The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2023 BY CHRIS BALAS P ay for play in college football has been around for years — far too long, if you ask the pro- grams trying to handle recruit- ing by the rules — and it hasn't gone away. The new name, image and likeness (NIL) rules have allowed the programs engaging in those practices to continue them under the guise of NIL. And while the NCAA has vowed to crack down, they've generally been nothing but empty promises over the last several decades. Jim Harbaugh and his football staff have overcome those obstacles to win two straight Big Ten titles and are the favorite to capture a third this year. While NIL has made it even more diffi- cult to compete in this climate, the Michi- gan head coach has refused to budge on his "transformational, not transactional" policy to draw top-notch recruits who aren't just looking for a check. Enter "M Power," a football-specific program announced by Michigan June 12 as a "Brand for Life program, designed to assist the next generation of Wolverine football players as they navigate intern- ships, mentorships, entrepreneurship and NIL." The program describes itself as a "new venture created to assist student-athletes as they develop personal brands, build and navigate business ventures and pur- sue opportunities through Name, Image and Likeness." M Power — Brand for Life is intended to further the mission of the Michigan football program in a number of discrete ways to help players develop as winners in life, not just on the football field. Harbaugh and local entrepreneur and Michigan grad John Rotche, linebackers coach Chris Partridge, former Wolverine fullback Jared Wangler of Valiant's Cham- pions Circle collective, among others, even hit the road in June and July to drum up support from potential donors. They held a series of exclusive gather- ings in Chicago, Grand Rapids, Los Ange- les, New York, Ann Arbor and Washing- ton, D.C., to share insights on the 2023 football season and discuss the launch of this player development program. "At Michigan football, we believe strongly in helping our student-athletes become the best version of themself on and off the field," Harbaugh said in a video announcing the launch. "While we strive for championships on the field today, we feel the same strong obligation to com- pete to be and develop the strongest lead- ers of tomorrow. "We want to further our mission by ex- panding the tools, resources and experi- ences required to help our players flourish throughout their lives. Our goal is to part- ner with our greatest supporters to help build, promote and protect the players' personal brands." NIL will be a big part of that, and it's the most important element to allow Michi- gan to compete with both those doing it legally and those who continue to wander into gray areas. "The best way to look at it is: M Power is Michigan football's NIL program," Rotche told The Athletic. He went on to explain that it's not a collective and it doesn't collect or distribute money for LEVELING THE FIELD Michigan Football Hopes New 'M Power' Program Will Bring Its NIL Game Up Another Notch The Michigan football program launched its in-house NIL and player development program 'M Power' June 12 with a multi-city road show featuring (left to right) Champions Circle co-founder Jared Wangler, U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh, Champions Circle director Anna Britnell, U-M director of high school relations Chris Bryant, linebackers coach Chris Partridge, and entrepreneur and U-M alumnus John Rotche. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS