G.M. Sean Magee staying put, a win for Michigan 

Navy had been courting Sean Magee and others for its vacant athletic director position, and Michigan fans should have been at least a bit concerned. Magee has made it clear he holds his alma mater in high esteem, and there was no question he’d at least have to listen if the higher-ups called. 

Not surprisingly, his name was immediately listed by Navy sources as one to watch in the search. And while the Academy probably isn’t the first and won’t be the last to show interest, sources say Magee is staying at Michigan for two reasons — because head coach Sherrone Moore asked him to, and he loves U-M. 

Magee told us when he first accepted the job to return to Michigan from the Chicago Bears that he was coming back for Moore, who he held in high esteem. Moore said this spring he felt the same, impressed with the job his G.M. had done. He was instrumental in helping land quarterback Bryce Underwood, and his plan for “portal acquisition, recruiting, and the retention of our guys, as well” as he told us this winter has paid huge dividends.

“When I first got the job, it was just a thought process of forward thinking of knowing where the world is and what we have to do to be successful in this space,” Moore said. And we have to adapt — we always say, ‘adapt or die.’

“He was the first person that came to mind. I previously worked with him here. I knew the kind of work that he did when he was here and what his goals were of what he wanted to be. He was my first call for that position, and it was very easy for me to make that decision. He’s been outstanding for us and helped us in so many ways, and he’s been such an impactful player for this team and for us to build this roster.”

His NFL experience helped, he told us in a post-Signing Day video. But they had to get creative, too. That’s where his experience at both levels came into play, and it helped U-M land an outstanding 2025 class and huge help at many positions from the portal.

“One of the big things, and what we talk about with our current guys and will continue to with them and with recruits is that player evaluation and compensation in the NFL is a pretty straightforward thing.  When players get to their second contract beyond the rookie contract — so, the first time they get to be able to negotiate a contract and get to be paid the true value of what they’ve done so far in their careers — it is simply production in comps. Whatever positions they may be, what is the production they’ve had? What is the potential for future production, and what are the comps, like in any market? What are players that have similar production, what have they done, and how are they compensated?”

The problem there, he continued — there are no comps in college. They are trying to leverage off an NFL model and mindset, how an NFL roster is constructed and created, and attempting to create their own markets position by position.

“For example, the NFL has a salary cap of $255.4 million this year. A player like [Dallas quarterback] Dak [Prescott] this year — he’s the highest paid player in the league at about $60 million annually,” Magee said. “He accounts for about a quarter of that salary cap for the Cowboys. The other 52 players on the roster have to work off 75 percent of that allocation. 

“What we’ve done in the retention of showing guys what their level of production is, how that relates to an NFL allocation percentage … it’s this position at this level of production. That’s our path, or what we’ve created for a budget or cap number. It’s certainly not $255.4 million [or close], contrary to what some media reports have said.”

But there’s a lot more than there was thanks to big donors like Jolin and Larry Ellison and others, and that’s put U-M in a great spot. Between that and Magee’s experience with contracts, etc., the Wolverines have a chance to make a lot of noise in the years to come. 

“We’re trying to show the strategized systematic methodology of how we got those valuations to retain or guys and to acquire new players in, and again … we’re not just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks,” Magee said. “And I think probably a lot of programs around the country are doing that. We have strategy; we have process and discipline with it.”

That’s the Navy way and the Michigan way, too, making Magee the right guy at the right time to take U-M into college football’s new era of NIL and roster building.