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The Scouting the League Podcast: Our Seven Best Episodes

16 Friday Aug 2024

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It’s only been since the week after Thanksgiving that Rodrik David, who was already running his own podcast, The Scouting Report, invited me to partner with him on it. Since then, we’ve rebranded it Scouting the League, and though it took a while to really establish a rhythm, I think we’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with what we want the podcast to be.

Based on the feedback I’ve gotten from friends in the scouting and agent communities, we’ve been able to establish a space where we dig into the finer points of player representation and evaluation on the NFL level. I’m certainly no expert on things, and I doubt Rodrik would call himself one, either, but we both bring enough to the table to, hopefully, make it a lively weekly show with interesting insights and opinions.

I feel like our shows have gotten better and better, and the guests we’ve been privileged to have always bring their ‘A’ games. At the same time, obviously, some shows are better than others. With that in mind, here are the seven best episodes of Scouting the League, in my humble opinion, along with links in which you can listen for yourself.

1.David Canter, President of Football, GSM Worldwide: David is colorful bordering on outrageous, and this episode is an hour-plus of pure adrenaline. From the story of the chance encounter that led to his start in the industry, to the decision to sell his firm, to his thoughts on several issues facing the industry, David spits fire the entire time. Fair warning — we aren’t at the point where we can bleep out language, and there’s some language in this edition. Aug. 7, 2024

2. Mike McCartney, Head of Football, Vayner Sports: Once again, we got real candor and all the behind-the-scenes intrigue — in a classy, high-road way — from Mike on the drafting of Washington’s Michael Penix after the team had already signed Mike’s client, Kirk Cousins, to start at QB. There’s much more to the hour, but Mike’s discussion of their shock at the pick, plus what happened afterwards, is a must-listen. July 10, 2024

3. Mark Gorscak, former National Scout, Steelers: Mark is a friend of nearly everyone in the scouting community because of his love for the game and for its people. Mark is a great story-teller and thinks about the industry 24-7, which is why his episode was not only insightful but entertaining, as well. This is a great episode if you’re an aspiring scout wanting to learn the fundamentals of the biz and how to get in. March 20, 2024

4. Tom McConnaughey, former National Scout, Chargers & Jaguars: Rodrik and I are still trying to hit our stride on digging into the players and the picks that each guest can discuss, and I think we did our best job yet in this edition. Tom was in the war room for some truly special players; in the last half-hour, we run through several top former Chargers and Tom gives his thoughts on their selection. It’s really, really good.

5. Tony Vilani, Owner, XPE Sports: Tony is one of the top 3-4 speed trainers in the combine prep space, but that’s not why this was such a great episode. He’s also convinced the NFL cooks the books on the official 40 times posted during NFL Combine broadcasts, and he’s very specific about why he thinks what he does. He doesn’t pull any punches in his session with us. April 3, 2024

6. Dru Grigson, former scouting executive, Cardinals: We asked Dru to join us because the Cardinals have been at the forefront in grading and rewarding their scouts for good work, and he gave us plenty of insight into their process. However, he also gave us great background on how the Cards have developed, assigned, and evaluated their own evaluators. July 17, 2024

7. T.J. McCreight, former scouting executive, multiple teams: Having worked for the Eagles, Colts, Ravens and Cardinals, T.J. has seen how a lot of successful teams do things, and he brought that know-how to the podcast. He addresses a lot of the issues associated with the changing game and how to react to them, from a scouting standpoint. July 31, 2024

This week’s Friday Wrap, which comes out tomorrow, will feature my podcast partner Rodrik’s five favorite episodes. Make sure to check it out. Haven’t registered for the Friday Wrap? You can do that here. 

Gauging the Progress of the NCAA’s Antitrust Litigation Settlement

09 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in Agents, NIL, Transfer portal

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There isn’t a lot of chatter about it in college and pro football circles — at least none that I’ve picked up — but big parts are moving into place that will determine the future and structure of college football. Late last month, we got a story that was pretty telling about what direction things are going, and until now, I really haven’t had a chance to give it a close look.

This week, however, I did. The lawsuits involve antitrust actions against the NCAA (three of them, in fact, that were resolved collectively). Per the story, the resolution of these lawsuits “outline how past athletes will share the $2.78 billion in damages that the NCAA has agreed to pay, sets up a new system for revenue sharing and outlines new roster limits for a long list of college sports, among other items.” Obviously, $2.78 billion is a lot of money, but that only reflects the back pay previous athletes will receive. It’s just scratching the surface of what’s ahead.

Anyway, no one seems to want to acknowledge what’s ahead and how it will change player representation, so I thought I’d try to comb through the story and draw my own conclusions. Here are a few passages and my comments.

  • “Schools will be permitted for the first time to pay their athletes directly via name, image and likeness (NIL) deals under the terms of the settlement. Each school could provide up to 22% of the average revenue that power conference schools generate from media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships — a sum that is expected to be between $20 million and $22 million per school when the settlement goes into effect at the start of the 2025-26 academic year.” — OK, but this seems like another effort to keep players from getting paid as university employees, which seems completely inevitable. If it is inevitable (and I believe it is), it’s almost stupid to wade through and try to figure out how the terms of this lawsuit will change things, because someone else will sue again soon and tear this agreement down. As for the numbers, $22 million seems a little conservative given that I’ve heard that many schools’ budgets are already north of that number for football only. With the money pouring into football programs, it seems like this number could soar higher quickly. If this is the case, and nothing is done to slow portal movement, the dollars are going to make things even crazier.
  • “Athletes would still be able to make money from NIL deals with third parties, but the NCAA said the settlement will allow them to install a more ‘robust and effective enforcement and oversight program’ to make sure those third-party deals are ‘legitimate NIL activity.'” — I think this is good, but I wonder if there will be real teeth in these oversight programs. More and more, the bigger agencies are signing up the top draft prospects years before they are draft-eligible just so they’ll be at the front of the line when it comes to signing an NFL contract. Sure, the top five percent are getting big national deals, but those are few and far between. 
  • “The NCAA plans to create a database of NIL deals to try to objectively assess whether arrangements between an athlete and a third party qualify as a legitimate endorsement deal.” — Great! But will the results be public? If not, who will have access? Schools? Agents? There’s not an NFLPA-comparable body that can regulate all this, though I presume the NCAA thinks of itself as such a body.  
  • “The settlement allows for the court to appoint a ‘special master’ to rule on any disputes about new rules related to player compensation. . . The two sides have not yet determined who will serve as the new enforcement entity or who will oversee the arbitration process of any future disputes.” — I don’t think this can work through civil litigation processes, which means it will have to be collectively bargained . . . which requires a union. 
  • “It is highly unlikely that football players — who generate the majority of revenue for most schools — will receive 50% of the money that the football team generates. Some of those benefits have to be shared equitably due to Title IX regulations. The settlement does not provide detailed instructions on how to apply Title IX to these new benefits, leaving some potentially tricky decisions up to each individual school.” — This is why this doesn’t seem tenable. Football teams will eventually not want to share revenues. If this isn’t settled promptly, and just left to the schools, it’s going to accelerate football’s pull away from this agreement.
  • “As part of the settlement, the NCAA agreed to remove any limits on the number of scholarships a school can provide to athletes. Previously, NCAA rules dictated a certain number of scholarships per sport. If the settlement is approved, there will instead be a limit on how many total players each team can have on its roster and each individual school will decide how many of those players it wants to put on scholarship.” — This is probably the NCAA trying to throw the bigger schools a bone, but I doubt it works. 

At the end of the day, most agents just want to know what they’ll have to deal with. A nationwide NIL contract database would be huge if contract advisors have access to it. I think most would like to know if there’s going to be some kind of certification process, as well, with most NFL agents I know welcoming that. It’s becoming less necessary, however, as more and more NIL agents pursue NFL certification. They’re a growing part of our exam prep course every year.

Anyway, I may have come across as negative during some of this, and I grant that it’s easy to deride people who are trying to do the virtually impossible, i.e., build a framework for the college game going forward. If the settlement is approved and this 10-year agreement is binding, it will bring some positives. However, it’s hard not to see the overwhelming power and potential of dollars the big football schools would be turning down to abide by this. I just feel like the major conferences will build their own league, and play by their own rules, sooner rather than later.

 

 

2024 NFL Agent Exam: A Few Leftovers

02 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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After working with hundreds of this year’s aspiring agents over a period of several months, I’ve got a few thoughts. Let me start with the actual content of the exam.

We got a lot of feedback on this year’s exam from the participants, and there were some pretty offbeat questions. For example, one dealt with how an agent should respond when a player faces discipline because he punched his coach in the face on the sideline of a game, knocking him out cold. There was also a question about how often an ex-player could obtain a brain/body scan on the NFLPA’s dime once he’s retired. Several questions dealt with benefits and how players could obtain them once they left the league.

While these are, technically, the kinds of things agents need to know, most people told us they expected more testing on the bread-and-butter issues contract advisors have to face. It’s possible, even likely, that the NFLPA is trying to be elusive in what it tests on as a way of keeping the number of new agents manageable. Right now, there are 994 agents, which is 200-300 more than pre-Covid. We’ll see those numbers sink drastically once the three-year rule catches up to the surging number of new agents who came aboard after 2020, when there was no exam. However, the NFLPA is probably trying to do its part to cull the herd preemptively. 

We’ll make a few adjustments to try to give our clients an edge, as we always have. Next year’s program will look different. We’ll continue getting feedback to make sure we’re providing the service we need to provide.

Here are a few more notes.

  • If you’re eager to get started on player representation and the work of identifying your next client, but can’t until you know you’ve passed the exam, read this piece I wrote a couple years ago. It gives you a few things to work on so you can hit the ground running.
  • We’re still polishing our “agent school” that will be offered in the fourth quarter of the year, once results are out. We’ll have a formal rundown of our Zoom schedule, as well as pricing, in this space in the coming weeks.
  • By the way, you can expect your results in around four weeks. The NFLPA likes to give test-takers about a month to round up the funds for dues and liability insurance, and that deadline is Oct. 1, so sit tight. You’ve got about a month to wait.
  • We’ll have more in today’s Friday Wrap. As always, it’s free, and must reading for people in the industry. Register for it here.

2024 NFLPA Exam: Would You Do It Again?

26 Friday Jul 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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Monday is a really big day for the 350 or so people taking the 2024 NFL Agent Exam. We’ve been working with a lot of people since January, and those are just first-time test-takers. For those people who’ve come up short previously, the journey has been much longer.

It got me thinking about what they would say in 2029, when they are five years into their agent career. Will they still think it was worth it? This is especially poignant for those contract advisors entering the business without the benefit of being part of a big firm. Their road is much tougher. Will they have any regrets?

To find out, I asked several members of the 2019 agent class who entered the business as independents. Are the hours, the blood/sweat/tears, the dollars invested, worth it? Maybe the surest indication of how sold-out for their careers they are is that I texted 12 agents at about midnight EST and got responses back from half of them within 10 minutes. It’s that kind of business. Sleep is certainly secondary.

At any rate, I expected them to say they had no regrets, and that’s pretty much what I got back. Here are some of their responses.

  • “Yes, I would. I feel like I am finally hitting my stride and have definitely learned more this time than during my previous certification period. I am glad I re-certified.”
  • “I’d absolutely do it again. Being in our shoes puts us in position to play a significant role in positively impacting the lives of the young men we come across, and ultimately their families. It’s a damn tough business. But there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the joy on our guys’ and their families’ faces when they get their opportunities. . . Some people go a lifetime and never find their niche or that thing that really motivates them. Football is it for me.”
  • “Yes, I would continue to be NFLPA certified. I have several coaches, and being NFLPA-certified allows me to not only represent athletes, but also gives me the ability to speak with my coaches about the rapid rule changes from a place of authority and knowledge. Football at every level has evolved with this new landscape in the post-pandemic era. Not everyone survived, and the world of recruitment for athletes is just different; the transfer portal is now significantly relevant. . . Yes, I would still become NFLPA-certified but I would look at the landscape with a more balanced perspective understanding that athletes have more autonomy now and the game has evolved both on the field and off the field.”
  • “Yes I would do it again. It was the career I’ve always wanted to pursue and my goal since I realized playing professionally wasn’t an option!”
  • “If I were asked if I’d do it again, I’d definitely say yes. The experience of navigating the complexities of the sports industry, negotiating contracts, and advocating for my clients during the pandemic has not only sharpened my skills but also made me more resilient and strategic. The challenges I faced and overcame have made me stronger and more effective in representing and supporting my clients.”
  • “I feel like God has led me into this, so yes, I’d do it again for sure. I’ll always follow His lead.”
  • “I’d say that, while it wasn’t how I expected the last 5 years to go, I’d definitely do it all over again.”
  • “Absolutely! I would for sure do it again and I did! I was first certified in 2008 for a number of years. Got certified for a specific player and then he was injured. In 2019, I got certified for a specific player and of course he did not sign with me by the time it was done. Lesson learned — certify for a player at your own risk. If you are doing it because you love football and helping people there is nothing like it! That’s what kept me in it.” 

You better be passionate to endure in this industry, as you can see from the responses, everyone I asked still has that fire. If you’re one of Monday’s test-takers, I hope you are similarly inspired to pass a really difficult exam. I encourage you to take advantage of exam preparation materials, and we can help with that. For more information on how, make sure you read our Friday Wrap newsletter. You can register for it here.

 

NFLPA Exam 2024: Were the Pre-Exam NFLPA Sessions Helpful?

18 Thursday Jul 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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This month, we’ve been asking some of last year’s test-takers to give us their feedback on several aspects of the NFLPA exam. The first week of July, we asked for the best way to study. Last week, we asked about which topic they felt they should have gotten more focus in their preparation. This week, we asked if the three Zoom sessions held the week before the exam, i.e, the ones scheduled for next week, offered good preparation for the test.

Here are the responses we got.

Michael Harris, Top Five Sports: “The NFLPA zoom sessions were helpful in my opinion, as they clearly identified certain things that would be on the test and told us not to worry about certain things for test purposes. What I did not like was that there was a Q&A box to input your question, and there were a lot of duplicate questions that the moderators got frustrated with eventually. However, we were asked to not put questions in the chat box, so there was no way of seeing anyone else’s questions. Neither of my questions were answered, either, which was frustrating.”

LaVaughn Kelley, Divine Sports & Entertainment: “In my opinion, and I know how I study for exams, if I only had the pre-exam zoom sessions from the NFLPA, I’m not sure if I would’ve passed the exam the first time. All of the information was great and up-to-date, but I know my study habits and the resources that were provided over those two days would have not been enough for me. Now with ITL study resources, complemented by the pre-exam zoom sessions put on by the NFLPA, that gave me the confidence I needed to feel prepared to pass the exam.”

Ty Baisden, Culture Sports: “The pre-exam zoom sessions were helpful for me. I took all the help I could get.”

Kimberly Williams, Allstars: “I’d say the NFLPA pre-exam (program) was extremely helpful. It just was delivered too fast. There were several study groups that “self” studied the day after the seminar. (The ITL) course material helped greatly . . . with actually applying the information learned and with the practice test questions. I started late in the game with studying (like week of). So I was behind. But with having a husband who played, and especially with the benefit section, I was able to catch on to the concepts quickly and pass the first time, thank God!!”

Wyatt Mumfrey, Higher Calling Sports: “Definitely was session-dependent. Certain sessions felt like the speaker wasn’t sure what she was talking about and made mistakes, whereas other speakers were very helpful and felt like they knew the material forwards and backwards. Definitely pay attention to it all or at least take advantage of it being an open-book exam because they will test on any detail, regardless of how small it may feel.”

Tonight, we will hold our seventh Zoom session aimed at preparing test-takers for the exam. It’s a little different — it’s actually a live “quiz” designed to pressure-test you for getting the toughest problems on the exam right. Learn more here. Hope to see you tonight.

NFLPA Exam 2024: Don’t Skip These Topics

12 Friday Jul 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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Last week in this space, with the 2024 NFL Agent Exam just around the corner, I asked several of last summer’s test-takers to share their study strategies for passing the test. I thought the feedback we got was excellent, so I decided to ask another question. 

This time, I asked what topic they wished they’d studied more extensively before taking the exam. T.J. Linta of JL Sports said it wasn’t one topic, per se, but a strategy — speed of finding information — that he said he wholeheartedly recommends. 

“I think the part that is most important is the recall ability of information,” he said. “The first step is to understand each individual topic at a decent level, but I think the most important part once you have a basic understanding of each topic is to be able to find it quickly in your notes/CBA to apply it to each question on the test.

“I don’t think any particular subject matter was much harder or easier, but thankfully, I prepared well to be able to find the exact page in my notes/CBA within a few seconds after reading the question. So, long story short, take really good, concise notes in a way that you understand them, and be able to find them quickly on test day!”

Here is how other agents responded.

Jeffrey Poe, Forever Athlete Management: “I would say definitely know the difference between an accrued and credited season. They try to trick you with those two. Also know how to calculate contracts and salary cap. There are not a ton of math questions on the exam but they can be the difference between passing and failing. Hopefully this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.

Maleshia McGinnis, MPowered Sports: “During testing, I didn’t feel like I had a good grasp on the player benefits (Termination Pay, Severance Pay, Disability Plan, Total and Permanent and the Annuity Plan, Neuro-Cognitive benefit, Line of Duty). Case in point, I had to look it up to (text this). Ninety percent of the info, like salary cap, free agency, drug testing, incentives, rookie contracts, discipline, etc., I can explain it off the top of my head and had full understanding. But not benefits! During the Agent Seminar, I felt like the topic was rushed through, yet they tested on it. I counted three questions that I remember thinking it’s 50/50 whether I get them correct. I took a prep course as well and it just wasn’t focused on that, yet the PA tests on it, from what I could see from other agents who took other exams.”

The agent exam is our sole focus until July 29. If you’re taking the exam, we’d like to help. Got questions about what we offer? This might help. We also recommend you register for our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap, which you can do here. 

NFLPA Exam 2024: How Should You Study?

03 Wednesday Jul 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started, ITL

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We’re less than a month away from the 2024 NFL Agent Exam. That means, for such a challenging exam, it’s crunch time. People who wait until a week before the test do themselves a disservice. That’s probably common sense. At the same time, how much studying is enough?

To find out, I asked several of my clients who used our exam prep services and/or who worked with us in Year 1 of their agent careers. This was the question: “How long did you prepare for the exam, and what did you take into the exam with you?” One of those people was LaVaughn Kelley of Divine Sports & Entertainment. LaVaughn was one of the select few rookie agents who actually got a player on a 90-man roster this summer (Washington IB Ralen Goforth, who signed a UDFA deal with the Packers).

Here’s what LaVaugnhn said.

“For me, I thought the earlier I began to study, the better off I would be. And to be honest, that was a complete wrong approach.

“You have to be fully engaged when preparing for this test. And I mean daily review and daily test preps in order to be fully prepared. This would be my new way of life, so I wanted my test prep to become my lifestyle.

“A huge help was being able to locate the articles of the CBA that applied to the test questions. Some charts you could commit to memory, but as long as you can locate them, it made things so much easier. Also most questions are for comprehension, so you have to understand what’s being asked, and then what knowledge from the CBA to apply in order to get the final answer.

“Though I was trying to study as early as possible, the most impactful time for my study prep really began about 60 days from the actual test. And I was able to have a study partner that I could call up, and we would meet at least twice a week, but we would review our notes daily by ourselves.

“When it came time for the test, all I had was all ITL test prep questions, the CBA and my notes. ITL test prep was the most useful resource for me because all of their test questions were much harder, which forced me to truly know the CBA concepts and what it took to be a certified NFLPA contract advisor.”

Here are some other responses.

Wyatt Mumfrey, Higher Calling Sports: “I probably spent six weeks preparing for the exam. The first three weeks were just a few hours here and there, including the ITL Zooms with (Chicago-based agent) Ian (Greengross). Those were super helpful. The three weeks before the exam were a little more intense, with at least an hour a day. I took off work for during the NFLPA seminars and studied hard those last few days leading up to the exam. On the day of the exam, I brought in my ITL exam guide, the materials the NFLPA sent us (excluding the CBA), and one-off pages from the CBA that had specific numbers on it (i.e. max fine amounts, post-season pay, per diem, etc).”

Demarius McRae, McRae Sports Group: “I began casually reviewing the CBA about eight weeks out from the exam date. As the test date approached, I began to focus more on the exam. Two weeks prior to test date, I began organizing my material and studying several hours a day. I reviewed information received from my exam prep course and the sections of the CBA that would appear of the exam. The NFLPA provided a review the week prior to the exam. I encourage you to take great notes and pay close attention to what is shared. This review was significant, and provided specific details about the exam questions. I also reorganized my binder following the review course and narrowed down the content in my binder. The time will fly by (during the exam), so know where to find things in your binder(s). I labeled every section in my binder so I could find information as quickly as possible. On the day of the exam, I took one WELL-ORGANIZED binder to reference during the exam.”

Michael Harris, Top Five Sports: “I didn’t want to take anything for granted, considering there is only one opportunity each year to take the exam. I began studying in mid-May. I initially used down time on flights and in the evenings to read the CBA in full prior to taking any notes. With an additional 15 documents or so to get familiar with as well, I wanted to get through the CBA in full so my mind could perceive any duplicate material as a high priority for the exam. My next step was to scour YouTube and Google for any supplemental articles and videos I could find where there were specific examples on any topics. Finally, I took advantage of the test prep seminar provided by the NFLPA. The examples used were certainly items to look out for on the exam. On test day, I brought the CBA and all the supplemental documents with highlighted areas on those documents. I also had a list of important dates and page references to salary, fines, and other quick-reference items. I wasn’t aware of ITL before the exam, but it has been a huge resource since joining the program. I would highly recommend using ITL for your test prep!”

Need even more thoughts on what we offer in test prep? Make sure you’re registered for the Friday Wrap. Do that here.

Offseason 2024: Takeaways on NFL Scouting Hires

28 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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Ever since the draft, we’ve been focused on how NFL teams have built and shaped their respective front offices. It’s a critical part of May and June, especially for teams that have new GMs. 

Here are a few observations based on what we’ve seen this year, especially as it relates to how NFL teams are making hires these days.

  • Four teams named new NFS scouts – the Bears, Bucs, Browns and Cardinals. The Bills and Steelers named new BLESTO scouts. The same number of combine scouts (six) were named last year. 
  • The Bears and Browns were the best about promoting scouting assistants, associates or interns. Each team elevated four into various roles. The Jaguars elevated three scouting assistants to college scout.
  • How does this offseason shape up as compared to the last few? Last season, despite a handful of GM changes, saw 200 front office moves. That’s a sharp drop from the previous two offseasons, when 280-290 moves were made. This offseason, we’re at 252 moves, which is more in line with the two years previous to last offseason. 
  • This year, 14 new scouting hires were plucked directly from colleges. That’s less than last year, when 17 came up from the college ranks. 
  • This year, the only school with multiple scouting hires was Nebraska; the Huskers produced three. Last year, Northwestern (4), South Carolina (2) and LSU (2) each sent multiple people into NFL front offices. 
  • The only school to send people “up” to the NFL this year and last year was Wake Forest (one last year, one this year).

We’ll talk a great deal more about how evaluation hires are being made this offseason and last in today’s Friday Wrap; register for it here. We’ve also discussed the topic in each of our Wraps since the end of April. Access them here: May 3, May 10, May 17, May 24 and May 31. For this month, June 7, June 14 and June 21.

Want even more? Track all every move that’s been made in NFL front offices this offseason here (sorry, pay link). 

Scout Hiring Season 2024 Is Over — Here’s Advice for ’25

20 Thursday Jun 2024

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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If you follow us on Twitter, read our Friday Wrap or keep up with our Rep Rumblings, you know that most NFL teams have pretty much filled their vacancies at scouting assistant. Meanwhile, the ones that haven’t are pretty far down the road with the candidates they like.

Bottom line, there are a lot of people in the college personnel community who are taking stock and trying to decide if they’ll continue to fight to achieve their dreams. If this is you, I have advice on what to do between now and this time next year.

  • Go to the Personnel Symposium in Nashville in August. You can register here. However — and this is important — if you go, aggressively build your network. Meet people. I would even go so far as to avoid the people from your own school. If you want to grow and improve your chances of advancing, you must grow your figurative rolodex.
  • IF you work for a school’s personnel department, think of something you can provide, information-wise, to a scout that gives him an edge that no one else has. For example, I once heard of a recruiting/personnel specialist who sent a weekly email to the scouts he knows updating them on injury issues with draftable prospects. Or, maybe, you could give tips on which players are entering the draft, or might enter the portal, etc. Of course, you have to decide how much info you want to give out (some teams may not look on this favorably), and you don’t want to look like a butt-kisser, but you have to do something to make yourself stand out. Don’t like that idea? No problem, but remember that information is your currency.
  • If you DO NOT work for a school’s personnel department, you need to contact one of the top five all-star games (Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl, Hula Bowl, CGS and Tropical Bowl) and strongly make your case for volunteering. Do it ASAP. BTW, if you want to be part of the CGS Scout School, which I assist in running, reach out to CGS co-founder Jose Jefferson (here’s his Twitter). His DMs are open. You MUST get face time with NFL scouts to get a job in the NFL. For now, at least, scouts still attend all-star games.
  • IF you have scouting contacts, think of ways to stay front of mind without being too aggressive. The scout’s team just beat its big rival? Send him a text. His alma mater just got a big win? Send a text. It’s Christmas? Great time to offer season’s greetings. Just something quick. Don’t belabor it, but be regular with it.
  • When it comes to applying for jobs in 2025, early beats late. Every year, people reach out to me in April to ask if it’s too early to start reaching out to teams. Actually, it’s too late. You have to get the ball rolling before the season is over. If it’s too early, a scouting staffer will tell you. If it’s not, maybe you get in before others do. You don’t want to get left behind. Be tactful but aggressive.
  • Do your best to go to the NFL Combine. If you do, try to go mid-week. You will be there (a) before scouts are spending all their days in the stadium or in meetings, and (b) before everyone else trying to get a job in scouting is there (most arrive on the weekend). Also, be aware that NFL scouts mainly stay at the JW Marriott.
  • Work hard and continue to develop your work ethic. If you do get your shot, you don’t want to squander it. Really, the only thing a team looks for in its interns or scouting assistant hires is a bulletproof work ethic. You must be tireless and intense about it. Once you’ve shown you have that, they’ll teach you what you need to know about scouting.

I hope this helps, and I hope it’s inspirational. Just because you didn’t get the job this year doesn’t mean you won’t get it next year. Keep fighting and keep up with what we are doing at ITL. We’re here to help.

 

 

 

I Married Football: A New Book with a Different Perspective

14 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Coaches, Scouts

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As I’ve discussed in this space previously, my mentor in football is a man named John Paul Young, who coached with several NFL teams as well as practically every reputable college football team in the Southwest proper in the 70s, 80s and 90s. While I’ve never discussed his wife, Dolores, she’s as much a part of John Paul’s story as anyone in football, and he’d tell you as much.

However, no one’s ever told Dolores’ story before, so she took it upon herself to do just that, sort of. In her new book, I Married Football (for details on ordering it, click here), she recounts her days in the game, but also provides key advice and tips for young women who are in her situation and just getting started in the game.

Though I haven’t had the pleasure of reading it yet, I asked her several questions about her experiences. I’ve included them here, along with her responses.

  • JPY coached at all four levels (HS, college, indoor and NFL). Which one was easiest for you, as his wife? Which one was most enjoyable? “John coached at the junior high in Jacksonville for two periods before he went to the high school. He loved those junior high kids. In those days, they had to cross Hwy 79 to get to the Tomato Bowl (where Jacksonville High School’s football team plays) where they had football or P.E. One boy pulled another boy’s shorts down as they were crossing the highway, so John paddled him. They marched like soldiers after that. John loved coaching football. When asked if he misses football, he answers, ‘every day.’ He really coached for love of the game and the boys or men. . . My favorite game of football is Arena Football, and John had two teams: the Dallas Texans and the Houston Terror. I really liked the Texans because the field was so close we could see everything happening. There was loud music, and you could hear the players bouncing off the walls like hockey players. The fans were in the game. It was just fun and exciting.” 
  • Getting fired is part of football. Did it ever get easy? Are there “stages of grief,” almost like a death in the family? “Getting fired was very difficult for us all, whether it was the whole staff or just John. Just like a divorce or a death. I disliked for other coaches to be fired as well as John. I did not like leaving our home, friends, and church. Sometimes John would get a job right away and leave us to sell the house and move. . . The boys usually were very excited to go to a new team. I was thankful we had boys. The new place is easier for boys than girls . . .  boys are ready for new boys. It is harder for girls, since the girls are not as happy for girls . . . .”
  • Moving is part of life as a coach’s wife. What was the hardest place to leave? What was the toughest move to make? “It was hard leaving Texas A&M since we had lived there eight years, the longest we lived anywhere. I loved our church, house, and friends. The boys had only gone to school in Bryan and had lots of friends. But since we were going to the Oilers, the boys were excited. We had to move without John since he ran off to training camp in San Angelo. I had moving experience (some) but not without a husband.”
  • Let’s say you just met a football wife. What is the thing you two will most likely talk about immediately? “We would talk about children, schools, where to buy a house, where to shop, getting to know the other wives on the staff.” 
  • JPY has thousands of friends in the business, but some are closer than others. Which coaches’ wives did you get closest to, and why? “The first coach’s wife I met was Helen Phillips (wife of Bum), when I was 20, at UTEP. She helped me a lot getting to adjust to being a coach’s wife. Nell Almond’s husband, Kenneth, was a coach, too. We are still in touch now 62 years later. Also Marion Slayton and Jean Harper. Betty Sheffield (wife of Jacksonville head coach Dick Sheffield) was in Jacksonville. She took me under her wing with our seven-week-old baby boy, John Paul, Jr. Euleta Fry at SMU (wife of head coach Hayden Fry) introduced me to Mary Kay makeup. At Texas A&M, Ruthie Stallings (wife of head coach Gene Stallings) was wonderful bringing me all kinds of things. Jeannette Van Zandt (wife of longtime NFL assistant coach Lance Van Zandt) was (also) a good friend.”

Dolores’ book is full of great stories about the business as well as full-color pictures of coaches, players and people from around the game, most of them from the Youngs’ personal collection. If you love stories about the game and a unique perspective on the game, make sure to pick up her book. You won’t be sorry.