Busy week for Michigan football and NIL: 'M Power' and significant deals
Michigan Wolverines football was all over the place in the NIL space this week. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights.
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M Power makes stops in Ann Arbor, Washington D.C.
Michigan’s ‘M Power’ initiative — the football program’s “brand for life venture” — met with donors in both Ann Arbor and Washington D.C. this week. The movement has been led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, linebackers coach Chris Partridge, director of player personnel Chris Bryant and others, but athletic director Warde Manuel also made an appearance, a very positive sign.
A main message the Michigan representatives have shared with donors has been for the Wolverines to “not stay idle” during the changing time of NIL. Partridge shared a message and added in an analogy in a recent meeting.
“We have to adapt right now,” Partridge said. “And if we don’t, we could fall behind. We can’t be Blockbuster Video.”
‘M Power’ has made stops in Chicago, Grand Rapids, New York, Washington D.C. and Ann Arbor. The two collectives directly involved are Champions Circle and Hail! Impact.
Wolverine Boots partners with Michigan players
Wolverine Boots, founded in Rockford, Mich., is a natural fit with Michigan football, given the name. The brand hosted Harbaugh and several players for an event in the spring and this week held a photo shoot featuring Wolverine Boots products with the following athletes:
- Senior defensive tackle Kris Jenkins
- Junior linebacker Junior Colson
- Graduate linebacker Michael Barrett
- Senior running back Blake Corum
- Senior right guard Zak Zinter
- Sophomore defensive tackle Mason Graham
- Graduate left guard Trevor Keegan
- Sophomore tight end Colston Loveland
- Graduate defensive back Mike Sainristil
- Freshman running back Benjamin Hall
Michigan players compete in Chess.com tournament
Graduate wide receiver Cornelius Johnson, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, is a smart individual. He put that on display by hosting and winning a tournament arranged by Chess.com.
Johnson plays chess on campus regularly, he revealed on an episode of ‘Those Who Stay.’
“It’s nice being in Schembechler Hall all day, but also it’s cool to sometimes get out here and meet with some other regular students who aren’t athletes and coming out here and attacking some chess games,” the Michigan receiver said. “I really started playing in middle school, during my seventh or eighth grade year, during that fall. I fractured one of my leg bones, and I was out for the season. During that time period, I was finding stuff to do to occupy my time, like playing chess with my teachers in middle school.
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“From there, I started playing for fun. I’ll be playing chess before games sometimes, just to clear my mind. As a wide receiver playing against defensive backs, it sorta is like a chess game, knowing that if you do this, they’ll react a certain way, and then you can use that to set up moves later on in the game.”
His teammates who joined him for the tournament were: sophomore running back Donovan Edwards, senior wide receiver Roman Wilson, junior offensive tackle Tristan Bounds, freshman tight end Zack Marshall, graduate linebacker Joey Velazquez, graduate offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson and wide receiver Dale Chesson, the brother of former Michigan wideout Jehu Chesson, a graduate transfer from Dartmouth.
Johnson beat Henderson in the finals.
The event also benefitted a good cause. According to Kellen Voss of WXYZ Detroit, $10,000 was donated to The Uniform Foundation Fund, which provides uniforms and gear to underprivileged athletes.
Donovan Edwards promotes NASCAR street race in Chicago
It’s race weekend in Chicago (July 1-2), with NASCAR coming to town. Edwards promoted the NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend on his Instagram story.
Several Michigan players partner with Momentous
Momentous is a brand with a plethora of products for “world-class performance and health solutions for high-performance seekers at all levels.” Several Michigan players — including freshman defensive linemen Enow Etta and Cameron Brandt, freshman kicker Adam Samaha and Hall — promoted Momentous’ creatine on their social media accounts.
