Well, Michigan’s been cooking on the recruiting trail, with the 3rd spot in the Big 10. Behind the scenes, however, cracks are appearing. Despite last season’s struggles, Sherrone Moore landed top recruits Bryce Underwood, Andrew Babalola, and Ty Haywood. This wasn’t luck; it was strategic recruiting, spearheaded by a $350,000-a-year savant who saw the NIL landscape’s potential before most schools had their feet wet. But if he makes the move and leaves them, and Michigan doesn’t act quickly, there’s no way Moore can keep up his momentum.

Look, the former chief of staff for the Chicago Bears, who worked under Jim Harbaugh and made sure his return just makes recruiting and NIL deals easier for Sherrone Moore’s Michigan, is none other than their GM – Sean Magee. But he might leave Ann Arbor soon. As Michigan’s recruiting insider EJ Holland states, the possibility of this happening on the On3 Recruits saying, “Michigan’s in jeopardy of losing their general manager, Sean Magee, who has spearheaded the movement of modernizing Michigan’s NIL approach in terms of recruiting. Losing Sean MaGee would be detrimental for the future.”

But what makes him so desirable? Look, since the moment Sean Magee joined forces with Sherrone Moore, he worked pretty hard to put in a salary cap type of structure. To ensure that the team invests the correct value on certain positions like QBs and OTs. Even Holland stressed the same thing, saying, “They already have his plan in motion. He’s a guy with NFL experience coming over from the Chicago Bears. He’s implementing sort of a salary cap type of model — an NFL-type of model — while still getting Michigan and those around the program to pay for the bigger.”

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Do you think Michigan should increase Sean Magee's salary to prevent him from leaving?

Yes, he's crucial to their recruiting success

No, they can find someone else

Only if he commits to staying long-term

I don't care as long as the team performs well

How do you feel about Tiger Woods's decision to frequently change his swing throughout his career?

It cost him more wins

It was necessary for his longevity

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Do you agree with Brandel Chamblee's claim that Tiger Woods is the most underachieving golfer in history?

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Maybe, but his swing changes were necessary

I don't care, he's still the GOAT

How do you feel about athletes like Jade Carey committing to a university at such a young age?

It's great for long-term development

It's too much pressure too soon

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So, if not Michigan, then what’s Sean Magee’s destination? Look, there’s a high chance that he might make his move soon, as the Naval Academy is seriously considering Magee as their next AD, as per Chris Balas of The Wolverine. Now, let’s be real. Why would he make a move? Firstly, the position is big, and secondly, he is way too underpaid for the amount of work he did for Sherrone Moore and the team. Even EJ Holland highlights the same thing: “You may be losing your general manager, who is underpaid — only making $400,000. You know Michigan had Courtney Morgan on staff — he’s making north of a million, almost three times as much as Sean Magee, maybe three times as much at Alabama. So, you know, you’re underpaying Sean Magee.”

Imagine this: For the same position, other teams like Bama are paying $825,000 to Courtney Morgan, whereas Sean Magee is just getting $350,000 despite filling up Sherrone Moore’s roster with great talents. It’s really tough to replace a talent like that. Meanwhile, EJ confronted Moore and his team with a significant question, saying, “If he goes, do you pay more money? You’re not willing to invest in Sean Magee, so are you going to invest in a general manager that is adequate at running NIL and building relationships with agents and can continue this plan or formulate his own plan? Who knows if you’re underpaying at that position?”

And then comes their biggest concern this offseason. “You’re not seeing early momentum build because Michigan’s not talking exact numbers like other schools. That’s not to say they won’t talk exact numbers exactly down the line,” said Holland. But how?

Sherrone Moore’s shaky recruiting approach

Looks like Michigan is not ready to invest anymore on the NIL front after making some major pushes this season. One of their top bids still stays at Bryce Underwood with a freaking amount of $10.5 million. But now? “So their vision for the future has not changed. What is not happening right now is Michigan is not talking exact numbers with recruits on visits,” said EJ Holland of the team’s new approach towards recruitment.

Look, for this season, Sherrone Moore already did a massive recruiting haul. The team already has 24 commits with 67% of blue-chip players. But what about their future? That looks pretty shaky, as Michigan is not putting up desirable numbers for getting players onto the team. And 2026 class 4-star RB Javian Osborne is the perfect example of it. As Holland highlights, “So you look at guys like Javian Osborne who visited — you know, they didn’t get a number. Notre Dame gave them a number.”

Imagine, despite having billionaire Larry Ellison by your side, Michigan isn’t ready to invest in top recruits. And that’s not just the case for one player. “You know, you look at other guys that are visiting — Calvin Russell, you know, he’s a top 100 wide receiver —didn’t get a number. You know that one’s going to be NIL heavy; you saw Pete Nakos’ report that Michigan’s not in the top three for Jackson Cantwell —didn’t get a number. He’s going to command north of a million dollars. Schools like Miami, Georgia, and Oregon —they’re already talking numbers.”

Now, it’s pretty clear why Michigan’s 2026 class looks so thin with just 3 commits, too, with just 33% blue-chip commitments. If Sherrone Moore doesn’t pull up his recruiting game, there’s no way Michigan’s roster will be as strong as this season.