeared that Michigan football was behind the ball, so to speak. However, over the past few seasons, the Maize and Blue have been catching up. Even with this recent progress, the Wolverines are not sitting around and waiting for things to change — according to Jim Harbaugh, Michigan is not idle.

“There’s other people that aren’t staying idle,” Jim Harbaugh said, per the ‘M Power’ Twitter account. “We can sit here and go, ‘Hey, we’re Michigan. Let’s just be idle. We’re in a great spot.’ Other people are not idling right now. And I want you to put yourself in the shoes of – as I think of these guys as my own kids. I mean, if it’s your own kid, they go to college. Yeah, you’re gonna give them a car, right? So they can go do an internship.”

Michigan football has always had its own unique approach to NIL. The Wolverines have famously rejected the “pay for play” idea that many other programs have embraced. Instead, they prefer to focus on providing opportunities for their student-athletes once they arrive on campus.

“That’s something we want to give our players,” Harbaugh continued. “We don’t want them eating the ramen noodles. We want to be able to feed them, want to put them in a position where they can drive and get to where they need to go, just like we would do with our kids. We make sure they’re staying in a nice place.”

Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines’ proactive approach to NIL is a significant development for the University of Michigan and its football program. It demonstrates their ability to adapt to the changing landscape of the game. Currently, everything seems to be going well for Harbaugh and his staff on the recruiting trail and beyond, indicating a positive outlook for the future, especially heading into the 2023 season, where Michigan appears poised to claim a Big Ten title for the third year in a row.

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