Michigan head coach Dusty May on NIL: 'Adapt or die'
It's been a busy first few weeks on the job for Michigan Basketball head coach Dusty May. All reports suggest May has been grinding away as he works to build his first staff, make roster moves in the transfer portal, connect with recruits, and build the foundation of his program.
One crucial pillar to May's program at Michigan will be NIL. A topic from the moment he was hired, May shared his thoughts on NIL and Michigan with Jake Butt in a recent Champions Circle interview posted to YouTube.
Butt asked May about the quote he gave, saying he dedicates "20-30% of his time to NIL" May said that might be an exaggeration, but not when you consider every conversation you have involves NIL.
"It's a daily effort," said May. "Every single recruiting call, every Zoom, one of the three main factors always ends up being NIL. I do embrace it. I struggle with the transactional nature of it being the most important thing."
May still wants his program and his players to care about everything else that matters when it comes to playing at Michigan. He knows NIL will be part of the conversation and understands why it is important to players.
"When these players look and see how much coaches make they naturally want a bigger piece of the pie. They deserve more than what they were getting. It's such an unregulated market. I do want all the players that play for us to be taken care of."
When it comes to Michigan and NIL, it is no secret what the narrative has been around the university, specifically the basketball program. With May understanding its priority, many asked if there were assurances made by Michigan or its Athletic Department. For May it's not about what exists, it's about what can be built.
"I knew how much people love this university and want Michigan to be the best at everything. There wasn't any type of guarantees or assurances. There were discussions. I believe because of the alignment, because of the potential, because of the landscape we are in, the power of this university. It could be done."
And May isn't expecting others to do the work for him, and he knows he has to put in the work. Not only that, failing or succeeding depends on it.
"I have to be directly involved. It's a partnership. We have to do this together. It's not as if the people that are giving aren't getting something in return. They are a part of our success. They should feel a part of it. In all honesty, I'm not saying it can't be done without it, but it's rare, and it's getting more difficult by the minute. You adapt or die."
May also shared the perspective that, if you want to impact the money that can be made from name, image, and likeness, the easiest way to do that is to be marketable. That may be as simple as starting with the team being entertaining to watch, something May has said. For May, it's a complete process. Players take those opportunities, not just to earn, but to develop other skills that will benefit them when they leave Ann Arbror.
"Our athletes are going to be marketable. They are going to have real NIL deals, business opportunities, promotional opportunities, and those things are unbelievably productive for later in their lives."
May has already begun work with NIL, like collobarting with Champions Circle for the March With May program and content like this interview. May has also been meeting with boosters and donors, as well as local businesses, as he creates the relationships and lays the groundwork for what he hopes will be a strong NIL foundation as he builds his program at Michigan.
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