Michigan just pulled off the bag of the century, and now they’re out here trying to lock in reinforcements like a five-star general in wartime. Sherrone Moore’s biggest W of the 2024 season ain’t going 8-5 or stomping on Ohio for the fourth straight time—it’s flipping Bryce Underwood from LSU with a fat $12 million NIL deal. That’s QB1 locked for the next 3-4 years.But now, head coach Sherrone Moore is ensuring his golden ticket doesn’t get folded like cheap lawn furniture behind an already-stacked-core offensive line. Enter the next big development: a 285-pound boulder move that could shape Michigan’s future in a major way.On February 25th, Michigan began working on securing an unofficial visit for a four-star interior offensive lineman (IOL) Darius Gray. His mother, Angela Gray, confirmed to Michigan Wolverines recruiting journalist Aiden Sen that the visit remains planned for April 7-8. Aiden took to X (formerly Twitter) to break the news. And let’s just say Michigan fans had every reason to be hyped.4 IOL Darius Gray is working on confirming an unofficial visit to Michigan for April 7th-8th his mother @angelenagray tells meGray, who stands at 6’3″ 285lbs, is ranked as 247’s No. 3 2025 IOL#CFB || #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/SWw58HaImJ— Aidan Sen (@GoBlueAidan) February 26, 2025Darius Gray, a 6’3, 285-pound monster from St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Virginia, is straight-up elite. He’s built like a freight train, but his agility is astounding; he’s consistently overpowering defenders on both sides of the field. With 50 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and a couple of forced fumbles, he ain’t just moving people—he’s wrecking entire game plans.And it’s not just football. The man’s a hooper, too. Gray earned Co-Prep League Player of the Year honors in Virginia for basketball, putting up monster numbers—including a ridiculous 38-point, 15-rebound game. His footwork, agility, and ability to move fluidly across the court translate perfectly to his role on the offensive line. That’s the kind of versatility that has college programs drooling. A jack of all trades, nonetheless!Teams like Ohio State, LSU, and Virginia Tech are already keeping tabs on Gray. So far, Ohio State looks favorite to land the 4-star recruit. Recruiting services are high on him, too. On3 has him ranked No. 40 nationally, No. 2 in Virginia, and No. 3 among IOL prospects. Rivals.com is even more bullish, slotting him as the No. 1 player in Virginia and the No. 2 IOL in the country.With Michigan making this kind of push, clearly you can see him as a major piece of their long-term O-line vision. But that’s where things get interesting—because Michigan stares down at a huge financial dilemma.Sherrone Moore and Michigan Wolverines’ $20 million NCAA dilemmaLet’s talk about this new NCAA settlement shaking up the entire landscape. Schools gotta start cutting checks straight from their athletic revenue, meaning Michigan is looking at coughing up around $20 million annually to keep things rolling. It’s a game-changer, and Moore’s squad might feel worse than most. Why? Well, because they just dropped $12 million on Bryce Underwood.And that’s before even trying to secure other top recruits like Shamari Earls and Andrew Babalola. Right now, schools gotta cough up 22% of the average dough raked in by Power Four conferences. For a big-time program like Michigan, that’s looking like a cool $20 million. That’s like walking into a steakhouse, blowing all your cash on a 40oz Wagyu, and realizing you still gotta pay for sides and a tip. It burns your pockets, guys!Former Georgia linebacker David Pollack and college football analyst Brett Rollins chopped it up about Michigan’s money puzzle on a live stream. Pollack straight-up called it: “They spent over 12 million dollars to get him (Underwood), which is crazy. But it’s also something that will never happen again. Because as of July 1, you’ll have a $20 million cap. So you’ll have a budget, actually, you have to operate under, which will be interesting.”That budget cup? It’s about to put Michigan in a chokehold.Before this rule, NIL was like the Wild West—bag-dropping, with no real consequences. Now, every school’s gotta move like an NFL franchise, carefully balancing the books. And that’s a problem when you’re trying to build a dynasty.Michigan’s big-money move for Underwood might have set them up for a mass exodus if they don’t figure out how to spread the wealth. Five-star recruits don’t come cheap, and you best believe if they’re seeing Underwood get that type of bag. Yes, they’re expecting a slice of the pie. If Michigan can’t pay, some of these recruits might start low-key entertaining offers from other programs that can.So what now? Sherrone Moore gotta play this smarter than Walter White from Breaking Bad. Locking in Gray would be a huge W for Michigan, but they gotta be careful with how they distribute funds moving forward. Unlike the 2024 season, where boosters or Larry Ellison could just slide some money under or over the table, this is an entirely different ball game. They’re essentially running a salary cap system now.Sherrone Moore’s gotta sell something bigger than a check—he’s gotta make these recruits believe Ann Arbor is still the place to be, even if the money ain’t flowing like it used to. Facilities, player development, NFL pipelines—all that has to be part of the pitch.And let’s be real, if Michigan fumbles this, powerhouse programs like Georgia, Alabama, and even LSU (who already lost Underwood) are waiting to pick up the scraps!