Valiant Management Group and NIL at Michigan

On May 4th,, one of the highest profile athletes in all of college basketball, Hunter Dickinson, announced that after three years at the University of Michigan, he would be transferring to play basketball for head coach Bill Self and the University of Kansas.  Dickinson’s initial decision to enter the transfer portal in March was met with some surprise.  He built a legacy in his three years at Michigan, and became a beloved figure in Ann Arbor.  

Dickinson was not shy in his announcement as to a major reason he was transferring NIL opportunities.  Despite being arguably perhaps the most high profile athlete at a major Division I Power 5 Institution, Dickinson cited that he was transferring because he wasn’t making enough money from NIL at Michigan, less than $100k to be exact.  Meanwhile at Kansas, four players on the basketball team reportedly made six figures last year, with star player, Jalen Wilson, reportedly making over $700k.  So what exactly went wrong at the University of Michigan?

High profile football players at the University of Michigan like JJ McCarthy and Blake Corum have done quite well with NIL earnings.  Blake Corum decided to return to the University of Michigan for his senior season following a year where he reportedly made over $1 million.  Warde Manuel, athletic director at Michigan has made it abundantly clear that he wants to provide athletes with opportunities to utilize their Name, Image, and Likeness, but is against giving athletes money for simply playing a sport.  Many institutions utilize NIL collectives that are “structurally independent of a school, yet fund NIL opportunities for the school's student-athletes. They are typically founded by well-known alumni and supporters of the school”.  Michigan has put itself in somewhat of a vulnerable position by not utilizing collectives like some other major schools.  It wasn’t until the end of March 2023 that a new Michigan NIL collective ‘Hail! Impact’ launched, with the collective’s goal is to raise $5 million for football players, with hopes of expanding to other sports programs.

However, one Ann Arbor based company is doing their best to provide Michigan athletes with NIL Deals, while still complying with the guidelines that Manuel has put in place. 

Valiant Management Group is an Ann Arbor based company that works with Michigan student-athletes in order to “maximize earning potential for all student-athletes while ensuring compliance with the university’s highest standards.”  Essentially, they are an agency for Michigan athletes, and help to connect athletes with real partnerships and opportunities to make money.  Unlike a collective, it is more of a middle man for creating deals.  

Valiant has orchestrated huge deals for some Michigan athletes such as a Bose Partnership with Quarterback JJ McCarthy and a Degree partnership with Linebacker Junior Colson.  Hunter Dickinson, in a recent interview with Michigan insider praised Valiant for trying to help Michigan athletes as much as possible. Valiant has abided by Warde Manuel’s requests, and attempted to provide student athletes with firm opportunities to utilize their NIL through marketing partnerships, signing events, and apparel.  However in the case of Dickinson, it appears that there is still a gap to be made up. 

The example of Hunter Dickinson’s comments about the state of NIL at Michigan are emblematic of a problem that the NIL landscape is facing.  Some institutions are willing to go all in and encourage the creation and action of collectives for unofficial recruiting purposes, while other institutions like the University of Michigan have taken more of a conservative approach.  By all accounts, Valiant has done an excellent job of bridging the gap of NIL at Michigan, and should be praised.  However, plain and simple, athletes want to get paid, and clearly, some Michigan athletes are unsatisfied. 

To learn more about Valiant Management Group and NIL at Michigan, check out the CleanKonnect NIL Certification Course.