Michigan Athletic Director Gives More Detail on New NIL Model 

Last week, a U.S. district judge granted preliminary approval to the House v. NCAA lawsuit for a settlement worth about $2.8 billion.

Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel followed up with a letter to address the announcement and give fans an idea of what it will change in Ann Arbor.

Manuel offered a more in-depth look into Michigan’s plans on the Conqu’ring Heroes Podcast on Tuesday.

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Warde Manuel Discusses How New NIL Rules Impact Michigan

A roster limit is one of the most groundbreaking changes coming to the NCAA.

Before, schools had a set amount of scholarships they could give out and unlimited roster spots. Under the new rules, every athlete on a roster will have a scholarship.

Manuel said the goal is to continue to be able to support every existing varsity sports team. 

“Right now we provide about 360 scholarships,” Manuel said. “If we fully fund all 780 scholarships, we’re almost doubling what we pay now in scholarship costs, which would take us up another $30 million on top of the $20-22 million we would be paying in revenue share. That’s where in the letter I talked about the $50 million number. We don’t have that to do (that) right now.”

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Manuel Asking Fans for Feedback

The former Wolverine football player and now U-M athletic director Manuel said Michigan will survey its fans to get a feel for what they think would help the athletic program moving forward. He also mentioned a specific revenue stream that Michigan has always shied away from. 

“One that stands out, and again there’s no commitment to doing it, is in our stadium, in Michigan Stadium,” Manuel said. “We have prided ourselves, we’ve had a history of no signage, no advertising in Michigan Stadium. As our fans go to other locations, they’ll see how people have utilized their stadiums to bring in revenue.

“Now, the good news is we have a source that is untapped at this point in time. Not that we have plans right now to do that, but that’s one of the sensitive questions we want to get our fans to (weigh in on). How would you like to see us develop revenue streams that would support our student-athletes? Is it ticket price increase? Is it through corporate sponsorship? Is it through looking at other premium options that other’s have? Those kinds of things.”

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