BleedGopher
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Per Marcus' Q&A:
Q: What conversations have you had with men's basketball coach Ben Johnson? How tough is it to be patient during a rebuild but wanting to see more success on the court?
A: What I really appreciate about Ben is he understands there's a sense of urgency. And we're going to do it the right way. Not for a second do I question Ben Johnson. I feel so fortunate to have an opportunity to work with him.
And what I appreciate about Ben is there is not an hour that goes by that I do not talk about NIL and the impact … He's built this program with younger kids. Those freshmen are now going to be sophomores. We have a talented freshmen class coming in. He signed some good recruits in the next couple years, so we'll continue to support him and to be patient with him.
But he clearly understands that winning is a big part of what we do here. And again, I have every bit of confidence in Coach Johnson. But we've got to build our NIL. We've got to give him the tools necessary to help him to continue to recruit.
Q: Are you concerned NIL will turn into a bidding war for the top athletes, and how do you compete if it does?
A: Yeah. NIL is not supposed to be used for recruiting. But that's what it's used for. And I'm so grateful for our coaches because we have not made false promises to kids. When we recruit, we tell kids if you have questions about NIL, you need to ask the kids on that team. And they can tell you what our NIL money looks like.
Jeremiah Carter is doing a wonderful job helping us organize our NIL and working with Dinkytown Athletes. But you're going to need NIL to be successful. It's not going away, and we've got to learn how to embrace it. And when we talk to donors and fans about it, they're trying to get their arms around it and understand what it is.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
Q: What conversations have you had with men's basketball coach Ben Johnson? How tough is it to be patient during a rebuild but wanting to see more success on the court?
A: What I really appreciate about Ben is he understands there's a sense of urgency. And we're going to do it the right way. Not for a second do I question Ben Johnson. I feel so fortunate to have an opportunity to work with him.
And what I appreciate about Ben is there is not an hour that goes by that I do not talk about NIL and the impact … He's built this program with younger kids. Those freshmen are now going to be sophomores. We have a talented freshmen class coming in. He signed some good recruits in the next couple years, so we'll continue to support him and to be patient with him.
But he clearly understands that winning is a big part of what we do here. And again, I have every bit of confidence in Coach Johnson. But we've got to build our NIL. We've got to give him the tools necessary to help him to continue to recruit.
Q: Are you concerned NIL will turn into a bidding war for the top athletes, and how do you compete if it does?
A: Yeah. NIL is not supposed to be used for recruiting. But that's what it's used for. And I'm so grateful for our coaches because we have not made false promises to kids. When we recruit, we tell kids if you have questions about NIL, you need to ask the kids on that team. And they can tell you what our NIL money looks like.
Jeremiah Carter is doing a wonderful job helping us organize our NIL and working with Dinkytown Athletes. But you're going to need NIL to be successful. It's not going away, and we've got to learn how to embrace it. And when we talk to donors and fans about it, they're trying to get their arms around it and understand what it is.
Gophers AD Mark Coyle talks growing Big Ten, his future and NIL
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle talked Tuesday about the challenges of competing in a soon-to-be 18-team Big Ten and the urgency to raise NIL money at the U.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
