With money as the new name of the game, athletic departments across the nation are doing whatever they can to make sure incoming athletes are being provided subtable compensation and dividing it across their different sporting programs.

Michigan State University is taking the next step in its NIL strategy. 

On Wednesday, MSU announced the hiring of former Detroit Lions executive Jon Dykema for a newly created role: Executive Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete Management and Assistant General Counsel. This long title will have Dykema overseeing MSU’s NIL contracts, sponsorships, media rights and employee agreements.

With the Lions, Dykema spent 14 years as Director of Football Compliance and Lead Football Counsel. Simply put, he managed player contracts. Now at MSU, he’ll do much of the same — crafting contracts for coaches, administrators and athletes.

"With the constant evolution in college athletics and revenue sharing on the horizon, this is an incredibly important hire for Michigan State athletics," said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller in a press release Wednesday. "Jon brings a wealth of experience working with contracts and the salary cap at the NFL level, where he has played an important role behind the scenes in the Detroit Lions' success. He will be a great resource to Spartan coaches and administrators as we navigate our new landscape."

Compare and contrast

I like this hire. Why? Because it makes sense. If you look at other universities across the Big Ten, similar hires are being made and positions are being created to fit the ever changing landscape of college athletics. 

Take Iowa, for example — it recently appointed Scott Brickman as their General Manager for NIL Strategy and Operations.

Maryland followed suit, hiring Omari DeBerry as Director of NIL Services. Rutgers, an NIL powerhouse, brought in Reed Zak as its General Manager of NIL through a partnership with Altius Sports Partners. Even Ohio State has made waves, hiring former Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork to lead its athletic department. One national championship later, acquiring Bjork seems revolutionary. 

While these names may not mean something to the average fan, these are the behind the scene people that help bring the players and mold teams, which brings a winning culture. 

Add Dykema to the list of new financial experts, but his reputation might be the strongest of them all. He’s going to be the man to bring a better understanding to NIL, create stronger contracts for said players and ultimately help MSU flourish athletically. 

Actually, I revise my statement. I don’t like this hire, I love it. MSU hasn’t yet maximized its NIL potential to fairly compensate athletes for their contributions.

Let’s look at other Big Ten universities for example. Michigan just secured the nation’s top football recruit with a $10 million, four-year deal. Then there’s Ohio State, fresh off a national title with its now-famous $20 million roster. In basketball, Rutgers is dishing out over $3 million for Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, while Purdue’s Braden Smith is earning $1.9 million.

The reality? Money buys players and players win championships. And right now, MSU is falling behind.

With Dykema — an expert in sports contracts — things may finally change. Dykema can supply a much needed renovation to how MSU and its players approach NIL, and suddenly, the Spartans are catching up with the other universities. 

Dykema strengthens the Spartans 

MSU finally joined the wave of hiring NIL executives. Big deal, right? It was inevitable. So why make such a fuss?

Because Dykema isn’t just another hire. He’s a homegrown Spartan with a resume built to elevate MSU athletics.

To see why, let’s take a look at Dykema’s journey.

It started right here in East Lansing. A 2003 MSU alum, Dykema spent four years as a student manager for the men’s basketball team, including two as head manager. After graduating, he spent four years at Utah as Director of Men’s Basketball Operations.

Then, Dykema made the leap to the NFL, joining the Detroit Lions.  As an executive, he managed contracts and helped shape the Lions into the contender they are today. Now, with the ability for college players to receive sums of money, Dykemas new job consists of practically the same thing: help create and find fair contacts for both parties involved. There’s a correlation between these two jobs, and I believe that Dykema can flourish because of this. 

I’m not saying this hire guarantees MSU players massive paydays or instant success. But the athletic department saw a flaw — and Dykema might be the fix.

"I'm thrilled to be returning to the place where my career in athletics administration began," Dykema said in a press release Wednesday. "I'm very excited to start working with the coaches, staff and student-athletes across multiple sports at Michigan State, especially Coach (Tom) Izzo who has been a big supporter of mine since I was a student manager for the basketball program."

A dabble in financials 

So we understand that from a player and university perspective, Dykema is an A+ hire. But what about from a university financial perspective?

MSU athletics has been in financial turmoil, running a deficit in four of the last five years. In 2024 alone, MSU lost $16.7 million — on top of an $11.2 million loss the previous year.

While Dykema will mainly be overseeing NIL contracts, he also provides MSU with a different perspective of how to fix this problem. One way? Dykema can be the guy who says "no" to reckless contracts.

A prime example? The infamous 10-year, $95 million deal MSU handed Mel Tucker. If Dykema had been around then — handling MSU contracts — maybe that deal never happens.

Dykema won’t erase MSU’s deficit overnight, but he’s a step in the right direction. He’s a financial expert poised to become an NIL guru — if he isn’t one already. If these are the future leaders of college sports, MSU is finally on the right path.