Category Archives: Agents

2026 NFL Agent Exam: Building Community

01 Friday May 2026

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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Houston is a pretty good football town, so it’s no big surprise that many of its residents pursue a career in player representation. For years, I’ve kicked around the idea of getting some veteran agents together with people taking the exam, just the veterans can share ideas and the aspiring agents can ask questions about the exam or just the business, generally. We finally did that last night. Here are a few thoughts after a fun time with four agents and three agents-to-be.

  • I guess it’s no surprise, but there were probably as many questions about succeeding in the business as there were about simply passing the exam. That’s natural. I did my best to help the exam-takers keep their respective eyes on the ball, but it’s an interesting profession. Why wouldn’t they be curious?
  • We brought several generations of veteran agents together, including Chiquia Roberson (certified in 2013), Everett Coleman (2021), Chris Gaddis (2019) and Teron Greene (2025). It was fascinating to hear how their test-taking experiences differed; so much has changed in the last 10-plus years.
  • Chiquia’s experience was a bit more old-school, as she was part of a class that had to travel to Washington, D.C., and sit in a big room over two days with hundreds of other people. The procedure then was a full day of lecture on Thursday, then a morning lecture and Q&A Friday morning before the exam on Friday. It’s probably better that it’s not done that way anymore. I used to hear stories of NFLPA officials rushing students through questions on Friday morning and asking to get the test going mid-lunch hour. I guess they were a little bored and hoping to get ahead of the evening’s traffic.
  • The same was true of Chris, another guy who had to go to D.C. Most of his focus was on the trickier topics and the value of time management. This is a common theme. It’s so, so easy to get wrapped up in a few questions and get behind. Three hours go quickly.
  • Everett’s was interesting because he was originally scheduled for 2020 before the Players Association pulled the plug due to the lockdowns. He made it work for him. He continually cited his 18-month run-up to the 2021 exam as a benefit, and his recall of the questions and topics of focus were surprising. It was also interesting because that year, everyone took the exam from their own homes, and as it was the first time the NFLPA did it this way, there were numerous technological issues. Everett said he spent several minutes having his study notes and test materials examined by the proctoring service over the webcam, just to make sure he was meeting regulations.
  • For Teron, who just got certified last summer, the memories focused on taking the exam at a testing center, surrounded by cameras. I could tell the surveillance there really made things awkward for him. I guess it’s the only way the NFLPA can make absolutely certain no one is cheating.

A lot of the themes were in tune with what I always hear. They raved about the study guide; most people do. They were very complimentary of Ian Greengross, our Zoom instructor, and his teaching methods. Everett was excited about a CFL client who’s near reporting for camp up north; he signed the player on a referral from the ITL community.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and something I wish we’d done earlier. It’s certainly not the last time the ITL team will gather before the exam, though future groupings will probably be online, in some form or fashion.

If you’re taking the exam, there’s plenty of room on the roster, and we’d love to have you. Just 80 days to go! Come with us. Start by contacting me at nstratton at insidetheleague dot com.

From NFLPA Exam Prep to First NFL Draft: Rookie Agent Reactions from Team ITL

24 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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If you’re reading this, the NFL Draft is probably something you find exciting. Well, imagine your excitement if this was the first draft you were actually a part of.

That’s actually the case for dozens of our clients who started off with us last summer in preparation for the NFL agent exam. Given that they’ve gone from wondering what it would be like to represent NFL players to nearing making that a reality, we thought we’d reach out to some of them to get their feelings, in their own words.

Here’s what they told us.

“I think at this point it’s kind of hard to put into words because there is still a lot of uncertainty of what to expect and how the process actually will play out. Certainly a lot of emotions which probably won’t fully be realized until the weekend is over and hopefully all my players have at least (rookie mini-camp) invites. I am also trying to separate the draft which I have watched on television for years and the process I am participating in this weekend because of the likelihood that my players do not get drafted. I took a somewhat conservative approach this cycle as I am co-repping four players but only the lead agent on one. . . although there is a feeling of uncertainty, there is also a feeling of excitement and hope and I am optimistic that all four of my guys will at least get an opportunity.” — Lane Macaluso, Macaluso Law

“Definitely a surreal feeling going from watching the draft as a fan my whole life to now experiencing it as an agent – it’s a completely different perspective. With two prospects who are potential Day 3 picks or priority free agents, I’m locked in on every pick and tracking who the interested teams are taking. The last few months have been a whirlwind, but I feel great going into the weekend. I’ve learned a ton since getting licensed and (Inside the League) has been a huge help along the way.” — Will Scott, A&P Sports

“This being my first draft I have the feelings of nervous excitement and strong confidence… (Inside the League) has directly helped me forge powerful relationships and opportunities that have rapidly advanced my career… I will never forget this draft because I feel like I’m in it!” — James Tortorelli, Reliant Athletic Management

“First draft… excited, nervous, but feeling as prepared as I can be. Honestly, having (Inside the League) and the Stratic team in my corner has been a game-changer. Incredible group of people who have really helped show me the ropes.” — Blaise Rosati, NXT ERA

“Being at my first NFL Draft with a client is honestly surreal. I’ve watched the draft every year for as long as I can remember and used to make mock drafts just for fun, so to now be part of this process on the professional side is both nerve-wracking and incredibly exciting. I’m fortunate to represent a client who has late-round draft potential (Virginia Tech DT Kody Huisman), and the possibility of seeing him hear his name called is a feeling I never imagined I’d experience when I was just watching from home as a fan. What makes this experience so different is that I’m no longer focused only on my favorite team’s picks—I’m watching every selection and every team need to understand how each decision could impact my client’s opportunities. In many ways, it feels like I’m in my own war room, which makes the entire experience even more exciting. I’ve also never been more aware of my phone notifications in my life (haha).” — James Winn, First Winn Sports & Entertainment

“I’m excited every draft as a fan, but it feels particularly special being a part of this process as an agent. The anticipation of your favorite team’s draft selections is nothing compared to when it’s your client’s future on the line. If I hadn’t connected with (Inside the League) and (the ITL) community (the other agents, Stratic, etc.), I probably wouldn’t have a client this draft but, if I did, I know I wouldn’t feel nearly as prepared for the next steps. In short… I feel excited, hopeful, and as prepared as I could be without having been here before.” — Gabriel Opatken, 8180 Sports

“It feels great. I’ve been excited all week and waiting for this day like a kid waiting for the toy store to open. It’s just so rewarding to know that all the work I’ve put in since recruiting and through the pre-draft process culminates to this and having the chance to hear my client’s name called. Days 1 and 2 will still feel the same for me as a fan of the game. But I’m looking forward to Day 3 where that day will matter most for my clients, and I’ll be involved more as an agent and not a fan.” — Alex Nguyen, McRae Sports Group

“Of course, it feels good! Feeling all of the feelings – nerves, excitement, etc. I think with my guys being more on the radar (Friday) and Saturday, it will start to feel more real then. But all of the work it took to get to this point between graduate degree, test prep, passing the test, recruiting, pre-draft, etc., it feels like a dream come true and we’re only getting started.” — Evan Pobuta, Vienna Talent Group

If you’re taking the exam this summer, don’t risk not being able to have these same feelings this time next year. As the most established NFL agent prep program in the business, and the one with the most active NFL agents (by a long shot), we love helping people achieve their dreams. It’s not too late to get going. Start here.

For more thoughts from first-year agents experiencing their first draft, make sure to check out today’s Friday Wrap. Register here.

Why Do NFL Agents Fail? Here Are My Thoughts

16 Thursday Apr 2026

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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Tonight, we’ll have our third Zoom session for aspiring NFL agents, covering several key concepts that could be part of July’s exam. With less than 100 days until the test, things are ramping up.

Simultaneously, we’re hearing from agents who are facing their third draft class and, without having signed anyone who made it to an NFL roster so far, they’re facing professional mortality. Basically, they have five months to get someone on a roster, and if next weekend goes poorly for them, they’re in a real bind.

So how does this happen? How do so many talented people — many of them accomplished attorneys, all of them having achieved a postgraduate degree — come into the business every year but find themselves ousted from the business three years later? More generally, why do people hoping to represent NFL players fail? Here are the top reasons.

They can’t pass the exam. In our decade-plus working with aspiring agents, we’ve seen our share of people who failed the test twice. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s not at all uncommon. It’s a very complicated exam, and if you don’t use prep services like ours, that’s doubly true. You’re talking about a 700-page CBA with lots of complicated topics, and the NFLPA does you few favors. It’s open-book, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. And given the responsibilities an agent has, the test should be challenging.

They don’t make the right relationships. Every year, there are dozens of people who sit for the exam because they’ve been asked to get certified, either by someone in the league or someone who’s draft-eligible. They then find out, to their surprise, that those players were less serious about signing with the agent than previously believed. Often, the agent doesn’t find this out until October or November, at which point he’s left trying to find someone else to recruit. Make the wrong recruiting decisions and you’ll never make other key contacts (scouts, college GMs, trainers). It’s a vicious cycle.

They trust the wrong people. From the players they sign to the trainers they hire to the draft analysts that solicit them, there are countless people who enter a new agent’s orbit. Some know more about the game than others. When you’re new to an industry, you don’t know where to place your trust, but you’re desperately seeking people worthy of it.

They run out of money. This is the most common one. So many people enter the game thinking their first $2500 (just to take the exam) and second $2500 (for fees and malpractice insurance) are a considerable barrier, but once they get past both, they’re home free. You haven’t even begun to spend money at that point. We’ve discussed this ad nauseam. Here’s one example.

They run out of time. As mentioned earlier, the new agent gets thrown into the fire rather quickly, and Year 1 is over almost before it starts. As an independent agent, if you don’t get a player on a roster in that first year — and only about 20 percent of independent agents pull that off — you now have two years to get it done. Maybe you make a contact here or there in scouting, get a decent referral or two in Years 2 and 3, but neither actually hit. You’ve finally built a network and kinda learned what you need to know . . . just in time for the clock to run out.

Ego, pure and simple. It sounds ridiculous, but there are still people who try to get into the industry because they want to be big shots. They want to have cool jobs that make their friends jealous. You see it all the time in their LinkedIn pages, their Instagram accounts, the pictures in their social media bios. When you enter the business with this kind of attitude, you don’t realize that there’s stuff you don’t know, and it is absolutely crucial to enter this business with humility.

Six Points: How to Be an NFL Agent on a Budget

03 Friday Apr 2026

Posted by in Agents, combine prep, Getting started, NFL draft, NIL, Transfer portal

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This week, I broke down the agent signings for the 1,700-plus prospects who’ve signed with contract advisors so far, per the latest NFLPA SRA report. Basically, I listed the players — sorted by P4, G5 and non-FBS schools — that each NFL agent has signed for the 2026 class. It paints an interesting picture.

One takeaway: 58 agents who just passed the exam last summer have not signed one client for the 2026 draft class. That’s about a third of all agents who got certified who have zero to show for their first year certified. And look, I know why — repping a players, a legit prospect, one who could be signed/drafted, costs at least $15,000.

Still, even if you don’t have the cash, there are ways to not waste Year 1. Here are a few suggestions.

Get into the NIL game: Even if you don’t sign a five-star high school player or a headline-grabbing potential transfer, repping college players gives you hands-on experience. But the best part is, there’s no training costs associated, so you’ll have something big to do in January that gets you used to dealing with players, their parents, coaches, schools, etc.

Sign a player after the middle of February: The main advantage here, obviously, is that most players already have their training plan in place by mid-February, which means you’re off the hook. Obviously, the draft class is a lot thinner by then, but it’s not too late to sign a good player if you’re careful. Believe it or not, 37 of the 450 players who made it to 90-man rosters as UDFAs didn’t sign with agents until after Feb. 16. What’s more, 116 of the 437 players brought in for tryouts signed Feb. 16 or later. Obviously, a rookie mini-camp invite only isn’t optimal, but at least it’s a chance to communicate with scouts.

Don’t sign a specialist: You want to start building your scouting network in Year 1. If you sign a kicker, punter or deep-snapper, you will be working mostly with special teams coaches. That’s not terrible, but it limits you. Specialists cost less to train, but you’re signing late enough that training costs shouldn’t be much of an encumbrance anyway.

Make sure your clients play positions with scarcity: Which positions are most in demand? Which ones aren’t? It’s all here. Sorry, it’s a pay link.

Make sure you sign a player in an NFL team’s metro market: This gets your client into a team’s local pro day. That’s big, even if it’s a team that doesn’t actually host workouts. The thing is, fewer teams are even having local pro days. Make sure you don’t sign a player from one of those nine markets.

If at all possible, sign a player from a P4 school: Obviously, we’re seeing an overwhelming accumulation of talent in the four most powerful conferences. Scouts have noticed. That’s not to say that smaller-school prospects don’t have a shot, but obviously, the ones playing with the big boys have less to prove.

A Needed Disclaimer on NIL Agency Significance

27 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in Agents, College personnel, NIL, Transfer portal

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Earlier this month, on the ITL website, we posted a list of 30 agencies that seem to be doing the most business in the NIL space. Predictably, it’s created quite a stir with some of the agencies listed there (as well as some of the ones that weren’t). I think this calls for a disclaimer and maybe a clarification about the post.

Granted, we should have known it had the potential to explode, no matter what. That’s what social media is for, right? Making a big splash? Still, we tried to couch things by saying we were/are “seeking opinions from people in the industry” and that it was “based on initial feedback” only. We also closed the post by asking “where are we wrong?” and “where are we right?” Bottom line, the idea was to start a dialogue, not create a proclamation.

We’ve gotten a lot of feedback and rightfully so. Some firms have claimed that though they don’t do the raw numbers, their clientele has more star power. Or, they get more money for their clients. These claims have merit. Is the best metric raw numbers, or biggest clients, or dollars earned in deals? It’s probably a combination of all three, but given how undefined this industry is right now, it’s hard to find any objective truth. Then there’s the total number of agencies we listed. Is 30 a good number? Should it really be 25? Should it be 50? I don’t know. Again, 30 seemed like a good starting point.

Maybe we let this “out of the lab” too quickly. The thing is, you have to start somewhere, right? If we’re really going to find answers, we have to risk bruising some egos, even if that’s not intended. Fresh off our symposium, and maybe a little flush with its success, we wanted to keep pushing the conversation. We ran our list past several GMs and several top NIL agents, but it was in no way exhaustive or scientific. Honestly, I don’t know how much vetting would be enough, but I’m pretty sure it hadn’t been vetted sufficiently when we posted it. Again, it was a starting point, not a finished product.

With all that said, you still might see some NIL agencies touting their presence on the list. I guess I can’t stop them. But I think our post needed more perspective, so here it is. We stand behind our posts, but we also think you deserve the full picture.

We have a whole lot more to say about agencies, their roles, and the positives and negatives they bring to the NIL space in today’s Friday Wrap, which comes out at 7:30 p.m. EST. It’s free. If you’re not already registered for it, do that here.

Five Things for New NFL Agents to Know About Pro Days

13 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, ITL, NFL draft, Scouts

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Tonight, I gathered with several members of the 2025 NFLPA agent class to discuss pro days and the things they need to know this time of year. In the process, I developed 10 truths regarding pro days. I pulled five of them from my notes tonight, and they’re below.

Here’s my take on what new agents need to know about March.

  • No matter what scouts say, 40 times and pro day performances are important. This is something that was really brought home to we when I was writing my last book. It’s probably more true today than ever. A fringe prospect who tests poorly can take himself off most — maybe all — draft boards.
  • Pro days are not a right; scout coverage is not a right. I think that as the draft has grown in popularity, there’s a perception that every player gets his chance to shine in a workout. That’s not true. Even if every single NFL scout was dispatched to pro days across the country, they’d be tasked with gathering numbers on 1,500-2,000 players across about five weeks, and that’s just at the FBS level. Never mind that most are just not NFL-caliber players. Scouts are people, too.
  • One scout is way better than no scouts. I’ve had agents lament that there was only one, maybe two, scouts at a pro day. Most teams share numbers through what’s called the APT Coalition. If a player worked out at a remote school with minimal NFL talent, let’s face it — there’s probably better places for a scout to be.
  • If you get a player into a pro day, there’s a good chance he will only get to run a 40. Some schools are very liberal with how many players from other schools they allow to work out, but here’s the catch — they only let them run the 40. If their time doesn’t measure up, they don’t get to finish the rest of the drills. Once again, pro days are not a right, and scouts and school officials have to be economical with their time and efforts.
  • Pro liaisons often know less than you’d think. It’s not their fault. Their job is to help their respective teams win on Saturday, not get their players into the NFL. The point is, defer to them on some things, but make sure you verify everything they tell you.

Obviously, there’s plenty more to know about pro days as well as how to get a player his best pro day; the vagaries of alternative leagues like the CFL and UFL; NFL local pro days; and the all-important Day 3 of the NFL Draft. These are all things I covered tonight with Inside the League clients.

We didn’t record things, but I’ve got pretty detailed notes. Happy to share them if you join the ITL family.

A Few Thoughts on How We Can Improve Our Combine Events

06 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in Agents, College personnel, ITL, Media, NIL, Transfer portal

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Forgive me if this is a little self-indulgent for a couple of events that have already taken place. However, I’ve spent the last week thinking about how we could make our two Indianapolis events last week, the 2026 Ellison Kibler at Merrill Lynch ITL Combine Seminar and the 2026 Dropback ITL Symposium, even bigger in 2027. Here’s what I’ve come up so far.

More space: We were smart enough to increase our space for Friday’s symposium — and thank the Lord that we did, because we had a packed house — and increased our space for Wednesday. However, we probably need to expand our space even further for both events. Hopefully we can return to the first floor while meeting our needs, size-wise.

More imaging: We improved our social media game since last year, but let’s face it: we had nowhere to go but up. I’ve had a lot of the participants from Wednesday and Friday seeking photos of themselves from the events. I get it. When you work in the shadows, you have to find a way to let others learn who you are (or, at least, what you look like). We’ve done a good job with photos for the seminar, but not always got the pictures out. Friday, our photography was minimal. We’ll do better on both counts next year, and we’ll get shots out to people from Wednesday sooner this year.

Registration: I think we have to cut off signups earlier. We also have to level up our registration process. We’ll be giving this more thought before next year. Several people got into the symposium late despite registering days, even weeks before the event. That’s not fair to them.

Roundtables: Panelists (agents and GMs) had a really difficult job. We posed some difficult questions (they’re in this email in case you were wondering), and it’s not easy to respond when there are 400 people in the room. Some of the feedback I got was that they might be more comfortable sitting at tables with only a few people from the community. I’ve seen this done at previous symposiums, and it came together really well. However, they didn’t have as many people as we had, and it requires signups well in advance so you can kinda plot things out. We had a significant amount of walkup registration and that will probably continue next year with schedules in Indianapolis so volatile. I’m not sure if we can pull this off. But maybe we’ll try.

Promotion: I devoted three newsletters and 3-4 podcasts to promoting our symposium; I also put a ribbon on our website with all the details. Still, we had members of some of the top agencies who expressed disappointment that they didn’t know we were having it. I’ll admit I focused my personal texts, emails and DMs on college GMs and directors, hoping that agencies would participate if we had enough members of the college personnel community. Next year, I’ll be more aggressive about reaching out, personally, to people who have attended in the past.

If you were there, and you have ideas, I’d love to hear what you’ve got. I’m sure there are things I’m missing. I want to make both our events the place the football community comes to share best practices and meet key people. I won’t stop trying to improve both. DM me on Twitter at @insidetheleague.

2026 NFL Agent Exam: A Few First Thoughts

09 Friday Jan 2026

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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In the last few days, we’ve been contacted by several people who’ve registered to take this summer’s agent exam. I tweeted about it earlier today, but sometimes a tweet just isn’t enough. Here are a few more thoughts about achieving your dreams if you aspire to represent pro football players.

Our program starts in February: As always, we’ll have monthly Zoom sessions as we systematically cover each segment of the CBA. I’d argue that no one knows the CBA better than our instructor, Chicago-based Ian Greengross. Ian has led our program for several years now and dozens of successful test-takers got good results because of Ian.

Actually, we don’t really have a program: There are services out there charging close to $2,000 for bunch of classes. If you take all our classes, i.e., our Zoom sessions, which cover the CBA comprehensively, you spend $250. Stick around for our final review and our stress test, and you’re still under $400. We even tell you in advance what topics we cover in each session, so if you already have a handle on the topics in one session, keep your money. You’re not obligated to attend. Again, no obligations.

We have a special deal for you if this is your second try: Our partners at Stratic, Shane Costa and Christian Kranz of Generation Sports Group, offer a sensational alternative program, especially if you only have one last shot. It’s a little more intensive and a little more directed. It’s a bit more of a financial commitment, but it’s worth it. Especially if it’s fourth down, figuratively speaking, but even if you’ve never taken the exam before. Contact us and we’ll get you all the details. You won’t be sorry if you choose this option.

We’re improving our popular practice exams: We’re working on converting our two practice exams, maybe our most popular pre-exam feature, into one exam that changes questions each time you take it. It will be like taking a new practice exam every time. Our goal was to get this done last year, but we got a late start. We hope to have this completed at least by May, well before the final push.

You don’t have to wait until February to order our study guide: Our first Zoom session is about six weeks off and we won’t update our practice exams for a few months. However, if you’re registered now and eager to get going on things, you can order our study guide today. It’s pricey ($400 plus tax) but probably worth double that. In fact, if you only get one thing in preparation for the exam, get our study guide. It’s a 70-page PDF. Order it and we’ll have it in your inbox within an hour.

We will work with half-to-two thirds of the rising agent class, but if you’re one of our people, you’ll find we’re devoted to helping you pass. I hope we can work together. Let’s make it happen. If you have more questions, make sure to contact us at @Insidetheleague. DMs are always open.

Rumblings and Buzz from a Busy Football Week

14 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by in Agents, All Star Games, NIL, Scouts

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Man, it’s been a busy week, and there was a lot we didn’t have time to get into our Rep Rumblings (or give proper attention to). Here’s a look at some of this week’s developments in the business of college and pro football.

  • You don’t often see agents change firms after Halloween, but Evan Brennan has, moving from UA Sports to JL Sports. His arrival gives JL 10 NFLPA-certified contract advisors. Agency owner Joe Linta, who was 18th among all agents with 31 active NFL clients on our last count, gets a hard-working presence in the Northwest who continually turns up Day 3/UDFA types that beat the odds. Per NFLPA rolls, Brennan, who was certified in 2013, had 11 active clients as of this month.
  • Also getting a new address is Arlington, Va.-based Chitta Mallik, who’s taking his 16 years of experience to Jordan Sports Group, headed by newly certified contract advisor Miles Jordan. Jordan has already built a thriving NIL presence, and Mallik arrives to give his firm a veteran league presence. We’re told Mallik isn’t the only agent arriving from Dreampoint Sports; also advising Jordan Sports Group will be Tony Paige, who co-founded Dreampoint. Paige, a nine-year NFL playing veteran, has been in NFL player representation since 1994. Mallik and Paige were also previously with Vanguard Sports Group.
  • In an era where the costs of player representation are going up and up, it’s become commonplace for smaller agencies to develop affiliations. Some of them are highly informal, but others involve LLCs, contracts and specialized language. It’s a little more trouble, but sometimes it pays off, as it did for Premier Athlete Advisors LLC, which recently won a legal victory over its previous partner firm, Enter-Sports MGT LLC. Though the NFLPA continually pushes licensed contract advisors to settle their difference through its grievance process, time and again, agents complain that their rulings don’t resolve things. The people at Premier set up their venture with Enter-Sports as an agreement between LLCs, taking things outside the bounds of the Players Association. Enter-Sports is now on the hook for almost $38,000, per the story.
  • We try to interview a former NFL scout each week as part of our Catching Up feature in the Friday Wrap, and this week, it’s former Broncos, Chiefs and Vikings scout Roger Jackson (he also had a five-year playing career). Most scouts who retire from the job ride off into the sunset, playing golf and chasing grandkids. Not Roger, who instead saw a need for helping underprivileged kids in his hometown of Macon, Ga. He founded the Motivating Youth Foundation 18 years ago, and it’s made a difference in countless lives. To keep it going, instead of enjoying retirement, he knocks on doors. “I can raise money,” he said with a laugh this week. “I beg. And I’ll come back next week. ‘Thought you might have changed your mind.’ Until they say, ‘we gotta give this joker something, or he’s gonna come back next week,’ and I sure am.” Make sure to check out our interview with Roger in tomorrow’s Friday Wrap.
  • Our November Zoom session for ITL clients was Wednesday, and in it, we highlighted the density of all-star competition from Jan. 4-11. In the first week-and-a-half of the year, NFL teams will be tasked with covering the FCS Showcase in Nashville (Jan. 4-5); the Hula Bowl in Central Florida (Jan. 5-10); the Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8) and Peach Bowl (Jan. 9) as part of the College Football Playoffs; and the College Gridiron Showcase and Dream Bowl, both in the Metroplex Jan. 9-11. It’s a dilemma for scouting staffs, and we discussed how teams are planning on covering things (or not covering them) in Tuesday’s post.

We’re just getting started. If you love the college and pro game, make sure to check out our newsletter, which goes out at 7:30 p.m. EST tomorrow. Register for it here.

Do All-Star Games Still Matter?

23 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Agents, All Star Games, Scouts

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This week, we started our annual all-star game Zoom series. Tuesday, I hosted, discussing all six major games this cycle and providing insights on each. There’s a lot you need to know, from how to get a player into a game to when to be there to what to expect when you arrive. Tonight, we host Jose Jefferson from the College Gridiron Showcase and Jim Collins from the Tropical Bowl, and each will go into detail on their respective events.

But is it all worth it? In the era of the 12-game regular season, in a time when most small-school “sleepers” have long since transferred to bigger schools, in a day when there’s more access to film than ever, do we still need postseason games? I say yes. Here’s why.

Rotational players: It’s true that more G5 and sub-FBS players are transferring “up” to P4 programs, but that doesn’t mean they’re getting the reps they need. Playing every other series or every other snap is not conducive to registering on NFL radar screens. All-star games give you exposure you need.

Interviews, etc.: North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick openly tells Patriots evaluators to stay away. Meanwhile, in our Friday Wrap newsletter, each week we have quotes from scouts talking about schools that limit access to practices, or who force scouts into classroom settings to ask questions about players that draw bland, safe answers. All-star settings are no-spin zones. Done correctly, a player can win over a scout just by having a sit-down with him.

Players from remote areas: The fact of the matter is that scouts do not visit all schools equally, or even all schools. No matter how many resources are devoted to finding hidden gems, there are still those who slip under the radar, especially if you play in the West/Northwest, the plains area, etc. Typically, you have fewer scouts in those areas, and often, they are less-experienced. It’s easy to overlook players. It’s also hard for a younger scout to really “stand on the table” for an unheralded player. But if that player shows out at an all-star game, he might move into “writeable” territory.

Scouts are there: I used to attend the Cactus Bowl in the early 2000s, an all-star game specifically for Division II players that was held in Kingsville, Texas, which is close to saying “we don’t want anyone to actually show up here” as is possible. I mean, no one accidentally shows up in Kingsville. Still, to my recollection, all 32 teams showed up and stuck around for a couple days. The point is, when you make it easy for an NFL team to evaluate players, they’ll usually take advantage of that. So even if it’s a small game, if scouts are sure there will be players there, they’ll probably roll in and watch. That means opportunity for the invitees.

If you’re a new agent and want to learn more about this critical part of the evaluation process, we can help. A lot. Give us a shot by signing up for Inside the League or registering for our free newsletter, the Friday Wrap.