Published 5 days ago • loading... • Updated 3 days ago

How the University of Minnesota Puts a Price on College Athletes

Minnesota Athletic Director Mark Coyle launched a data-driven system to manage the school's $21.3 million revenue-sharing budget, helping coaches assign market value to athletes under new NCAA rules.
The June 2025 House v. NCAA settlement mandated schools manage salary caps, prompting Coyle to consult executives from the Vikings, Wolves, and Wild on budget management strategies.
Jeremiah Carter, executive associate athletic director, built a database analyzing more than 1,000 data points for 5,634 Division I players, described as the university's version of "Moneyball."
Coaches remain "very supportive" of the analytics tool, which guides decisions while the Gophers prioritize retaining current talent like guard Isaac Asuma to avoid overpaying.
As the market fluctuates 10% to 60% annually, Carter noted that college athletics have become "a lot more cards close to the chest," requiring continuous model refinement.

Insights by Ground AI

21 Articles

Journal Gazette & Times-Courier

+19 Reposted by 19 other sources

Center

How the University of Minnesota puts a price on college athletes

MINNEAPOLIS — Mark Coyle knew he needed guidance. College sports were barreling toward a radically new existence, one in which universities would be allowed to pay athletes directly. Athletic departments would be required to manage a salary cap in distributing…

3 days ago

Read Full Article

Star Tribune

Lean Left

How the University of Minnesota is navigating college sports’ salary-cap arms race

The Gophers athletic department borrowed ideas from the Vikings, Wolves and Wild to build a data-driven system that helps assign market value to athletes and maximize a limited budget.

5 days ago·Minneapolis, United States

Read Full Article

Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/year