Michigan State to Hire Lions Director of Football Compliance Jon Dykema

Lions lose another key member of front office.

Fans line up outside of Gate A of Ford Field before the NFC divisional round between Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are losing another member of their front office.

Michigan State University is hiring Jon Dykema as its executive senior associate athletic director/student-athlete management and assistant general counsel. Dykema was previously the Lions' Director of Football Compliance/Lead Football Counsel.

According to ESPN, Dykema's new role at Michigan State will involve negotiating and managing athletic contracts. Dykema had been with the Lions in a variety of roles since 2011, having held the Director of Football Compliance title since 2022.

Before that, Dykema was the team's manager of football administration and lead counsel from 2016-21, interim general counsel in 2015 and staff counsel from 2011-14.

Sources: Michigan State is set to hire Jon Dykema of the Detroit Lions as the executive senior associate AD/student-athlete management and assistant general counsel. Dykema will handle negotiating and managing contracts for Athletics. He was the Lions Director of Football… pic.twitter.com/gzhY67zPjd

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 19, 2025

Per the team website, Dykema's role as director of compliance and lead football counsel includes, "Overseeing the legal aspects of the club's football operation, negotiating player contracts, assisting with the club's salary cap planning and management, helping to direct analytics initiatives and coordinating with the league office regarding CBA compliance, player contracts and grievances.

"He also advises the coaching staff on playing rule interpretations and changes, penalty trends and replay reviews. On the business side of the organization, Dykema functions as the club's privacy officer for HIPAA compliance and helps manage the organization's government relations strategies and policies."

His experience in working with contracts will be valuable at the collegiate level due to the ever-changing atmosphere of Name, Image and Likeness and the effects it has already had on college athletics.

Dykema also spent four years as the University of Utah's men's basketball director of operations. He is a Michigan State alum, graduating in 2003, and earned juris doctorate and MBA degrees from Akron.

He also served as a student manager for the MSU men's basketball team throughout his undergraduate years and was a part of two Final Four runs and the 2000 national championship team.

Dykema was admitted to the Utah State Bar in 2010 and had been certified by the Michigan State Bar to practice law with the Lions.

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