Opfer back in MAC as Central Michigan GM

Ayden Opfer is embracing college sports' chaotic landscape. Opfer is the general manager for Central Michigan University's football team. A few years ago, there were no general managers in college football, but a recent court settlement now allows colleges to pay athletes directly. That means GMs are vital parts of the operation. Opfer, 30, is ready for the challenge. "The coach is the CEO and I'm the right-hand person," Opfer said. "I kind of manage and oversee all off-the-field stuff. Everything not Xs and Os falls to me — recruiting, transfer portal, roster management, player development. "It's the perfect job for me; I can do a little bit of everything. Coach Monken taught me a lot and a lot of that transfers to here." Todd Monken is the highly respected head coach at Army, where Opfer worked from 2021 to last December. Army assistant coach Matt Drinkall was hired by Central Michigan in early December 2024 and Opfer was one of a handful of West Point staffers he brought with him to Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The coaching change happened the week of the Army-Navy game, which made for a lot of travel for Opfer. "I was getting ready for the Army-Navy game, then Sunday night I was in Detroit in a new job," Opfer said. "(Drinkall) called me and said, 'You're coming, right?' I said, 'absolutely.' He's a really good dude and I got to know him (at West Point) and we became friends. We work well together. He had other opportunities, but he waited for the right one." Opfer flew in for Drinkall's introductory press conference then headed back to Washington, D.C., for the annual rivalry game between the storied service academies. "I flew back for the Army-Navy game then drove from Washington to Mount Pleasant and had recruiting visits two days later," he said. "I always wanted to be part of a staff transition. It's very exciting." Opfer, a graduate of St. Mary Central Catholic and Bowling Green State University, has been on the job at the Mid-American Conference school for nearly seven months. He quickly rose up the ranks at Army, starting there in 2021 as Graphic & Design Communications Coordinator and spending the bulk of 2024 as Assistant Athletic Director for Capital Projects and Facilities. Part of that job entailed overseeing a $170 million project at historic Michie Stadium. "That helped immensely because I got to see the entire athletic department," he said. "I understand how everything works." Opfer's new job also is closer to home. The CMU football team visited Sandusky earlier this week, checking out Cedar Point. Opfer feels comfortable in the MAC. The Chippewas play at his alma mater — BGSU — this season. "For me, it's a great conference — a lot of Midwest ties," he said. "It's cool for us to have a lot of games in Ohio. It's a great conference and one of the last ones building rosters in a team sense." The CMU staff is not throwing money around and never will match the payments offered by the power conference schools. The recent NCAA House settlement caps the total amount member schools can directly pay to athletes at $20.5 million. Adding Name, Image and Likeness payments can boost a program's "payroll" by millions more. Some college football insiders estimate that schools will dish out $40 million or more for their football rosters. Opfer wants to build the Chippewas roster the old-fashioned way. "We're kind of slow-playing it," he said. "Instead of blowing our budget on a quarterback who might not be a starter or might be bad in the locker room, it'll be more dispersed. We want to reward the team guys who have been here. "A lot of MAC schools are (paying new players). We're not going to pay people we don't know are the right fit," he said."Why would we pay a kid 200 grand when we can pay a kid who has a 4.0 GPA and shows up every day? We want to pay the seniors more than freshmen, reward the guys who have stayed here." Opfer said when the new staff arrived at CMU, about a dozen players were in the transfer portal. That soon changed. "All of them ended up coming back," he said. "I think there are still guys who want to build a team instead of the individual aspect. We really don't know another way to do it. It's fun for us to try to build a team through recruiting — the old-fashioned way — and not just pluck 10 guys from the portal." The Chippewas, who finished 4-8 last year and haven't had a winning season since 2021, did lose their starting left tackle to Wisconsin in the spring. Opfer acknowledges that the pay gap between the MAC and the Power 4 schools is significant. "We can't keep the top-tier guys," he said. "When guys have good years, they're gonna get poached by someone who can pay them more than we can pay them. It's completely changed, a very different landscape." Opfer is doubling down on Mount Pleasant, which can be a challenging place to live in the winter months. CMU's marketing plan has an old-school feel to it, meant to appeal to recruits and fans who aren't afraid of a foot of snow and a stiff breeze. "That's kind of our target market," he said. "It's tough, industrial, farmers, middle-of-nowhere Michigan. It's dark and snows all the time and we're embracing that and finding the guys that match that. "We're at a place where we can recruit tough kids who want to play when it's 12 degrees on a Tuesday night." OPFER'S RÉSUMÉ Central Michigan University General Manager, December 2004-current Army West Point Assistant Athletic Director, Capital Projects and Facilities, 2024 Assistant Athletic Director, Director of Football Operations, 2023-24 Director of Football Operations, 2022 Graphic & Design Communications Coordinator, 2021 Graphic Design Intern, 2019 Temple University Director of Creative Media, 2019-20 Ohio Northern University Creative Content Coordinator/Assistant Recruiting Coordinator, 2018-19