College football truly has unfettered free agency these days, but unlike the NFL, where players are locked in for specific periods of time, schools can apparently work to coerce players to one school to come to theirs at any given time.
With the potent mix of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness licensing, we’re seeing an uptick in tampering. Though programs skirt around it by going through unofficial channels, it’s becoming a problem — especially for smaller schools or ones going through coaching changes.
Michigan football is in the latter category with Jim Harbaugh leaving for the NFL. And according to The Athletic, one Wolverine was offered a substantial sum in efforts to get him to leave Ann Arbor. (subscription required)
Whispers of lucrative NIL offers for Michigan’s star players proliferated during the open transfer window. One parent of a returning starter said, on the condition of anonymity, that their son was offered roughly $1.75 million to play next season at a different school — significantly more than the player was earning at Michigan. Despite those overtures, the transfer window closed with Michigan losing only one projected contributor, safety Keon Sabb.
Michigan fared well given the circumstances. As mentioned, only one Wolverine departed: reserve safety Keon Sabb. He is a big loss, but given both starting safeties are coming back, a loss where the damage is somewhat mitigated. The challenge for new head coach Sherrone Moore will be to continue to retain his roster in an ever-evolving college landscape where just about anything goes.
Almost anything.