Category Archives: Getting started

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.

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.

Here’s Why You Should Attend Our Combine Events

20 Friday Feb 2026

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts, Transfer portal

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The 2026 NFL Combine is next week. If you read this blog regularly, you know I encourage you to take chances if you want to work in football. Well, if you aren’t going to Indianapolis next week, and you want to be a scout, coach or agent, you’re making a mistake if you don’t go.

Why? Think about this.

If you want to accomplish your goals, you must seize opportunities. I know that travel, hotels, food, etc., cost money. But there’s more than just a financial risk you’re taking if you don’t go — there’s also an opportunity risk. You don’t know who you’ll meet if you go. But you know that if you don’t go, you definitely won’t meet anyone.

It’s a people business. To succeed in this business, you must be a hard worker, of course. However, if you don’t get the chance to work for anyone, it doesn’t matter. Every NFL head coach has been on a bad team at some point, but he got another opportunity in the game because of the people he’s worked with before. If you don’t know many people in the game, there’s only one way to change that.

The Combine offers the best chance to meet people. As we’ve discussed before in this space, we’re seeing a change in philosophy by NFL teams toward all-star games. At the same time, access at the biggest game of them all (the Senior Bowl) has been reduced significantly. It’s true that there are fewer NFL people that go to Indianapolis than there used to be, but there will still be droves of scouts, coaches, league officials, agents, trainers and others who could be really helpful in getting your big break.

We provide two shots at improving your chances. I’m sorry if this comes across as bragging, but I’d argue that the Combine is a better place to network than ever because of our seminar (Wednesday night) and symposium (Friday morning). For $100 (or for no money if you already work for an FBS team), you can associate with literally hundreds of NFL scouts (Wednesday) and NCAA personnel (Friday) in a relaxed, collegial atmosphere. All the details for the weekend are in last week’s Friday Wrap.

Still not sold? Read today’s Friday Wrap (register here), in which we’ll discuss the panelists, review topics, answer frequent questions, list the awards, and provide other details that may make it sexy enough for you to be at one or both of them. Remember:

  • 2026 Ellison Kibler at Merrill Lynch ITL Seminar: Weds, Feb. 25, 530 pm. Room 205, Indiana Convention Center. No cost, no registration.
  • 2026 Dropback ITL Symposium: Friday, Feb. 27, 830 am. Room 205, Indiana Convention Center. Register here. Free to FBS personnel; all others $100.

Hope to see you there.

Work in Football? First Combine? Here Are a Few Tips

10 Tuesday Feb 2026

Posted by in combine prep, Getting started, NFL draft, Scouts

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I always kinda thought people who work in college personnel offices knew the drill when it comes to the NFL Combine, but I recently came to the understanding that they don’t, given how busy their jobs are. I’ve previously written about how to approach the NFL Combine if you’re a job-seeker, but let’s say you work as a personnel director at a P4 school. When should you get to Indy? When should you leave? Here are a few thoughts.

First, know the deadline for getting credentialed: It’s Saturday. You’re going to want to apply before then if you want access to Lucas Oil Stadium. This page has all the details. This is where you actually apply.

But before you apply: You need to know which (if any) of the players at your school are invited and when they’ll be working out. If you haven’t already heard from the players at your school, sometime this week, the NFL will publish the entire list of 350-odd players. Obviously, they don’t all work out on the same day. Click here to find out when they will test. Obviously, this will determine when you need to be there to offer support.

What if your school doesn’t have any combine invitees?: I recommend one of two schedules. At the very least, come in Thursday night so you can attend our symposium Friday morning. We’re hopeful that there will be 50 P4 schools represented, most by their GMs. We’re also going to have a who’s who of top NIL agents there. It’s going to be big. Here’s a more detailed rundown of what to expect. Best of all, if you’re a member of an FBS college personnel staff, you don’t have to pay. You only have to register, which you can do here.

So you arrive Thursday. When should you leave?: Here’s what I recommend. Indianapolis will be filled to the brim with NFL and college football types Friday night. Hit the town. I’d recommend grabbing a meal downtown, then hitting High Velocity, the bar at the JW Marriott, that evening. It will be jam-packed with NFL scouts and executives, agents, wealth managers, and others in the industry of every stripe. It’s a great chance to renew acquaintances or make new ones. Come to think of it, it’s probably not a bad idea to hit High Velocity Thursday night as well.

What if you have more time?: I strongly recommend you come in Wednesday afternoon and join us at our seminar. It’s the Academy Awards of the scouting business, and it’s free (you don’t even have to register). It starts at 5:30 p.m. and will go about an hour. We’ll have 150-200 scouts there and it’s a lot of fun. We’ll hand out more than 30 awards and there’s a celebratory atmosphere that you don’t always find in football. I hope you can join us. More details are here.

Six Points: A Few More Tips and Ideas for Getting a Job This Time of Year

06 Friday Feb 2026

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts, NIL, NFL draft

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This time of year I get a lot of people reaching out to ask about tips on getting a job in scouting, college or pro. Here are a few more things to think about and/or ideas for you.

Update your LinkedIn: I used to dismiss people who serially updated their LinkedIn page, but I have to admit it’s nice to have someone’s complete employment history readily available. I know some people really overdo it, but if you use it judiciously it can be a really positive tool. I know it’s been easy to advise people when they ask for counsel on finding a job when I can review their LinkedIn pages first. By the way, if you really want to go the extra mile, set up a Linktree.

Go to the Combine: I know it’s intimidating, and can be costly, but you can figure it out. The Senior Bowl is no longer the best place to network. Indy isn’t easy — there are a few events you can attend, including ours — but mostly you’re going to need to be in the right place at the right time, eager to seize an opportunity. It’s a risk you have to take.

Seek out volunteer opportunities in Indy: It’s too late to land something with an NFL team or with combine organizers, but there are enough things going on that a helping hand might be needed. Think outside the box. There’s no better way to make a connection than to be a good worker. If you can’t find a football organization, maybe reach out to an agency that you know has players at workouts.

Renew all your key acquaintances: It’s not easy to stay in contact with everyone in your neighborhood 24-7, and if you’re not carefully, you can come across as inauthentic. Still, you should be able to think of a reason to reach out to everyone who could be pivotal, job-wise, over the next 60-90 days. For example, you could ask when they get in to Indianapolis. Or wish them a happy President’s Day, I guess. If they show up on a podcast, make sure you compliment them — genuinely — and make it clear with context that you actually listened. Obviously, a job change (especially a promotion) gives you an automatic opportunity, as well. The key is to remind them, subtly, that you’re around.

Don’t forget about business cards: I know they’re passe’ but the fact is, they’re cheap and they fit easily into someone’s wallet. You don’t have to walk around with a wad of cards in your hand. Just have them ready if the need arises.

Remember that information is key: You need to know something that potential employers don’t. I do not think you should carry around your latest mock draft. But I do think you need to be ready with information on the upcoming players on your current team, or inside information on what jobs might be available on your own team, or anything else. If you don’t have anything, don’t fake it. But there’s no better way to prove your future value to a potential employer than by having something you can offer now.

One more thing — make sure to know where recent scouting hires have come from, which teams you should be focusing on and, well, read this, too. Good luck.

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.

Here’s Where NFL Scouting Hires Have Come From (Since 2023)

26 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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Over the past few weeks in this space, we’ve been focused on helping aspiring NFL scouts improve their chances over the next few months. In mid-December, we had a few general tips on the job search. Last week, we told you what to look for in a team with openings.

This week, let’s take a look at where the “entry-level” hires in the league came from over the last three years. We’ll count “player personnel assistants” and “scouting assistants” as entry-level positions. Here goes.

2025 (32 hires)

  • Sixteen came directly from college scouting positions. Of the 12, just three were non-P4, and just two were sub-FBS.
  • Eight were working in some capacity with NFL teams already, with seven of the eight getting promoted and staying with the same team.
  • Two moved up from non-NFL coaching positions, one high school and one small-college.
  • Two were with BLESTO.
  • One was technically not in football (though he worked at ESPN).
  • We couldn’t find any background info on three of the hires, which probably means they were employed in jobs outside of football.

2024 (49 hires)

  • Twenty were hired from college teams. Of the 20, 13 were from P4 schools, while five were from G5. Just two were sub-FBS.
  • Fourteen were promoted from an intern-level position; just one wasn’t promoted by the team he was already working for.
  • Three came from quasi-football organizations (Haslam Sports Group, 49ers Investments, and Stanford’s collective).
  • Two came from the Senior Bowl.
  • One didn’t work in football.
  • We couldn’t find any background on nine of the hires.

2023 (17 hires)

  • Nine came from schools. Six were P4, one was G5, two were sub-FBS.
  • Four were promoted from within; all of them were promoted by the teams they already worked with.
  • One was promoted from the Senior Bowl.
  • We could find no info on three of them.

So here are our observations.

  • If you are already working in a college personnel department, you have the inside track. If you’re at a P4 school, so much the better.
  • The best non-school “feeder programs” are BLESTO (not NFS, for some reason) and the Senior Bowl. If you’re really intent on working as an NFL scout, maybe Step 1 is landing a job with one of these organizations.
  • About a fourth of the new scouting assistants hired every year moved up from other positions with the team, but you already knew that working for an NFL team gives you a big advantage.
  • If you’re not already working in football, you’d better have an angle. For example, one of the hires from “private business” is the son of an NFL front office employee.

Good luck! For more on the industry, check out our newsletter, the Friday Wrap. Register for it here.

Words of Christmas Counsel During a Busy Time

05 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Getting started

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December is funny for people who work in football.

You’re watching all your friends gear down. Celebrate the season. Attend Christmas parties. Take time off, etc. Meanwhile, depending on the specific area of the sport you are part of, you’re:

  • Working hard to find your coaching client a job or some opportunity.
  • Working with a school to find the best possible front office or coaching hire.
  • Trying to find your own opportunity at a new school in coaching or personnel/recruiting
  • Making decisions on investments of several thousand dollars with players who may or may not have NFL futures
  • Figuring out who’s in the portal, who’s worth a financial commitment, and who will fit your team’s culture (or trying to talk a player out of entering the portal)
  • Pressing an all-star director to get your client (or potential client) into his game
  • Trying to decide which agent is best for you
  • Wondering if you’ll still have a job in early January when the NFL season ends
  • Otherwise weighing your football (and, probably, life) purpose or destination

For all these reasons, it’s easy to react the wrong way when you’re pressed. Recently, one of my best agent friends sent a completely innocuous and professional text to a member of the P4 personnel community (whom I also happen to know). The response he got was remarkable, in a bad way — dismissive, inflammatory and abrupt. Despite this, he responded in a very accommodating and patient way, and got more abuse for his troubles.

Another example is something one of the all-star directors told me recently. “A lot of these guys I’m dealing with right now are NIL people and they just don’t understand what’s going on with all-star games. They are not dumb by any means, they just don’t have any experience.” He went on to give a couple of examples: “I call the agent and they blow me off . . . Or they take my call and then just blow me off thereafter.”

I’ve been there, believe me. You might have been there, too, and if you haven’t, you will be. People get treated the wrong way all the time in this business. Here’s what to remember when it happens.

  • It’s a high-pressure business. If you work in the game, it’s a privilege. Try to remember that and recognize that you might be in the same situation someday soon.
  • Nobody’s perfect. Yes, there are a lot of egos in this game, but maybe the offending person wasn’t acting personally. Maybe he just got flamed and you happened to be the next person he had contact with.
  • The football world is a very small one. Chances are, you will see that person again. You may need him. On the other hand, if you can’t take the high road, at least think of the low road. You will probably get a shot at revenge if you’re in the game long enough.
  • It’s Christmas. Try to give people grace. It’s been rare, but there have actually been times when people have apologized to me. I’ve seen one person I really respect have to do that multiple times over the past few weeks because he’s new in his position and still learning the demands of the job.

Points of Interest Following Conversations with Multiple College Personnel Staffers

31 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by in Getting started, NIL, Scouts, Transfer portal

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There was a time when pretty much everyone working in a college football personnel office aspired to work in the League. That’s not the case anymore, and that was underlined this weekend as I spent a few days talking to personnel staffers at local schools or who were in town for games this weekend.

The people working in higher-level positions on college personnel staffs are highly knowledgeable of the life and work of today’s area scout, and they are none too excited about taking such a position. Too much volatility, not enough power, not enough pay. The people I spoke to would instead want some kind of administrative position that also gave them say in personnel decisions and the ability to make their own evaluations. That’s just not how the NFL is set up, which is why the enthusiasm for going to the pros is waning, at least based on the conversations I’ve had and am having. Ironically, more area scouts than ever are asking me if I’ve heard of any college jobs they might be able to fill.

Also interesting:

  • Schools are sending more members of their evaluation team out on the road to see players in person, closer to a simulation of the NFL model. The problem they’re running into is that they are limited in the number they can send out, and those people must be designated in advance with the compliance office. If there’s one change that seems unanimous, schools would like to see the rules eased so they can do more in-person scouting. 
  • One thing I learned that was surprising: we’re starting to see college grads who didn’t work in a personnel office during their pre-degree days begin to volunteer in a different school’s personnel office (for free, remember) in an effort to get hired somewhere. Often, they move in with a relative within driving distance of a school, grind tape and do whatever they have to do, and work until an opportunity arrives. Very interesting. Schools are seeking out potential volunteers by sifting through LinkedIn and social media.
  • The CAC is still a thing, though in these days when players are staying in college longer than ever, it doesn’t seem to play such a crucial role. 
  • Executives I spoke to said he’s happy to work with NIL agents, and even encourages these relationships. He only wishes there was some kind of regulating body that maintained standards. 
  • We in Texas think of the Metroplex (Fort Worth and Dallas) as one big city, almost, but it’s not. In fact, some schools only recruit from different regions of the Fort Worth/Dallas megalopolis, and don’t like the makeup of players from other sections. One Metroplex school recruits Houston more heavily than it does Dallas. 
  • With the new portal window in early January, December looks like it will be similar to the NFL’s “legal tampering” period, only it will be a month instead of a week. That’s unlucky for the teams in bowl play but a big benefit for the CFP teams that will still be playing in January. It’s going to be especially warmly received by G5 schools who’ve grown accustomed to P4 schools picking off starters in late May. Try finding a key corner, left tackle or outside receiver a week before summer training starts. Especially one you can’t pay. 
  • One downside of the new January portal window, at least in Texas, is that state schools begin the new semester two days (I think) before the portal closes. No enrollment equals no eligibility, so Lone Star State colleges are really going to have to move quickly to close deals, then get players registered for classes, in the space of just a few days.
  • One way bigger schools are getting away with staying under the rev-share cap, but getting talented high school players in, is by paying them their Year 1 NIL share before they get to campus. Some high schoolers are getting $800,000 lump sum payments that don’t count against the $20.5 million as long as they are done post-graduation and pre-enrollment.
  • There is still a small number of NFL agents working in the portal, relatively speaking. I spoke to one official who had only dealt with two NFLPA-certified contract advisors over the past year. Here’s another phenomenon: we’re starting to see college staffers quit, then immediately turn into portal agents representing the players at the school where they formerly worked. Unethical, maybe, but totally legal.
  • While some players have a big week on the field and then try immediately to turn that into NIL dollars, the G5 GM I spoke to this weekend basically said he’d like to see one of his school’s players try that. Hopefully, as the market of players grows, the number of outlandish asks will be reduced.
  • There will not be a Big 12 Combine this year, we’re told. That’s a big story, as the conference had tried for two years (despite scouts’ protests) to aggregate its schools’ March workouts into one made-for-TV event. It was never as efficient as hoped, and didn’t score ratings. Now, apparently, it’s officially gone. 
  • There seems to be a dissatisfaction with Hudl, both from a cost standpoint (the company recently raised its prices) and a services standpoint (limited expansion of new services). That’s not stopping anyone from subscribing, though. It’s a must-have if you want to be part of college football, one official insisted, and it’s true. It has no competition and a tremendous head start on anyone else trying to get into the space.

The dialogue isn’t over. Want to continue the conversation? Register for the Friday Wrap, which is free and comes out this evening.