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~ The daily blog written by ITL's Neil Stratton

Succeed in Football

Category Archives: Getting started

Ask the Scout: Takeaways from our Rookie Agent Zoom

15 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Getting started

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Tuesday night, dozens of our clients who are in their first year as certified contract advisors assembled for our monthly Zoom session. This time, we were joined by Bob Morris, GM of the USFL’s Houston Gamblers. Here are a few takeaways.

  • I take no joy in saying this, but it’s incredibly hard to get a small-school player into a big-school pro day, and I’d say it’s gotten harder each year over the past decade. It’s gone from “maybe we’ll let you into our pro day if your school is in our state” to “we’re gonna need at least one scout who’s attending the pro day to call and vouch for the player” to “we’re gonna need two scouts to vouch” to “we’re full.” Almost exactly a third of players signed by agents so far are from sub-FBS schools. That’s a lot of players who may not get a chance to work out for scouts.
  • If you do get a player into a pro day, there’s no guarantee he’ll get to do the entire workout. Most schools use the 40 as a weed-out drill. A slow 40 might mean game over for the entire workout.
  • There’s a perception that the USFL (and to some degree, the XFL) are easy backup plans for players who go undrafted. However, Bob made it clear that he’s looking for NFL-caliber players and not just any player who’s every put on pads before. Also, the USFL can’t take players who weren’t in the draft pool until after Week 3 of the season (around the end of April). If there are any positives, it’s that the player doesn’t have to undergo a physical or a tryout to become part of the player pool in May. The player just needs a USFL GM to ask the league’s personnel director, John Peterson, to add him to the pool. That way, all eight teams have a crack at him.
  • In the USFL, players who are brought in for a tryout are responsible for their own travel and lodging. Hey, it’s a new league. They’re trying to be smart about spending money.
  • Bob said he uses all-star appearances as a good indication of whether or not a player has even minimal appeal to an NFL team. He said he wouldn’t even consider recommending a player for a pro day if he didn’t at least participate in an all-star game.
  • There are about 1,400 players signed to standard representation agreements this year. The size of the class should be down this year. Given how many Day 3 types went back to school with tidy NIL deals, the depth in the class isn’t great. That’s good news for first-year agents whose clients are more fringe.

Next month, we’ll have our final Rookie Agent Zoom, and it’s a key session. We’ll talk about draft weekend, how to gauge interest in your client, what to do if your client goes undrafted, how to spark interest and may other topics. Especially if you’re a new agent, I hope you can join us. Sign up for ITL here, or sign up for our free newsletter here.

 

How Do You Build Friendships with NFL Scouts?

24 Friday Feb 2023

Posted by itlneil in Getting started, Scouts

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This is a question I get all the time. With dozens (hundreds?) of aspiring evaluators ready to descend on Indianapolis next week, I thought delve further into this topic, though I’ve addressed it in this space previously and on social media. I don’t have the answers, but here are a few things to remember that might be helpful.

Desperation is off-putting: If you give yourself an ultimatum about getting a job while at the Combine (or anywhere else), that sense of urgency is going to be written all over you. It tends to come across in a negative way.

It’s about more than football: If you can find a common bond with a scout, your chances of building a relationship are infinitely greater. Ask about a scout’s family, his alma mater, or where he’s from, and you’re far more likely to have a lasting friendship.

Play the long game: In the early days of ITL, I was pretty desperate to befriend scouts, too. Two decades later, I have friends on all 32 teams. It just takes time. Obviously, you may not have two decades to pursue this, but the sooner you get out there and start making friends, the sooner that “long time” gets a lot shorter.

Understand that there’s an element of luck: When I was a kid, I thought people who worked in the NFL got there because they were way smarter and harder-working than I am. These days, I don’t think that’s true. In most cases, they got a break, then took advantage of it. Not everyone gets that break. You just have to accept that.

Know when to go solo: You may travel to Indy with others who are seeking a job in scouting, and I recommend this. At the same time, you need to realize that you’re competing with your friends, as well. It’s rare that a team hires several people that know each other. Be a good guy, but you’re going to have to put your own goals first.

Develop your instincts, then trust them: This is an inexact science. At some point, you will have to use your best judgement. Don’t be afraid to trust your gut.

Take risks: At some point, doing the safe thing will not be the way. In fact, the best way may go directly contrary to one of the points I’ve made in this post. That’s life. It’s not always predictable. Trust your gut and make your move if you feel it’s time. To get a job in scouting, you’re going to have to beat the odds.

One more tip: Go where the scouts go. One place where many of them will be will be discussed in this week’s Friday Wrap. If you haven’t already registered for it, make sure to do that here.

2023 All-Star Season: Seven Fun Facts

15 Thursday Dec 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Getting started, Scouts

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We’re about three weeks away from the first all-star game of the 2023 NFL Draft season, the College Gridiron Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s a critical time of year if you follow the draft. We thought we’d discuss a few points of interest with each of the games that you may not have known.

  • For the first time at least since ITL launched in 2002, the NFL will not send team staffs to the Senior Bowl to coach. Instead, they’ll send those staffs to the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas. The teams are not yet determined, and will be the two who pick highest in the ’23 draft and that have intact coaching staffs (i.e., they didn’t fire their head coach).
  • Of the top six games (Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl, NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, Hula Bowl, College Gridiron Showcase and Tropical Bowl), two are led by former NFL scouts. Jim Nagy, who runs the Senior Bowl, spent almost two decades with the Redskins, Chiefs, Patriots and Seahawks. Dane Vandernat, who leads the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, spent almost 10 years with the Raiders.
  • Meanwhile, two former NFL agents founded all-star games. CGS co-founder Craig Redd was NFLPA-certified from 1999-2015, while Tropical Bowl founder Michael Quartey got certified in 2007 and spend three years representing players.
  • There have been at least two all-star games in Florida since 2016, when the Tropical Bowl launched in Miami alongside the Shrine Game, which was in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Shrine Bowl has since moved west to Las Vegas, but the Hula Bowl has settled in Orlando.
  • Between its Small-School Showcase, specialists workout and two full rosters (Wranglers and Desperadoes), the CGS hosts about 320 draft-eligible players across its five-day schedule. That’s only about 30-40 fewer  than is invited to the NFL Combine each year.
  • The Senior Bowl, CGS and Tropical Bowl are the only three games played continuously since 2019, with the Shrine Bowl, NFLPA Bowl and Hula Bowl suspending play for Covid in 2021.
  • It’s not just football luminaries that show up at all-star games. In 2016, with Charlie Weis coaching the Shrine Game, his friend, Jon Bon Jovi, showed up for game week and hung around the lobby of the Tradewinds Island Resort, the host hotel.

All-star season is a great time to build your network and make key contacts. Travel always has costs, but if you’re smart and you book in advance, you can hit a lot of these stops without breaking the bank. I hope to see you out on the trail.

Make sure you’re reading our newsletter, the Friday Wrap, for more tips on scouting, all-star games, coaching hiring (and firing), player representation, NIL and everything else associated with the business of the game. Register here.

 

 

Want To Be An NFL Agent? Some Thanksgiving Advice

24 Thursday Nov 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Getting started

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Wednesday, an old friend in the business reached out about the son of a friend who’s getting into player representation. “Since the area of NIL and being a player agent is out of my comfort zone, I knew you could provide a link or two for third party guidance,” he wrote. “I don’t want to put you on the spot, but I know you are the best in this area.”

I didn’t have any ready links to send him, and I felt a little bad about that. But since it’s Thanksgiving, I thought I’d give back a little. Having worked with and watched agents make mistakes for more than two decades, here are the three biggest mistakes agents commonly make.

“The contacts I have are enough to make me successful.” I’d say about a third of every agent class enters the business with no contacts. It happens, but it’s rare. Most new agents have an ex-roommate, a friend, a family member or someone else at a key school or NFL team, and that person has promised to help him. i’d even say that more than half have been told by a draft-eligible player, “if you get certified, I’ll sign with you.” It rarely happens, though. The truth is, you have to commit to making a slew of contacts AFTER you get certified, or you’re dead in the water. You have no chance otherwise.

“Negotiating is the most important part of my job.” This is the big takeaway that most sport management programs drill into their students for four years (and maybe two more if the student is dumb enough to pursue a master’s). The truth is, since the 2011 CBA was approved, a rookie deal is cut and dried. Unless you have a player signed as an undrafted free agent, negotiation is not really something a young agent has to have in his bag. It will be a long time before you’re sitting across the table from an NFL executive, angrily haggling over dollars and deals.

“I can do this without spending much money.” I have a wealth manager who is like the Michael Jordan of investment. He is highly accomplished in his field. About 10 years ago, he became part of the ITL family. I kinda rolled my eyes, thinking this was a flight of fancy for a man who’s successful but bored. His first year was pretty much right out of the “how to be an NFL financial advisor” annual. With my guidance, he dutifully attended the top all-star games, handed out his literature to the players, and bought dinners for friendly but usually lightly regarded agents. After a couple years of doing that, he had zero clients. However, he stuck with it, and like anyone who’s smart and pays his dues, he has built a decent practice. But that took 10 years and who knows how much money, not to mention time? He was willing to make the commitment, but even then, it wasn’t easy.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and if you’re part of the ITL family, that is especially true. If you aren’t, and you want to be, I’m eager to start working with you. Don’t want to commit yet? At least sign up for our newsletter.

Have a great day with your family, and enjoy the games.

Our First Zoom Guest for New Agents: Octagon’s Murphy McGuire

29 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Getting started

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Sometime in the summer of 2013, when my wife was working for our church, she mentioned that she had met a kid who wanted to meet me. He found out what I did and wanted to learn more. She said she thought he was interested in being an agent. I think I rolled my eyes. A lot of people think I have a really cool job until they find out how mundane most of my work is. Murphy stuck around, however, and worked as an intern at ITL for 2-3 years until he graduated from law school.

Most of my interns get the passion for working in football burned out of them, so when Murphy told me he was gonna take the NFL agent exam in the summer of 2015, I was surprised, and a little pissed. Have you not been paying attention, I thought? Do you not understand the futility of working as a small, independent NFL agent? The costs involved? The years of frustration? The potential for wasted money and time? Still, despite my urgings, he took and passed the NFLPA exam on the first try. It’s worth noting that 2015 was the year the NFLPA sharply increased the difficulty of the test, but Murphy still passed on his first try. 

He has surprised me several times since. He was the only independent rookie agent to have a player drafted in his first year (Texas Tech’s Jakeem Grant, who went 6/186 to the Dolphins in 2016 and remains active with the Bears today). He even starred in a reality TV series on the NFL Network that year (Murphy is in the first frame, wearing a ball cap, in this video). He also made the leap to a major agency (Octagon Football) just 2-3 years after getting certified, and today, less than 10 years after getting certified, he’s tied for No. 59 among all active NFL agents with 16 clients in the league. That may not sound like much, but it’s pretty impressive for someone who was told he “looks like some young kid” when he solicited a major agent at a top firm about a job at his first Senior Bowl in 2014, I think. 

Anyway, I say all this because Murphy will be my guest Thursday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. ET, as we host our first monthly Zoom sessions for members of the 2022 NFL agent class. It’s something we started last year, and I found that getting rookie contract advisors on Zoom to ask questions of someone who was once in their shoes is a great way to learn. I’ll make a few brief points, then we’ll get on with the interview. Here are a few things I’ll ask him about:

  • How long did it take him to build a network of scouts willing to talk to him?
  • How did he build that network?
  • How did he choose Jakeem as his first client? What did he tell him so Jakeem would take a chance on a rookie agent? 
  • How did he handle training costs, etc., in his early, independent days?
  • How did he latch on with an established agency so quickly? 
  • How has the industry changed, and what’s the biggest challenge he faces now? 
  • How have the players changed? 
  • What would be his advice for agents getting started today? 

Bottom line, this is your chance to get the keys to the kingdom from a real NFL agent success story, straight from the horse’s mouth.

If you’re interested in joining us, you’re welcome to, even if you’re just curious and not  even a contract advisor. However, there’s one catch: you have to be an ITL client. You can register here. It’s $29.95/mo, and you can cancel at any time.

I hope to see you in a week. In the meantime, get more scoop about the football business by registering for our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap. Do that here.

Best Tips on Passing the 2022 NFL Agent Exam

15 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Getting started

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This is the last weekend before the 2022 NFL Agent Exam, which means it’s go time for everyone hoping to become NFLPA-licensed this fall. At ITL, for the past week, we’ve been frantically filling orders on our practice exams, study guide and videos. Still, just having the right tools isn’t enough. Encouragement and counsel on how to pass matter, too.

We try to accomplish that every year with the ITL Rising Contract Advisor Newsletter, in which we interview members of the most recent agent class who got players on 90-man rosters. We find it’s a good way to remind test-takers that their mission isn’t impossible.

Here’s a distillation of some of the best tips we’ve gotten from agents we’ve worked with over the past decade. If you’re taking the test Wednesday, we hope you’ll find some useful morsels of wisdom:

  • “I remember that there was a question about if there is a playoff bye, do you get a playoff bonus? The guy at the lecture said twice it wouldn’t be on the test, but it was. I don’t think he was doing that intentionally, but it did end up being on the test. So be thorough, and get your questions answered (during the pre-exam seminars).” — Aston Wilson, Agency1 Sports Group, Class of 2012
  • “The most difficult part of the exam is not the different concepts. It is knowing how to find the information.” — Nathan Shackelford, Higher Calling Sports, Class of 2019
  • “The way it was structured, you had to know what they were talking about or it would lead you to the wrong answer.” — John Thornton, Roc Nation Sports, Class of 2013
  • “If you go in there well-prepared, I think you can take it and pass.” — Tory Dandy, CAA, Class of 2013
  • “The way I did it, every sub-section of the exam, I created a binder for that section. It’s not about what you know, but how fast you can get to the material. If you didn’t print it out and have it organized, you’re not gonna get it.” — Ty Tascioglu, Sports Planning, Inc., Class of 2021
  • “The way they presented the material, you really had to study the CBA and all the material, from beginning to end, because the test had a lot of things on there.” — Malki Kawa, First-Round Management, Class of 2014
  • “My advice is to go into the exam with the mindset that they are trying to trip you up with the way the exam is worded.” — A.J. Vayner, VaynerSports, Class of 2018
  • “Every slide at the seminar I wrote down. My hand was so cramped when it was done, but I’m one of those guys, when I write something down, I memorize it. And since it was an open-book test, it really helped me to go back to some of the stuff I might not have remembered during the test.” — Murphy McGuire, Octagon Football, Class of 2015
  • “I went through flash cards and I had the CBA color-coded.” — Christian Kranz, Generation Sports Group, Class of 2015
  • “I probably interacted with 50 guys, and I’d say 35 didn’t come prepared whatsoever.” — Josh Grady, Grady Sports, Class of 2016
  • “By all means, use the ITL practice exam. The questions and how they were worded are very similar to the actual exam.” — Logan Brown, Logan Brown Sports, Class of 2016

Still need an extra boost to pass the exam? We have a study guide, practice exams, six instructional videos and even agents on call, ready to provide one-on-one help for reasonable prices. Don’t wait. Hit us up here or on our Twitter, where DMs are always open.

The NIL Conundrum: Three Popular Questions

07 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by itlneil in Getting started, NIL

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This week, we continue our conversation with Vantage Management Group’s Sammy Spina, who has a unique perspective on name, image and likeness due to his extensive work in the space. He also heads a popular sports management course called Breaking Into Sports that has helped many young people get a foothold in the industry. I asked him the answers to three questions I get most often from agents on how to achieve NIL success, and here are his responses.

What’s the best mix between “self-generated” income (apparel and branded merchandise) and sponsored income (appearances, endorsements and social media)? 

I will use the famous lawyer answer here: “it depends.” Social media following is probably the main driving force behind self-generated income, but not every athlete will have the requisite number of followers to really build a strong presence. My goal has always been to generate the most money and/or best-case scenario for my clients without causing them to do too much work. Obviously, his school and his sport come first; NIL is a byproduct of that success. As a result, I would say most of my athlete NIL deals have come from sponsored income, and I have done very little “self-generated income” for my clients because it typically takes more time, effort, and energy.

One thing to keep in mind with self-generated income is that everyone wants to start their own clothing line! If that’s your goal, make sure you do something different that does more than simply having your client’s name on a T-shirt. Create a story, vision, movement, or charitable donation to help drive more customers for recurring revenue. No “story” usually means no legitimate self-generated income. There has to be something that separates your client from all the other student-athletes out there.

What’s the minimum number of social media followers one needs to make money in NIL? And does it matter which platform? 

Instagram and TikTok are the two driving forces behind most social media influencers, probably because they’re visual platforms. I wouldn’t say there is a minimum number of followers, because I have been able to secure paid social media and personal appearance deals for clients who have fewer than 2,000 followers; despite their limited followings, respectively, each was were paid more than $1,000 per opportunity.  Of course, it certainly helps when you have a strong following and, even more importantly, strong engagement! Remember, the most important factor is showing companies why such an appearance makes sense! What is unique about this deal that will generate headlines for the company and for the athlete?

I have seen a shift to LinkedIn as well, which also helps your athlete clients showcase their unique partnerships to business professionals in industries across the world. However, LinkedIn is still in its growing phase, so it’s easier to use other platforms (like TikTok) to gain exposure on posts that align with your audiences’ interests.

How much of NIL income is totally dependent on a player’s school? Geographic location? Position he plays?

A lot of it. It has been a lot more difficult to generate significant dollars and deals in smaller towns – such as Stillwater, OK where the majority of businesses are family-owned – than, say, in a larger city like Pittsburgh. Don’t get me wrong: fans and business owners will always want to support their college athletes. However, not every school is equal in that regard.

Quarterbacks will almost always make the most money. That is a given. However, there are opportunities for everyone. You have to get creative and you have to work! For example, I took an offensive lineman with fewer than 5,000 Instagram followers and got him paid appearances (without signing autographs), a custom suit deal, a restaurant deal, a meal prep company endorsement and other deals. I even got him an appearance as an ambassador for a cruise ship. I give this example to showcase the importance of relationships, how to be creative and how to show the value and impact your client will bring to the company.

 

Another Chance to Grow: Mueller Scout Camp

19 Thursday May 2022

Posted by itlneil in Getting started, Scouts

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Scouting (and specifically, getting jobs in scouting) is on the minds of many these days  with teams hiring and firing as part of the usual post-draft phase. I can’t count the number of members of NCAA personnel and recruiting departments who’ve reached out to me over the past 2-3 weeks, asking for tips on how to interview.

I try to respond to all of them, and do the best I can to give them good advice. However, there are those who have actually done the hiring that can do way better. One of those people is former NFL GM Randy Mueller, who’s spent time in the front offices in New Orleans, Miami, Seattle and San Diego in various roles (serving as GM of the Saints, Dolphins and Seahawks). These days, Randy writes a must-read blog on his personal web page, but next month, you don’t have to get your advise and counsel through via the Web.

Randy will host a two-day workshop in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, that will be the first-ever Mueller Scout Camp. Included in the event will be five individual sessions, including a resume review and a mock GM interview with Randy. Sessions will included pointers on film evaluation, the dynamics of team-building, how to gather character information on recruits and prospects, how to build a consensus without encouraging groupthink, building your board and more. 

“A couple of bigger-program head coaches asked me if I could coach up some of their people on the art of identifying and evaluating players,” Mueller said. “Everyone, coaches included, needs a refresher, so think of a coaching clinic, but this is an evaluator’s clinic. 

“People who do this for a living have got to be able to identify what most don’t see when looking for talent.”

Randy said his goal is to “give (attendees) some tools and a process to build fundamentals as an evaluator as they progress in the business.”

It’s a pretty exciting opportunity when you consider that he’s only taking 12 students. As someone who loves to see professionals invest in the next generation, I’m pretty enthusiastic about Randy’s camp, as well as the one I’ll be attending this weekend in Las Vegas, the 2022 Personnel/Recruiting Spring Clinic in Las Vegas. That one is being run by UNLV’s Gaizka Crowley and Colorado State’s Lucas Gauthier. Hope to see you there.

For more information on Mueller Scout Camp, including pricing, email Randy at info@muellerfootball.com. 

Ask The Scouts: 12 Questions for the NFL Scouting Director Zooms

03 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by itlneil in Getting started, Scouts

≈ Leave a comment

Next week, as you might have seen, we will host three nights of NFL scouting directors discussing their hiring policies and philosophies as it relates to scouting interns and assistants. In other words, this will be How to Get a Job in NFL Scouting 101 with not one, not two, but three (!!!) experts. I’ve spoken on this topic before, but obviously, that’s not nearly the same as bringing in the men who actually do the hiring to talk about how they fill open positions.

You can register by becoming a #NextWave ITL subscriber (a discounted $75 student rate for aspiring NFL evaluators) here. Got questions? Email me at nstratton at insidetheleague dot com. Once you get registered, we’ll send you all the relevant links, etc. We’ll reveal the names of our three directors and their teams, times of the Zoom sessions, and provide Zoom links on Monday.

So what are the questions they will address? I’ve given them a lot of latitude on how they want to approach these sessions, but these would be some of the questions that I would expect will be answered.

  • When is the best time to submit a resume?
  • How do I know about openings?
  • How do I submit my resume?
  • How important is it to have a developed eye for NFL talent? Will I be evaluated on this?
  • How long are your internships? How long do scouting assistants typically work for your team?
  • Do you pay scouting interns? If so, how much?
  • What if I haven’t worked for a school’s personnel department?
  • Is a math/science/finance-based degree better than a sport management degree?
  • Should I include ALL my work experience, or just football-related experience, on my resume?
  • Do you hire every year?
  • What do your interns and scouting assistants typically do?
  • Where have most of them come from?

If you follow our Scouting Changes Grid, you already have an idea of who got hired this cycle, and if you study our Know Your Scouts series, you already know all about the people who are getting, and keeping, jobs in NFL scouting these days. If you haven’t, well, that’s one more reason to become a #NextWave subscriber.

As an added bonus, USFL CEO Brian Woods will join us on Zoom Wednesday, as well. Though his focus will be on addressing agents’ questions about roster population, etc., he might have a minute to talk about how the league will fill internship roles. If you read this blog regularly, you know how strongly I feel about building your network and having relevant work experience, and leagues like the USFL (and, soon, the XFL) offer golden opportunities for that. And these days, you don’t even have to live in a certain place to sharpen your skill set and be a key part of an organization.

We’ll be talking more about next week’s sessions in today’s Friday Wrap, which comes out at 7:30 p.m. ET. If you haven’t already, register for it here.

’21 Agent Class Wellness Check: Five Things You Should Know by Thanksgiving

25 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Getting started

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Having worked with members of the ’21 agent class for the past several months, I hear their concerns and their questions every day. With the sub-FBS seasons over for teams not in the playoffs, and nearly over for about half of FBS teams, there are big decisions that are starting to be made.

Bottom line, there are certain things you need to know by Thanksgiving Day if you’re a certified contract advisor. Here’s what I came up with.

Know who you hope to sign: If you’re a newly certified agent, you are getting contacted daily by two groups. They are, people who hope to be agents some day and want you to hire them as interns, and players from previous draft classes hoping you’ll sign and train them to pursue their long shot NFL dreams. Well, we’re just getting started. As more and more players’ seasons end, they will start calling, too. I hope you’re recruiting, and not just waiting for something to float in over the transom. Sometimes those signings work out, but by and large, someone recruiting you is not being considered by NFL scouts.

Know who you can’t sign: Every year, there are agents who come into the business solely because a young man, or members of his family, promised that new agent that the player would sign with him or her upon certification by the NFLPA. For these people, I like to tell ‘the story of the high school girlfriend.’ I’m 52. So are Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez and Catherine Zeta-Jones, so all of them were in high school when I was. Now, let’s say I went to high school with one of them, and maybe I was even lucky enough to date one of them (I know, in my dreams, but let me tell the story). We might have expressed our love for each other, and maybe even made long-term plans, discussed kids, etc. Well, once those girls left Hometown U.S.A. and met the Brad Pitts, George Clooneys and Dwayne Johnsons of the world, suddenly, they don’t remember me anymore. That happens every year to new agents once the players they coached in Pop Warner or knew from the old neighborhood start to get recruited by the big firms. If this describes you, you better have a Plan B.

Know who the real prospects are: For most new agents without a network of NFL scouting contacts, figuring out which players have NFL talent takes real guesswork. Most aspiring NFL players have a well-rehearsed story explaining why they have been overlooked by draft pundits and scouts alike, and they can be pretty convincing. Have I mentioned that former NFL executive Blake Beddingfield writes scouting reports on any college player at any level for just $100+tax? We can turn a report in 2-3 days, most times sooner. Contact us for details.

Know about what you can spend: I would estimate that for every 100 members of a draft class signed to a 90-man roster post-draft (either drafted or signed as a UDFA), one makes it through the draft process costing his agent $1,000 or less. If about 600 rookies enter the league as draft picks or UDFAs, you’re talking about 5-7 players. For all the others, you’re looking at $5,000-$10,000 per player (again, we’re talking about actual prospects, not backup punters from NAIA schools). We discussed this extensively on our Zoom session last week. If you’re a new agent, I hope you caught it. Greg Linton (HOF Player Representatives) and Alex Campbell (Ajax Sports Agency) were magnificent.

Know, in minute detail, the all-star landscape: There are eight all-star games this draft cycle, more than any since ITL started in 2002. We had seven of the games’ directors on our Zoom last week, and they explained dates, schedules, costs (where applicable), invitation progress, roster sizes and scarcities, how to contact them and plenty of other details. I can’t describe what kind of opportunity these games are, especially if your client comes from a sub-FBS school or was only a one-year starter.

Whether or not you’re part of the football business community, and whether or not you’re part of the ITL family, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with family and friends. One of God’s greatest gifts is our loved ones. Have a blessed day, and don’t forget to sign up for our Friday Wrap if you haven’t already. 

 

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