Juwan Howard on NIL: ‘Michigan as a whole — we can do better’

On3 imageby:Chris Balas08/11/22

Balas_Wolverine

It’s no secret that Michigan appears to be playing from behind when it comes to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Coaches and others, in fact, have expressed some frustration — mainly privately — about the lack of direction while other schools have brazenly used NIL as open season for pay for play. 

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As reported in a recent Inside the Fort:

“That led to an intense meeting between several coaches and key members of the A.D. a few months back, folks who were present tell us. They openly questioned where the support was. They wanted to know where the help was coming from, and when. And …. what the plan was going forward. 

“Pointed questions were asked, and the answers weren’t satisfying.

Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard didn’t confirm he was one of them. He did, however, nod emphatically when asked if he’d voiced his concerns to the powers that be. 

Asked at a Thursday press conference if he felt NIL had changed the way he and his staff recruited, he didn’t hesitate.

“NIL is one of these things where it has helped some programs, what they’ve done in the transfer portal,” he said. “For us, NIL hasn’t hurt the team when it comes to recruiting or the transfer portal. Have the conversations of NIL been brought up in recruiting [though]? Yes, they have. Would I like to see more done for the program in the sense of some of the things that happened with other basketball programs? Yes.”

He knew his words would likely make headlines, but it was important enough to him to share.  

“I know it’s going to be a storyline, and that’s okay,” Howard said. “Do we have a collective here? No. Do other programs have collectives? Yes. Could we be more proactive with NIL and be more forward thinking? Yes.”

Howard and Michigan coaches are doing their part, but need help

Howard made sure to include himself in the ‘we.’ There’s only so much he and the other coaches can do, however. And everything we’ve heard is that he and his staff have embraced NIL and wants more for his players. 

Like Howard, football coach Jim Harbaugh, too, has advocated for his players. He’s cited use of the block ‘M’ and other opportunities in the past. At the same time, he wants the football experience to be “transformational, not transactional,” he’s said repeatedly. 

Secondary coach/co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale talked Thursday about what that meant. While some kids will leave with a few extra comments or zeroes in their bank accounts, he said, the goal at Michigan was to prepare kids for life and as men in addition to getting them paid. That includes developing them on and off the field in preparation for the NFL. 

It helps that they’re now able to get out and see the kids and preach their message in person, Clinkscale noted. And there is the Champions Circle collective that’s picking up steam, led by former player Jared Wangler and Regent Jordan Acker. 

Overall, though, Michigan is still lagging. 

“Our athletic department, as far as Michigan as a whole — we can do better,” Howard said. 

And he’s hopeful they will in the months to come. They need to in order to help Michigan compete with those who hit the ground running.

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