Category Archives: Getting started

NFLPA Exam 2024: How Should You Study?

03 Wednesday Jul 2024

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

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

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

Here’s what LaVaugnhn said.

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

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

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

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

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

Here are some other responses.

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

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

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

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

Offseason 2024: Takeaways on NFL Scouting Hires

28 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 Thursday Jun 2024

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

In Your 30s and Not Making Progress? Here’s What I Did

07 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Getting started, ITL

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Last week, I wrote a post about when to “say when” as you pursue your place in the football world. It seemed to strike a chord, especially resonating with the 30-plus crowd, so this week, I thought I’d expand on it a bit, especially as it comes to the last point I made about being entrepreneurial.

You absolutely should be willing to start your own thing. It’s honestly not a lot different from pursuing a job in the NFL, or working atop a P5 football office, or anything else like that. It doesn’t take a genius; I’ve proven you can support a family, live semi-comfortably and follow your passion by going your own way without having any extraordinary gifts. Still, there are a few things I want to share based on my own journey.

  • When I launched ITL in 2002, it was only after a mountain of market research and lots of positive feedback. Because of that, I was dumb enough to think our launch on Labor Day Weekend would be so big it would crash our servers. Instead, on Day 1, we got two subscribers. On Day 2, one of them wanted his money back. 
  • Our initial subscription price was $250 for a nine-month subscriber cycle (we planned on taking the summer off). After our humiliating start, the week of our launch, I dropped the price to $45 (I announced it as a “sale”). We didn’t get to 20 subscribers until maybe December, even at that price point.
  • For the first five years, we grossed about $5,000 a year. Keep in mind that I was hoping this would be my new profession by that time. Basically, I had a small side hustle instead of a new career, and I had no Plan B, professionally speaking. 
  • Keep in mind that my “day job” at the Houston Chronicle was making me about $42,000 per year. At this point, I had a wife and two kids. 
  • Things went so poorly that in 2007, when I got hired to run the Hula Bowl, I was elated, mostly because I could shutter ITL and move on with my life with some measure of honor. 
  • When the Hula Bowl went on hiatus in January 2008, shortly after the game, the main reason I relaunched ITL is because I didn’t have any other options. 

So that’s the bad new. But there are also rewards.

  • When I got laid off in 2009 by the Chronicle (I had gone back in 2008 to basically be a secretary), it was sink-or-swim time. At that point, my wife had “retired” from teaching to raise our boys. I suddenly had incredible focus. 
  • The “new” ITL was $25/mo., which enraged a lot of people when I announced at the 2009 NFL Combine that we’d relaunch in the fall. I mean, I was mocked endlessly. But by around late November, most of my old subscribers had returned at the new rate. It was then that I realized I might have something. 
  • We introduced the first elements of our exam prep program shortly after this. In a few years, we’d turned July — at one time a month I hoped my family could just pay its bills — into our most lucrative month. It still is, due to our study guide, practice exams and video series. 
  • Today, I’m not rich or famous, but I’ve built a network of friends and associates that  “get me,” and that I get, as well. My family lives a good life and I have no complaints. I was born to do what I do now.

I don’t think all this happens without a decent idea, an ability to adapt, a will to survive, and God’s grace. In my case, it certainly didn’t happen overnight, but I started it at 33. Youngish, but not a baby by any means. Today, maybe you’re right were I was in 2002. If so, I hope you’re able to achieve the same measure of success. 

 

Are You On Track to Achieve Your Scouting Goals? Ask Yourself These Questions

31 Friday May 2024

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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This time of year, I’m overwhelmed with people looking for (mostly free) advice on how to break into scouting. However, there’s another segment of the personnel community I hear from that is in a completely different mindset, and I had one of those conversations today.

I won’t bore you with the details, but I spoke to a very talented, highly qualified evaluation professional from the college ranks who is at wit’s end on what to do next. He’s in his early 30s and has done his job well for years, but just wonders if he’s making the progress he should be making.

It’s very hard to diagnose someone’s situation and offer them effective advice on what path he should pursue, but since these themes have become common ones (especially these days, with the fury of the spring portal in the rear-view mirror and burnout prevalent), I thought I’d address the questions you should be asking yourself if you fall into this category.

  • How old are you?: I’ve written this before in this space, and I’ve said it before many times, but I feel that 30 is a good milestone for progress. If you are where you want to be, or seriously feel you’re near it, at 30, proceed. If not, it’s probably time to start another path while you still have the time and energy to excel at it. There IS life after football.
  • How much money do you have socked away?: I know many of you are volunteers, or are working for money far below your value, but it’s smart to put money away if you can. As my father once told me, money equals independence. If you don’t have something in savings, for example, there are great football jobs you simply won’t be able to take because they don’t pay well enough. 
  • Do you have legitimate NFL contacts? Or are you just sending emails wildly, hoping to get traction?: If you listen to my podcast, or you read this blog regularly, or you subscribe to my newsletter or my website, you know that I value network over everything else as you climb the scouting ladder. You better have a mentor who believes in you, and you better have some well-placed friends. If you’re relying on a certificate from a third-party service to get you a job, or you’re hoping years of scouting reports and tweets will get you into the league, it gives me no pleasure in telling you this, but you’re wrong. 
  • Can you live without a senior college personnel position/NFL scouting post?: This is probably the toughest question of them all, because so many people I come across have their entire identity invested in football. With that said, I’m not sure I could answer “yes” to this question (though I very nearly had to a couple decades ago). 
  • Are you entrepreneurial?: I was 32 when I decided I’d try an Internet-based information service for people who worked in football and who were willing to pay a monthly subscription fee online. For a lot of reasons, that was a terrible idea, because I didn’t really have a lot of connections and didn’t know quite what I’d write about, but I was willing to give it a shot. Twenty-plus years later, I’m far from a household name, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. This is what I was born to do. It’s a special feeling to know God had this in store for me.

God has something in store for you, too. Maybe by asking yourself these questions, you can figure out if that thing is football. Good luck and Godspeed on your path. 

 

New Agent Zoom X: A Few Tips on Pro Days

23 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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Thursday night, I hosted our 10th Zoom session for new agents. I try to be topical with each one, and in November and December, we dealt with a number of subjects, from all-star games to choosing a trainer to setting a budget to signing your first client. With March looming, our topic Thursday was pro days. 

Actually, we touched on NFL local pro days; the new Big 12 Pro Day; what to do if you’re attending the NFL Combine; and ITL’s two big events slated for next week in Indianapolis. 

Though I can’t run through everything we covered in our hour-long session, here’s what we covered related to pro days.

  • Just because a school CAN host a player for its workout doesn’t mean it MUST: This is the part that most often confounds young agents. They sign a player, often from a small school, presuming that the school will hold a pro day. That’s not always the case, however. This forces the agent to begin searching for a bigger school in the state that will allow the player to work out. However, though NFL scouts are permitted to evaluate a player in such a situation, the school is not required to let the young man work out.
  • It’s harder than ever to get someone into a pro day: About 15 years ago, long before pro days were the kind of thing that the average draft fan even knew existed, it was commonplace for bigger schools to allow the better small-school prospects to work out with their players. However, as more and more players seek a place in the NFL, they’ve become reluctant. About 10 years ago, most schools started asking for a scout to vouch for the player. Five years ago, it became two scouts. These days, it’s often three scout, if the school will even entertain the thought of an outsider gaining entry.
  • One workaround: I’ve been told that if a player’s head coach calls the head coach of the team holding the workout, it really enhances the player’s chance of getting an invite. It’s probably harder for a head coach to turn down another head coach. Of course, not every head coach is going to do that, but it’s worth a shot.
  • Don’t send a player to a pay workout to enhance his NFL chances: These days, agents get an email nearly every day pitching a pay workout somewhere. I never recommend players go to such workouts. If your client doesn’t have a pro day, I get it — your options are limited, and if the kid doesn’t have a pro day, he really doesn’t exist. What’s more, very often, the better organizations holding these workouts have plenty of “alumni” who have gone on to the NFL. The thing is, most of the time, they got there on the strength of a pro day performance before NFL scouts. 

This session was the rare one that we recorded, and all members of the 2023 agent class got a copy of the video. If you’re new to player representation and wondering how to help promote your client in the last weeks before the draft, consider joining us. Do that here. Limited on funds? At least sign up for our newsletter, which comes out every Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. You can register for it here.

What Mantooth77 Can Teach New Agents

26 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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This time of year, I start hearing from the people who are taking the NFLPA exam that summer. They want to know what we offer in the way of exam prep, but we usually discuss the road ahead for new agents, as well. 

One of these pending agents mentioned that he’d heard about ITL on Reddit, which is a platform that I rarely use, so I checked it out. What I found was some sage advice from a person known only as Mantooth 77. His entire post is here. What I’ve done is to copy some of his responses to a question about his brief career as an NFL player representatives, and offer my comments. 

“I was an agent a few years ago. I went all out for a year, signed about 6 prospects and 1 FA veteran who was trying to get back in the league. Three of those prospects got mini-camp invites and 1 was signed to a practice squad. After a year, I found that my main business was suffering as a result of all the time and money I had to spend on being an agent, so I didn’t renew. I think those in the industry would tell you, for a first year guy, I did well.”

This is exactly what success looks like for a first-year, independent agent. If you’re aiming a whole lot higher than this, you may be in for a severely rude awakening unless you have some excellent relationships with players prior to taking the exam.

“When I had asked around ‘should I do it’ before I pulled the trigger, I didn’t get a lot of resistance. But then when I got out there, different story.”

This is so commonplace. Friends want to be encouraging, which is understandable, but it’s almost impossible to know what’s ahead unless you’ve done a really good internship under an agent. 

“Many agents sign guys the first year that don’t even have a chance. Trust me, I did. I’d see a guy made all conference or 2nd team in a smaller conference and think, this guy has a chance. But for whatever reason, the scouts don’t like him. Maybe he’s too small or too slow. Regardless, they all think that if you send them to the Disney World of training, they are going to light up Pro Day and make Scouts fall in love with them on the spot. So, if you sign a guy anywhere near worthy, you’re going to have to spend money to help him train for pro day.”

So many agents enter the business when they are not ready financially, then think they’ve thought of things others haven’t. They find out their ideas aren’t so original after all. You have to spend some money. There’s no getting around it. 

Agents: The league is run by the bigger agents. The newer guys, if they play their cards right and get lucky, they get a guy in the league. Let’s say the guy signs an UDFA contract after the draft. This is great for guys like you. Only problem is, guys like Drew you know who pray on guys like this. You bust your ass and take all the risk of getting the guy in the league. You’re praying that he gets 4 accrued seasons to be eligible for a veteran FA deal. That entire 4 seasons you better believe the bigger agents are pouncing on your guy Bob Sugar style. It is very very common that you lose that battle and you’re fired. The bigger agencies simply have more to offer in every way. In that case, you get paid out on the rookie deal, but the veteran deal is goners. You’re done.

This may be the most important paragraph Mantooth77 wrote. It’s pretty self-explanatory.

Players will sweet talk you but are 100% out there for themselves. And they will turn on you in a split second for someone better. And if something goes wrong (i.e. they don’t get a camp invite, etc…), it’s all your fault. That being said, I don’t really blame them. They’ve played their whole lives to get into the league, so everything is at stake. Beware of these guys, most of them are hustlers and you are just a means to an end. Very shallow relationship.

This is sad but very true. 

“Oh, and don’t allow yourself to get biased for any reason. Look first and foremost at HEIGHT/WEIGHT/SPEED. Say it to yourself over and over again. HEIGHT/WEIGHT/SPEED. If a guys HWS isn’t NFL quality, you’re wasting your time. They all think they’re amazing. All of them. “Just give me a chance.” They’ll sweet talk you into thinking they’ll blow out pro day with proper training. They rarely do.”

Training is important, but a player is who he is. No amount of training is going to cut a full second off their 40 time or add a foot to their vertical jump. 

I encourage you to read the whole post. I couldn’t have written it better myself.

For more on player representation and the ups and downs of being an agent, read our newsletter, the Friday Wrap. You can register for it here.

Need An NFL Agent? Here Are A Few Tips

28 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Getting started, NFL draft

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If you’re a member of the 2024 NFL Draft class and you think you deserve a shot, but can’t seem to earn attention from agents, there are “dos” and don’ts” that will make it a lot easier to get signed. Here are some of them.

  • Google “Find an Agent NFLPA:” This will take you to this page, which lists all certified NFLPA contract advisors. 
  • Think local: You may want an agent with a national name, but the truth is, if you can find one who is located close to you, it’s going to be to your benefit. 
  • Take what you can get: If you find an agent who shows interest, don’t hold out for someone with a bigger client list or more experience. Remember, you’re doing the recruiting, not the other way around, so if someone is willing to work with you, don’t take that for granted.
  • Think of paid training as a bonus, not an entitlement: The best way to make sure no agent will touch you is to lead with your training expectations. The words any potential agent dreads most is, “what do I get?” If you’re the one seeking an agent, you don’t really get to ask that question. 
  • Be willing to share costs: You may have to pick up your own flight, cover part of your training, or help with the registration cost of an all-star game. That’s only fair. 
  • Be honest with yourself: If you weren’t a star, or didn’t play at a big school, or suffered a major injury (or all of the above), realize that an agent is not going to be able to get you into the first round. 
  • A deal is a deal: If your new agent is wiling to cover all or some of your costs, don’t come back later and try to “re-cut” your arrangement. Stand by your agreement.
  • Be careful comparing your deal with others: There are lots of reasons your former teammate, or someone you’re training with, or whoever, might be getting more covered by their agent. Remember, you didn’t even have an agent before all this started! Embrace what you got. Ultimately, scouts don’t care about fancy training or amenities. They only want to know how well you perform at your all-star game or pro day. 

I really hope you can find someone to walk with you through this process. There’s a perception out there that agents are unnecessary, or greedy, or incompetent. None of that is true, or, at least, it’s rare. After 20-plus years working with people in the industry, I wholeheartedly believe having representation is a must for aspiring NFL players. Best of luck.

 

 

Notes on NFL Scouting from This Week’s Zoom

22 Friday Dec 2023

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

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Every year, as a special feature for the aspiring NFL scouts who are part of the ITL family, we invite three NFL evaluators to join us on Zoom. It’s always humbling when these men — this year, we had an area scout, a national scout and a college director — are willing to give of their time during the week of Christmas. One of our guests even joined us from his office at the team facility, meaning he didn’t even leave for home until after 10 p.m. ET.

At any rate, it’s as much a blessing for me as it is the ITL subscribers listening in. It’s fascinating to not only hear their origin stories and their advice, but also the tips you pick up along the way. Here are a few of the nuggets from this year’s guest speakers (we don’t provide their names because some of them do it without asking permission of their superiors).

  • Our area scout described the art of gathering character information, especially when it comes to bigger schools that demand multiple visits. Let’s say we’re talking about a football factory like an Alabama, Michigan or Oklahoma. He likes to visit first in the summer, when optimism is high and everyone is excited. During this visit, he’s going to be handed 20-25 names (maybe more) from the pro liaison. He’s going to start digging on all of them, trying to get a good initial feel for them so he’s not starting fresh when he arrives the second time. He’s also gong to try to see their body types when they are at their strongest and healthiest. For his next visit, he’s going to try to show up around midseason. At this point, there’s plenty of film and the team has entered conference play, so the most talented players should have plenty of tape. He’s going to focus more on grading performance on the field. For his third visit, he’ll be arriving in late October or November. At this point, the die is cast for the season, and the draft-eligible players are on their way out, so coaches aren’t as likely to protect them. Everyone is wiped out; coaches are going to be at their most honest. This is where he gets his answers, especially on the players who he knows are character risks. 
  • I always like to ask scouts if they every considered coaching. Most say they have, or at least have since they saw how much coaches make compared to scouts. Our national scout guest showed admirable honesty in admitting that he thinks being a coach requires being “up” to help the players stay focused and aggressive, and he didn’t think he could do that consistently. Rather than betray the players, he opted for a career in scouting.
  • When he decided he wanted to pursue football professionally, our college director quit a promising job in the financial sector cold, with no backup plan. Instead, he moved in with his parents. His daily regimen became serving as a permanent substitute at his old high school; serving as a grad assistant at the local college; going home for an extended nap; working at a Fed Ex warehouse until 4 a.m.; going to the gym to work out; then back to school to sub. Eventually he got his big break, and now he’s got a great shot to be a GM someday.

It was an incredibly fun Zoom, and if you hope to be a scout in the future, I hope you will join us in the future. For more details on our Next Wave program, check out this week’s Friday Wrap. Register for it here.

New Agent Zoom IX: The Highlights

08 Friday Dec 2023

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

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As we move closer to the end of the year, we’re getting close to wrapping up our series for 2023, so we have a lot to get in.

Wednesday night, we had three speakers, including John Karaffa of ProSport CPA, Michael Quartey of the FCS Bowl and Tropical Bowl, and Greg Linton of HOF Player Representatives. Each of them brought something different to our hour-plus Zoom session. Here are a few highlights.

John Karaffa: John’s company, ProSport CPA, doesn’t dabble in athletics; John and his staff solely work with professional athletes in all sports, with a major emphasis in football. Tax preparation is no picnic for most people, but for athletes, it’s a major chore, given their ancillary incomes from marketing opportunities, as well as the fact they have to pay taxes in every state a game is played. When you figure in the NIL money that today’s college player is making, it’s just smart to have a tax expert around. That’s why I wanted John to introduce himself. He’s a key resource for players, especially rookies. 

Michael Quartey: The NFL has thrown its share of hurdles at college all-star games this year, and the biggest impact of their new rules has fallen on the College Gridiron Showcase and Tropical Bowl. That’s why I wanted to bring on Michael, the founder of “the Trop,” to discuss the game, its changes since last year, and the fact that players must fund their own travel and hotel costs. I also made it clear that Michael’s game is a legitimate opportunity for players and embraced by NFL teams. There’s so much contradicting information from all quarters and it’s easy to get confused. I think Michael was able to clear a lot of that confusion up. 

Greg Linton: This is the third straight year I’ve brought “Tripp” in because he’s so candid. A few of his points: 

  • Stay away from wide receivers; try to sign offensive and defensive linemen.
  • Walk away from a player who is getting a crazy training package from a competitor; know what the player is worth and stick to your guns.
  • Don’t sell an unworthy player to a scout or you risk losing all credibility forever.
  • If a player rejects you for more money form a competitor, then tries to return when things don’t work out, don’t sign him. He’ll always be looking for a better deal.

He had plenty more to say, and as always, he was a huge hit with all the first-year contract advisors on the Zoom.

We’re nearing the end of our Zoom series for a while — we always take January off, then resume in February — but we’ve still got at least one session left before we take a break for Christmas. It’s not too late to join us. All you have to do is sign up for ITL. It’s easy to be an agent in October and November, but the big decisions take place in December. We’d love to work with you.