MSU Hires Former Lions Front Office Executive

Michigan State Athletics announced the hiring of Jon Dykema, a former Detriot Lions executive with over 20 years of experience in NCAA and NFL front offices.

Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller watches the Spartans take on Northwestern on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in East Lansing. 221204 Msu Northwestern Bball 011a | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan State Athletics announced its hiring of Lions front office executive Jon Dykema as the executive senior associate athletic director/student-athlete management and assistant general counsel on Wednesday.

Dykema spent 14 years in the Lions’ front office, working as director of football compliance/lead football counsel by the time of his departure.

In this role, Dykema's responsibilities included overseeing the legal aspects of football operations, negotiating contracts with players and assessing the team’s salary cap management.

Dykema's role will ential the negotiating and managing of contracts for the athletic department. 

Dykema has roots in East Lansing. The executive is a Michigan State graduate, Class of 2003. While he was pursuing a degree at Michigan State, Dykema was also a student manager under Tom Izzo from 1999-2003, including the 2000 national championship season.

Dykema had college experience before joining the Lions. The Grand Rapids native spent four seasons as the director of men’s basketball operations at the University of Utah. During his tenure, the Utes made one March Madness appearance out of the Mountain West, which ended after a first-round exit.

This move for Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller signals an increased effort and investment into the NIL landscape.

According to CNBC, the Michigan State Athletic Department has the No. 22 highest valuation at $740 million, raking in over $170 million in revenue in 2024.

Dykema will have to navigate the future of revenue sharing between the athletic department and student-athletes after a federal court ruled that student-athletes are entitled to up to 22 percent of institutional revenue.

As college athletics continues to shift, many programs began to bring in experienced NFL executives to handle NIL funds.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick hired former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi as the general manager of the Tar Heels football program.

Other programs have hired former players to manage their alma mater's NIL funds. Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has taken the job of the Cardinal’s general manager. 

Even former sports journalists have gotten involved in the NIL game. After announcing his retirement from NBA news breaking in September 2024, Adrian Wojnarowski took the job of general manager for his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan NationWHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as wellWHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.