New Michigan Basketball Coach May Talks NIL Philosophy After Taking Job

Wolverines basketball coach Dusty May is taking an adaptable approach to NIL in Ann Arbor

Dusty May landed the men’s basketball job at Michigan on the back of his incredible work at Florida Atlantic, which included a trip to last season’s Final Four.

Clearly, May will have more resources in Ann Arbor than he did in Coral Gables. Michigan’s NIL collectives are some of the most robust in college sports.

But even May understands that one can’t be complacent in the space. May spent time discussing his philosophy on NIL with reporters, in comments conveyed by Rivals.com.

May’s motto could be distilled down to three words — “adapt or die.”

May said that means working with collectives, as opposed to letting the collectives do the work for him.

"I have to be directly involved,” he said. “It's a partnership. We have to do this together. It's not as if the people that are giving aren't getting something in return. They are a part of our success. They should feel a part of it. In all honesty, I'm not saying it can't be done without it, but it's rare, and it's getting more difficult by the minute.”

May has already collaborated with the Champions Circle, a collective that works with Michigan athletes, on a program called ‘March with May,’ which raised $16,000 in its first seven hours.

It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a start.

Michigan’s brand is one of the biggest in college sports. Once May gets his feet on the ground he should be able to recruit off of not only the school’s name but its NIL opportunities.

For now, May’s most important job is to stop the bleeding in the transfer portal. Four Wolverines are already in, with forward Youssef Khayat having committed to Bowling Green and guard Dug McDaniel having committed to Kansas State.

Three other Wolverines are in the portal — center Tarris Reed Jr., guard George Washington III and forward Terrance Williams II.