On3:Michigan coaches Kyle Whittingham, Dusty May weigh in state of NIL dickdastardly March 27th, 2026 at 11:15 AM Log in or register to post comments March 27th, 2026 at 11:15 AM https://www.on3.com/teams/michigan-wolverines/news/michigan-coaches-kyle-whittingham-dusty-may-weigh-in-state-of-nil-rev-share-it-needs-a-complete-revamping/Summary of the article: In a recent On3 piece, Michigan Wolverines head football coach Kyle Whittingham and men’s basketball coach Dusty May both voiced strong concerns that the current NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and revenue-sharing system in college sports is unsustainable and “needs a complete revamping.”Whittingham, speaking in an exclusive On3 interview, called the situation out of control and predicted that by the 2027 recruiting cycle, several programs will have 50 million-plus rosters. He said the model requires a full overhaul with guardrails, suggesting something resembling an “NFL Minor League” with a salary cap as a starting point.May, speaking at Sweet 16 media availability in Chicago, took a more introspective tone. He said coaches and administrators failed the sport for years by letting things reach this point and now have a responsibility to fix it so the system is “equitable and fair for everyone.” He also questioned whether the new revenue-sharing number (from the House vs. NCAA settlement) will actually function as any real cap. The article notes that under the new revenue-sharing model at Michigan, roughly 75 of the funds go to football, with the rest primarily to men’s and women’s basketball. Both coaches agree the lack of clear structure, enforcement, and spending limits makes the current path unsustainable—even for resource-rich programs like Michigan. Overall, the coaches emphasize that the system needs major structural changes rather than minor tweaks. MGoBoard Football Comments bluebyyou March 27th, 2026 at 11:32 AM ^ How do you fix a system using common guidelines when you have so much disparity between teams in a conference and between conferences themselves without doing a complete realignment of teams largely based on resources?After what Michigan endured a few years ago, I have no allegiance to the B1G at this point and the NCAA is simply worthless and antiquated .Others may disagree but I'd almost prefer an entity comprised of a couple of dozen teams similar to how the NFL is structured in terms of divisions and conferences with a playoff system designed like the NFL. This would make division and conference games meaningful again and provide a quality product on the field as well as possibly lending itself to unionization because there would be a high level of parity among teams.Amateurism is done, and while I resisted the change for quite some time, I now believe that those who do the heavy lifting on the field need to be rewarded, each according to his/her ability. Joined: 09/07/2009 MGoPoints: 23664 In reply to How do you fix a system by bluebyyou ingozfatherwetrust March 27th, 2026 at 11:39 AM ^ You can’t in a traditional sense. Instead you need to implement a promotion/relegation system that naturally separates leagues based on spending. You also need meaningful contract structures that force teams to buy players off of smaller programs rather than just taking the players. The transfer market is a bigger issue right now IMO Joined: 10/17/2017 MGoPoints: 389 In reply to You can’t in a traditional by ingozfatherwetrust mgoja March 27th, 2026 at 11:54 AM ^ For football I’d love to see four divisions of roughly 32 teams each with relegation. Essentially 4 mini NFLs. Would give lots more teams more to play for late in the year and keep fan interest very high. Joined: 11/29/2022 MGoPoints: 6091 In reply to You can’t in a traditional by ingozfatherwetrust UM85 March 27th, 2026 at 7:12 PM ^ At some point, players will need to become employees of the schools and belong to a union. Collective bargaining would then be part of a solution. Some form of revenue sharing, spending cap, spending floor would need to be baked in. And firing Tony Petitti into the moon. How this possibly gets done, who knows? But I'm not sure how else you can get the contents back into Pandora's Box. Joined: 10/24/2017 MGoPoints: 13996 In reply to How do you fix a system by bluebyyou UgLi Eric March 27th, 2026 at 11:51 AM ^ If we can unanimously agree that using Iphones to in-person scout is not a competitive disadvantage for poorer school, we will be off to a good start. Then we can approach peace in the B1G Midwest, or was it the mideast, I'm confused as to which is more pressing. Joined: 10/09/2016 MGoPoints: 22368 In reply to How do you fix a system by bluebyyou MGlobules March 27th, 2026 at 12:39 PM ^ I see that this is the trend--dictated by the laws of a market that will always make the rich richer unless constrained (see Karl Polanyi). But while a super-league may bring more competitive/appealing matchups, think about what that looks like to everyone outside the construct. NCAA football already pulls much smaller viewing audience than the NFL; how do you think that a more or less acknowledged minor league fares? Maybe better than minor league baseball or previous alternate pro leagues did, but. . . lot of people outside looking in, not necessarily with great interest. After an initial flush of interest, I think that it just might become a pretty marginal construct, if only 30 teams are playing and all the other unis are consigned to the shadows. (Speaking anecdotally, I watch much less football nowadays than I used to, mostly confining myself to Michigan games. If my school weren't playing. . . .) Joined: 11/17/2008 MGoPoints: 63455 blueheron March 27th, 2026 at 11:43 AM ^ Semi-serious suggestion, easy to say for a fan (me) of a school with some degree of money cannon:Set the cap high enough so that OSU and certain SEC schools can't effectively outspend everyone else through rule bending / breaking. (Side note: OSU threw out its fake 20M number last year for a reason.)The bag men of old for the big-cheating schools can raise a certain amount of money yearly. If that's greater than the cap value, you can be sure that it will find its way to players as it did in the pre-NIL days.If it means that poorer Group of Five (and some Power Five) schools get outspent, I can live with that. :) Joined: 03/26/2009 MGoPoints: 49395 In reply to Semi-serious suggestion, by blueheron Dunder March 27th, 2026 at 12:16 PM ^ It seems, almost certain, that the schools will have to move to agreement on caps and contract structures with some sort of emerging representation for players. After all, that has been the arc for sports league's over time in an environment where the only initial leverage individual player's have ever had is their free agency. This would have to come from the shared revenue (tv dollars, private equity etc... .)In turn, I'm skeptical there is any legal way to control NIL spending by boosters/collectives etc... . If somebody wants to give someone millions of sponsorship dollars for their activity (as little or as much as the contract demands), what can preclude that which stands up in a court of law? So, in effect, does this return us to the old structural imbalances (bag men in more transparent clothing) but at least now all the players will get paid a little something? Joined: 09/04/2010 MGoPoints: 13725 Blue Vet March 27th, 2026 at 11:44 AM ^ Assuming they're right—and I think they are—how will coaches and administrators take that responsibility.Again, many of those coaches and administrators thrived by ignoring the problems, or exploiting them, or simply cheating. Joined: 05/08/2012 MGoPoints: 93003 In reply to Assuming they're right—and I by Blue Vet Bo Harbaugh March 27th, 2026 at 3:13 PM ^ People will continue to cheat until the punishment for doing so outweighs the benefits, specifically in an industry where the ethics and morality of such behavior are in a very grey area.Was it more ethical when college football players received just a scholarship and some side/under the table to play while coaches, universities, merch and gaming companies made billions?- I’d argue no. Current paradigm indeed unsustainable and an overcorrection to the old model, but we’re also not going back to the era where Bubba’s car dealership of Tuscaloosa and Columbus car washes are funding all Nationsl Title contenders. Joined: 08/03/2019 MGoPoints: 59713 PopeLando March 27th, 2026 at 12:10 PM ^ [Rant, informed by long years of trying to get corporate strategists to think long-term:]You cannot disrupt a business model with the same people who built the current business model. ESPECIALLY if those people have spent decades repressing/blackballing any kind of dissent. The people we need, the ones who can truly innovate, they were drummed out of college athletics administration a long time ago.Most people lack imagination: they don’t believe something is possible until it’s already happened. That’s ok, it’s pretty much human nature, but it means that the folks currently/previously in charge of college athletics are probably incapable of innovation. Ask them what the solution should be, you’ll get umpteen variations on the previous system.The problem will not be solved by the current generation of leaders who got fabulously wealthy via exploiting unpaid labor. Given any kind of choice in the matter, they will return us to the prior way of doing business. We saw this with the private equity deal: administrators who made financing deal after financing deal with their buddies got into a liquidity crisis, and their solution was to sell their institutions’ assets, at a pittance, to keep the gravy train rolling.I don’t know what the right solution is, other than “some form of NFL-esque contract-and-cap system.” But one thing I’m absolutely sure about is that the first person who suggests a truly equitable alternative is gonna be vilified.Because AFAICT, most people don’t want an equitable solution, they want an exploitable solution. [end rant, and apologies. Dusty and Whit are both correct] Joined: 08/01/2015 MGoPoints: 116706 In reply to [Rant, informed by long by PopeLando potomacduc March 27th, 2026 at 3:08 PM ^ Putting it another way, by the time anyone gets to the point where they have the influence or authority required to make changes, they are so invested in the status quo that they are unlikely to make changes. Joined: 03/18/2009 MGoPoints: 4209 Roy G. Biv March 27th, 2026 at 12:25 PM ^ Without intending any disrespect, why would more money go to women's bball than hockey? Maybe I am out of the loop, but haven't football, hockey and men's bball always been the front window displays for M athletics? Joined: 09/03/2010 MGoPoints: 9286 In reply to Without intending any by Roy G. Biv blueheron March 27th, 2026 at 1:34 PM ^ Same here on the question (and respectfulness). If funds aren't unlimited, it would be reasonable to spend more money on the revenue sports, right? (Not sure what all the revenue numbers are offhand, but obviously football is 1.) I'm reminded of the baseball complaints from a couple of days ago. Joined: 03/26/2009 MGoPoints: 49395 In reply to Without intending any by Roy G. Biv OwenGoBlue March 27th, 2026 at 4:03 PM ^ Hockey still may be getting more total resources through donors/NIL. Joined: 04/03/2016 MGoPoints: 18 In reply to Hockey still may be getting by OwenGoBlue Roy G. Biv March 27th, 2026 at 7:13 PM ^ Good point Joined: 09/03/2010 MGoPoints: 9286 Oldadguy March 27th, 2026 at 1:02 PM ^ Go full pro: set up an oversight body with commissioner voted on by the Power 5 AD's not chancellors. Allow the players to form a union. Set a salary cap and calendar. Said body negotiates a master broadcast rights deal. Go Joined: 05/14/2015 MGoPoints: 5990 GoBlue96 March 27th, 2026 at 1:31 PM ^ In case you were wondering, Izzo is still obsessed with Dusty May. This from today:Tom Izzo, when asked today if he could make one rule change, what would it be: I'm in for paying players, just not what it's going to. I'm really against the tampering that's going on. Joined: 07/01/2008 MGoPoints: 76332 In reply to In case you were wondering, by GoBlue96 Blue Vet March 27th, 2026 at 4:00 PM ^ Tom's so small. How does he have room for Dusty to live inside him? Joined: 05/08/2012 MGoPoints: 93003 maizedNblued March 27th, 2026 at 2:17 PM ^ A cap? That's laughable - it will just go back to giving money under the table. None of this solves the problem that has been unchecked and happening for DECADES. Compliance departments are administrators and receive compensation based on the success of their programs - how is that not a conflict of interest? Until the NCAA solves that problem - people will continue to push boundaries and break rules. Joined: 11/25/2009 MGoPoints: 2594 sambora114 March 27th, 2026 at 2:44 PM ^ Great summary, thank you Joined: 02/18/2012 MGoPoints: 2810
March 28, 2026