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The landscape of college athletics seemingly changes by the day in the new era of NIL, revenue sharing, and transfer portal recruiting. As a result, schools have searched for new, creative ways to stay at the forefront of the times.
An increasingly common example is programs – particularly football and men’s basketball – hiring full-time general managers to handle the substantial financial element of roster management.
Nebraska football, for example, recently hired former New England Patriots director of pro personnel Pat Stewart as its G.M. The significance of that role was further reflected in Stewart’s $800,000 salary with the Huskers.
As NU’s basketball program enters a critical offseason of transfer portal recruiting, has Fred Hoiberg considered adding a G.M. of his own? The answer is a bit complicated.
The difference for the Huskers compared to other peer programs is that Hoiberg served as an assistant G.M. and then V.P. of Basketball Operations with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2006-10.
Hoiberg admits that today’s world of roster additions and retention has added much more responsibility to his already full plate. While Nebraska explores potential staff expansion in that regard, Hoiberg is comfortable leaning on his past experience.
“We’ve talked about different things and adding positions to our staff,” Hoiberg told HuskerOnline. “We’ve got 1890, which has been very helpful in a similar role with that. Being a former GM, I’ve worked negotiations and that type of thing, so I think that experience in that role – which I never thought would help me as a college coach, but it has.
“Talking to agents that we worked with in the NBA, there’s a lot of the same agents that you’re dealing with now that we dealt with in contract negotiations in the NBA… Believe me, I get it. It’s as big of a part of our job as anything. Again, personal relationships have helped and will continue to help with some of the kids that we’re talking to.”
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Where will Nebraska stand when the revenue-sharing era begins?
Whether it’s Hoiberg and his current staff or a full-time G.M. taking the lead, there’s no denying that money has changed the game.
Finding concrete dollar figures for NIL budgets is nearly impossible. Still, there’s enough information out there to at least get an idea of where teams stand nationally and within the Big Ten Conference.
HuskerOnline sources have projected Nebraska had somewhere between $2-2.5 million this season. Based on what sources at other programs have said, that ended up near the bottom third of the conference.
NU should see a substantial bump in that total this summer once the rev share money goes into effect. As of today, the Huskers could be around $5-6 million after NIL and its projected rev share allocation of roughly $3.5 million.
However, every other Big Ten team will see a significant boost as well. Indiana, for example, was reportedly already working with nearly $6 million in 2024-25. With new head coach Darian DeVries on board, sources in Bloomington think that total could approach eight figures in 2025-26.
Another humbling example is Maryland, which recently received a whopping $10 million donation for men’s basketball from an anonymous booster.
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Fred Hoiberg: ‘Believe me, we’re working it’
Hoiberg thinks the Huskers will be financially able to assemble a competitive roster this offseason after rev share and continued “incredible” support from 1890. However, he also understands that the playing field has never been more imbalanced in that regard.
“Resources are obviously very important in today’s game when you’re talking the portal and NIL,” Hoiberg said. “That’s the other thing that you try to work at this point is to build up a pool (of money) where you can put together a competitive roster.
“Those are things you never had to worry about five years ago before NIL kicked in. It’s different now with revenue sharing. A lot of time goes into that to try and do everything you can to build up a pot where you can go out there and be very competitive…
“There’s going to be outliers. There are going to be teams that have money that you just can’t compete with. You realize that, and you understand it. But, hopefully, you are competitive. It’s hard to know exactly what the numbers are for all the teams that we’re going to be competing against.
“For example, non-football schools with the revenue share that don’t have to contribute to their football program, they’re going to have an advantage. Other schools are going to have means that you just can’t compete with, and you know that. You just try to do everything you can to get out there and educate and talk about the importance of building a competitive roster.
“This is a big thing. Back in the day, it was relationships, track record of getting guys to the NBA with the style of play, facilities. That’s not the No. 1 question anymore. You’ve got to do everything you can to be competitive in today’s landscape. Believe me, we’re working it.”