In October, the new agent class finally gets to go to work. Trying to figure out what that looks like is the hard part. The biggest question I get this time of year is, where do I start?

We’re going to answer that question in our second Zoom of the year aimed directly at new contract advisors. It’s set for next Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s what we’ll cover.

• New agents are going to get carpet-bombed by players from previous draft classes. Some of them are legit, having gone to recent NFL camps. We’ll discuss the question of whether to sign them.
• If you’re a newly certified contract advisor, you’ve probably dreamed of signing a first-rounder right out of the box, beating the odds and signing that kid that comes out of nowhere. We’ll talk about why it’s smart to temper your expectations, and what kinds of players are most often signed by new agents.
• As a new agent, you probably already have your favorite mock draft experts and sources all over the web. However, as a rookie, we’ll talk about why you probably need to look at other sources, and we’ll discuss where you can find them. 
• You probably have a lot of questions about the XFL and the USFL, and it’s good that you’re asking them. Still, do those leagues require registration/certification? Also, what does the draft look like, and more importantly, how are players evaluated and signed? We’ll cover talent acquisition in both leagues, who you need to talk to, and how to talk to them (I should mention that the XFL’s Doug Whaley will be joining us on Zoom next month to answer many of those questions).
• The topic of NIL may be overwhelming you. You might say to yourself, ‘I’m just trying to figure out how to be an NFL agent and now I have to figure out NIL as well?’ We’ll simplify things with our recommendations on a basic strategy for Year 1.

We kicked off our series the first week of October with Octagon Football’s Murphy McGuire. You can check out his “origin story” here, and if you’re a new agent, you should. You’ll find it inspiring, I think. His rookie year he was the only first-year independent agent to have a player drafted (Texas Tech’s Jakeem Grant, who went 6/186 in 2016), and in less than five years, he was hired by one of the more established firms in the industry. 

Want in? We look forward to you joining us next week. It’s free, but there’s one caveat: you must be an Inside the League client. It’s just $29.95/mo, and you can cancel at any time. Once you become a member, you can join us for our monthly Zoom sessions that will cover other key agent-related topics like all-star games, how to choose a trainer, how to recruit, how to build a network of scouts, what you can gain from going to the combine and many more topics. Sign up here.

I hope to see you next week. For more details, sign up for our Friday Wrap, which is also free. Do that here.