Category Archives: NIL

Here’s Why the ’23 Draft Class Will Challenge New Agents

26 Thursday Oct 2023

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

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Tonight is our third Zoom session aimed at helping “coach up” the 2023 NFL Agent Class. In our first session, we interviewed David Gregory of BullRush Sports, who was the only independent rookie agent to have a player drafted in 2023. We discussed that Zoom session in this post. In our second session, our guest was Houston Texans beat writer Aaron Wilson, who discussed the relationship between the media and the agent community. We discussed his session in this post. Tonight will be different, however.

Tonight, we’ll have no guest, and I’ll be the one doing the speaking. We’ll talk about recruiting your first client; managing state registration costs; weighing registration with schools; the all-star invitation process; figuring out what kind of commitment to make to name, image and likeness (NIL) and more. We’ll also have a couple special guests. It’s going to be a jam-packed, highly informational night.

We’ll also discuss the special challenges faced by the 2023 agent class due to the market forces affecting the ’24 draft class, which are plentiful. Here’s my take on why this year’s rookie agents will have a higher bar to clear.

This is the year the NIL/transfer portal/Covid bonus year creates a very top-heavy class. One reason there’s no NFLPA Collegiate Bowl this year is due to the difficulties the game had in populating its rosters for the ’23 game. My friend Kalyn Kahler at The Athletic did an excellent story this spring on the amount of players who skipped the ’23 draft for NIL dollars. Most of those players have already expended their Covid bonus year, so they’ll be in this year’s draft pool. That’s among the reasons there are, legitimately, six or seven QBs in the discussion for Day 1, and there are equally talented players across the board who would normally be first-round shoo-ins who’ll be drafted later. That’s going to have a cascading effect on the later rounds. My guess is that the bigger firms will still roll the dice on the would-be Day 2 types that wind up getting drafted in the fifth and sixth rounds, gambling that they’ll still have productive NFL careers. Maybe they won’t — maybe they’ll say a sixth-rounder is a long shot, regardless of the year. Time will tell, but my guess is that the major and mid-major firms will get their fill, as usual.

This was a bigger agent class than in recent years. We counted 163 new agents this year. That’s about 60 percent larger than the normal agent class over the last 2-3 years. That means a lot more competition for the usual 7th/UDFA prospects that rookie contract advisors normally battle for. 

FBS schools have robbed many FCS-and-lower schools of talent. The liberalization of the transfer rule means big schools are more often recruiting for new talent from mid-majors and sub-FBS schools. This means the talent a new agent might have been able to find at a smaller local school isn’t going to be there anymore. It’s also important to note that once a player attends an FBS school, there’s a certain expectation for pre-draft training and other amenities, regardless of his merits as an NFL prospect.

Scouts are being asked to evaluate more players than ever before. Because there’s been such a migration of talent to the big schools, NFL scouts are being asked to evaluate more players than ever. When a scout arrives at a school, typically, the pro liaison gives him a list of 8-10 players to evaluate. More and more, they’re being given lists of 20-25 prospects. The upshot of this is that there will be fewer “diamonds in the rough” that got overlooked in this draft class. This is important to note. And again, even if you’re signing a guy who only a rotational player, if he played at a Big Ten or SEC or ACC school, he’s not going to be a cheap signing. That’s just the way it is.

The all-star game schedule has been reduced. We’ve already seen the previous No. 3 game, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, go away. We’ll also see format changes for the two games just below it (the Collegiate Gridiron Showcase and Tropical Bowl) that were forced by new, restrictive NFL policies. This means fewer players will have a platform to impress NFL evaluators.

If discussion of these matters interests you, and you’d like to join us, it’s not too late. Just register for ITL, and I’ll share the Zoom link. If not, but you’d like to stay abreast of what’s going on in the agent community, make sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap.

A Maybe-Alarming Look at Where NIL Is Taking College Football

28 Thursday Sep 2023

Posted by in Agents, NIL, Uncategorized

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I have to spend most of my summer focused on NFL scouting movement and NFL Agent Exam prep, so I tend to get a little behind in the fast-moving football business world. For that reason, this time of year, I’m trying to get caught up. 

To do that, I had a few conversations with three established members of the NIL and marketing world as it relates to pro and college football. What I wanted to gain was a better understanding of where college football is headed and how it will impact the pro football world. Here are six points they made:

  • The numbers that players are getting right now are not sustainable, and that goes, especially, for transfers. “I know some middle-level guys getting $20,000 per month,” said one source. “But that all depends on the school and when they came in. Transfers are getting crazy deals. It’s harder for the guys currently at schools. Some of the top offensive linemen in high school are getting close to 7-figure offers.” That’s starting to squeeze the collectives, most of whom have a 501(c)3 structure right now. We could see them go to more of an agency model so, rather than asking a big local business for a donation, they would instead solicit them for an advertising project of some kind. “Donor fatigue is real,” said one source. “Everyone I have spoken to at the colleges says there is no way they can keep raising $14 million every year to pay players.” 
  • That’s not to say collectives (or schools) will stop asking for donations. Right now, the numbers demanded by today’s star college player way outsize the value of a typical NIL deal. In other words, if a starting tackle wants $200,000 on an NIL deal, no business is gonna pay that for a couple tweets or an in-person appearance (“I think we are starting to see some of the small mom/pop NIL ‘agents’ go away . . .  as the kids learn the realities of the deals they are entering into,” added one source). That’s why there will still have to be some supplementation by donors or some kind of aggregation of advertisers to reach higher NIL thresholds. Those donors just won’t be able to write off their gifts on their taxes. Obviously, that’s a harder ask.
  • It probably doesn’t matter, anyway, because we’re starting to see schools become their own collectives, structuring themselves more as marketing agencies. This is why you saw Notre Dame hire an athletic director who came from NBC Sports. One expert I spoke to said we could see collectives disappear from the landscape within two years. “I don’t know how long (collectives) can/will last, and the landscape is changing,” said one of my sources. 
  • As these schools become populated with more and more advertising and marketing folks and fewer people with backgrounds in coaching and athletics, we’re going to see the money in the industry skyrocket. If you think the numbers are high now, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
  • This will require the federal government to get involved, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It will mean a more unified system of laws (no more 50 states and 50 laws) and, perhaps, a body with subpoena power that can actually enforce rules, unlike the NCAA, which is well-intentioned but, in all too many cases, toothless.
  • No matter what the NCAA or the bigger schools say for the record, they’re warming to the idea of revenue-sharing with players. That might come in the form of a $30,000 “stipend” for every member of the team plus a piece of uniform sales when a big-name  player’s jersey sells. That could come within 2-3 years. “They need to come up with money somewhere else,” said one source. “I think that will come in the form of (revenue sharing) with athletes on ticket sales, merchandise and media rights. I think there will be a trade made that will give the NCAA an anti-trust exemption in trade for the players getting a piece of the pie.”

So how does this affect NFL player representation, which is our main focus? That’s something we’ll look at later, perhaps next week, perhaps in this space. Stay tuned. In the meantime, make sure you’re signed up for our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap, which you can do here.

Ask the Scout: Can Docu-Series Help in Evaluation?

01 Friday Sep 2023

Posted by in Agents, NFL draft, NIL, Scouts, Uncategorized

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You won’t find a scout who doesn’t cite film as the foundation of his job. You gotta watch the tape to find out what a player offers. There are other ways to measure a prospect’s worth, of course, but it all goes back to film.

Of course, there are different kinds of film, and one kind we’re seeing more of is the kind you might find playing on ESPN, the NFL Network, HBO, or any number of networks that aim to bring behind-the-scenes action to fans eager for more exposure to the game they love. For example, the series “QB1: Beyond the Lights” featured such well-known passers as Justin Fields, Spencer Rattler and Jake Fromm long before they had reached the NFL (or are near reaching the NFL, as Rattler is). The next season offers two of this spring’s first-rounders in Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson. 

It doesn’t stop there. Netflix’s popular “Last Chance U” prominently featured two future draftees in Dakota Allen (7/251/2019, Rams) and Jermaine Johnson (1/26/2022, Jets). And lest you think this is some new phenomenon, back in the spring of 2005, the game show “Super Agent” aired on SpikeTV. It pitted nine agents against each other as they vied for USC DT Shaun Cody, who went 2/37 to the Lions in the 2005 draft. 

This is all to say nothing of how name, image and likeness have changed the game for players like USC QB Caleb Williams, who’s appearing in Wendy’s commercials these days. It begs the question: is there value in mining these series for tips on what kind of players these prospects will be under the bright lights of the NFL? We asked some friends in scouting, and this is what they told us.

  • “I think you can glean some information from those docs and reality shows from a personality standpoint. I don’t know if you remember the QB1 documentary, it was a camp . . . do you remember the one with (South Carolina QB) Spencer Rattler? It really showed him as this bratty, cocky, demeaning (guy) when he was ripping on the other quarterbacks there, and he came across as a real jerk. You hear some of these schools talking about how he was on school visits, so I think there’s something you can get from those documentaries as far as personality.”
  • “I think it can be helpful. It does give you insight to the person that is being featured. . . You just need to make sure it is valid and not just a spin piece. It really can show you how a player interacts with teammates and other staff.”
  • “No questions these shows help get inside the true person. Just like the combine has always taped interviews, it is a window into the person’s thoughts and lives without actually having to be there. . . Reality shows catch them with their guard down.”
  • “Sure they are. If scouts are willing to do the extra work, there can be all kinds of background information – family and support system, influences, maturity, life skills, attitudes, motivations, work ethic, goals, etc.”
  • “You get a snapshot of the character of the young man and his family. A lot of times you can see who are needy parents and who are good parents. Family background tells you what these players are really playing for and how to coach/motivate them. Some parents are (pains in the ass) and some are cool. Our head coach always wants to meet the parents at pro days to feel them out. Important to learn who shapes these young men.”

Every aspiring NFL player needs to understand that scouts are always watching, and they have more to watch these days than ever. If you’re a draft prospect, or you’re close to one, do them a favor and remind them of this, especially if a camera is nearby.

For more discussion of the draft and player evaluation, make sure to check out our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap. Register for it here.

A Few Thoughts on Combine Week 2023

03 Friday Mar 2023

Posted by in Agents, NIL, Scouts

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It’s been a pretty busy few days in Indianapolis. Here are a few things that stuck with me.

  • Giants Executive Scout Jeremiah Davis won the C.O. Brocato Award at the 14th annual 2023 USI Insurance Holdings ITL Combine Seminar presented by American Tens. It was special for a lot of reasons, but especially so because, for the first time, we had a member of the winner’s family join us. Jeremiah’s daughter, Chloe, filmed her dad’s acceptance speech from that audience, and she seemed to be near tears as she did. I mean, it was pretty touching. It’s exciting to be part of something like that.
  • Jack Mills won our Eugene E. Parker Award for his years as a contract advisor. Two things stick out. One, he has been an agent for 55 years! If you follow the industry, that’s like 3-4 eras of representation he’s seen. Second, when Denver-based Peter Schaffer (who assists me in selecting the award winners) told him he’d won, he bought a plane ticket the next day. So that’s pretty cool. Again, very rewarding to honor good people.
  • In our BART List balloting — which determines, by vote of active scouts and executives, the top scouts in the game — we saw four repeat winners each in both conferences. In the NFC, Tariq Ahmad (49ers), Jeff Ireland (Saints), Tokunbo Abanikanda (Falcons) and Ted Monago (Rams) won for the second straight year. In the AFC, it was Ed Dodds (Colts), Terrance Gray (Bills), Matt Terpening (Colts) and Johnathon Stigall (Jets). 
  • Our first-ever Agents and Collectives (don’t call it NIL) Summit was a smashing success. There was a tremendous amount of candor and transparency; you couldn’t help but learn. Any time you assemble a lineup of experts, you hope they won’t talk “over” people and you hope they won’t hide the inner workings of the business. We had very positive outcomes on both counts this morning.
  • One last note — it was also a lot of fun talking to the future stars of the football industry who came to Indianapolis as part of the Lynn University sports management program. I got a chance to talk to the 13 folks here in town on the value of taking risks if you’re pursuing a career in sports. I shared a few war stories and, hopefully, didn’t bore them too much. Professor Sherry Andre’s students had some good questions, and they’re obviously passionate about the industry or they wouldn’t be here.

It’s been a fun and productive week, but a pretty taxing one, too, with late nights and early mornings. It’s all part of getting out there and building your network, which is a critical part of growth and progress. If you didn’t make it this year, I hope you do next year.

We’ll have more on what took place here in non-Lucas Oil Stadium action in our newsletter, the Friday Wrap. You can register for it here.

What Kind of Package Does It Take To Sign a 2023 Draft Prospect?

06 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by in Agents, NFL draft, NIL

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A question I get quite often is, what does it take, in 2023, to land a draft pick? What kind of package cinches a signing?

Even though I have conversations with agents at every level every day this time of year, it’s a really hard question to ask. But I’m going to try to answer it here. First, let’s define the factors that influence the price.

  • Start with the player’s draft ranking. Obviously, this is super, super, super subjective, especially this early. Still, players and agents make educated guesses on this in December and January every year, and it’s an important part of the formula. I think the major dividing lines are the first five picks in the draft, the first 100 picks, and the next 50 or so. I would say the first five picks are in one tier, the next 95 (end of Day 2) are in another tier, and the players drafted by about the end of Round 4 are in the final tier. After that, it’s really hard to predict who gets all the modern accoutrements (monthly per diem, signing bonus, costly training, fee cut, etc.). But I think these three tiers are pretty much set in stone. Obviously, it’s also important to recognize that there’s a big difference between the top and bottom of each tier. The sixth pick in the draft gets a much bigger package than the last pick in the third round.
  • Next, does the player play offense or defense? That’s a key distinction. Offensive players get more than defensive players, generally.
  • Next, if he plays offense, is he a QB, running back or wide receiver? If you score touchdowns, you get a premium, if for no other reason than your marketing appeal.
  • What kind of program did the player come from? Obviously, a player from a top-five program sees himself differently from one from an FCS program. It doesn’t matter if the big-school player is a backup and the small-schooler is a solid regular. There’s a different level of entitlement. Also — bigger programs can offer bigger NIL packages. I’ve heard that, lately, smaller schools are hurriedly sending out money requests to boosters, trying to match the big offers being tendered to players entering the portal. By the way, it’s probably too late for those smaller schools.
  • How was the player rated coming out of high school? Once one of the high school ranking services places a four- or five-star label on a player, in his mind, the player never sees himself as less than that.
  • What kind of agency is trying to sign the player? Bigger firms with more clients and an established reputation will have to pay less, obviously.

So how do you price things? Let’s start from the bottom.

Early Day 3 picks (bottom of the third tier) are getting $3,000/per month and up, probably topping out around $10,000/month, January through April. They might get a signing bonus of around an extra month. Obviously, all training costs are covered, as well, adding another $20,000 to $30,000 to the price tag.

In the second tier, the floor for monthly per diem is probably $7,000 per month, with some kind of five-figure signing bonus. That signing bonus could come in the form of a marketing guarantee, which usually makes the number a good bit better. I would think most first-rounders are getting six-figure marketing guarantees, with at least a portion of that coming in cash upon signing the SRA. Also, first-rounders typically don’t pay more than one percent on their rookie contract. Typically, second-rounders pay two percent, and the rest pay three — if they get a sizable package. Agents who don’t offer all the financial bells and whistles normally have to cut their fees as a lure.

For the the top five picks, the top tier, you’re looking at seven-figure packages, especially for quarterbacks. I’ve heard of a million dollars as a signing bonus, usually structured as a marketing guarantee, plus a five-figure monthly per diem that could be as high as $50,000 per month. Also, the players rated in the top five are almost always paying no more than one point on their contract. Many are paying less than that. Some are paying zero.

Keep in mind that as recently as 20 years ago — not really that long ago — agencies didn’t even pay for training. Those days, of course, are long gone. These days (especially as schools offer hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep a player on campus), it’s anything goes. We may be way off on our numbers, but based on the conversations I’ve had, we’re in the ballpark.

NIL Zoom Class: A Few Highlights from Session I

05 Wednesday Oct 2022

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Last night, we kicked off our deep dive into the more detailed aspects of building a name, image and likeness practice. To do that, we brought on Vantage Management Group’s Sammy Spina, who’s built a thriving marketing and endorsements practice in addition to his NFL agent business. From the first minute, Sammy was straight “fire,” as the kids say. We’ve gotten good feedback from those who signed up.

Here are a few highlights (and keep in mind, this all came from the first class, with three to go).

  • If you don’t have contacts, you better have time. This one is pretty self-explanatory. 
  • Recruiting relationships are like real relationships – at some point, there has to be face-to-face contact. Managing the time you spend in your client’s town vs. where you live/office is part of what Sammy discussed Tuesday night. 
  • Look up the players on a school’s roster and research social media followings. If a player already has 10,000 followers, it gives you something to sell to local businesses. This one is also pretty self-explanatory. The trick is, these are often the biggest and best players. Maybe you can find a diamond in the rough, however, if you do a little research.
  • When you attend your client’s appearance, you tend to meet other people who want to make deals. That’s why it’s important to start locally. This is an easy way to prospect, which is the hardest part of any business.
  • Get to Indy. It’s crucial from a networking standpoint. Also pretty self-explanatory. I would previously have recommended the Senior Bowl over the combine, but access in Mobile has been drastically reduced in recent years. Access was always a little restricted at the combine, but the overwhelming number of people connected with the game gives Indy the nod.
  • It’s not about who you know. It’s about who knows you. I thought this was a great way to explain the value of always being on offense when it comes to meeting people and introducing yourself to strangers. 
  • A player’s foundation is a great way to meet business owners and people interested in being around the game. If you’re on the younger side, volunteer. If you’re a little more established, make a donation. But whatever you do, get there, and once you get there, meet as many people as you can. 
  • Be responsive. Be a 24-7 communicator. Fifty calls plus a couple Zooms in one day is not unusual. Fifty! I would add that maybe those 50 calls are 30 texts, 15 DMs and five calls, but you get the picture. You must be responsive.
  • Let being told “no” motivate you. Find a competitor to that company who will say “yes.” Nothing wrong with drawing motivation from such a situation. 
  • At some point, company CEOs have money, fame and success. But they don’t have access. Your client can provide them something they can’t get anywhere else.
  • If you can help it, never schedule an event or appearance the night before a game or the night after a loss. Obviously, this can be tricky, but be sensitive to the game schedule and other external factors. 

Want in? Remember, there are still three sessions of one hour left (and last night’s session went 90 minutes, so you won’t get cheated), and the topics for the remaining classes are making your campaigns memorable, what to look for in agreements and building a sustainable business on NIL alone. We’ll meet tonight at 8 p.m. ET, then again Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, same time. And don’t forget, everyone who registers gets videos for all four sessions. I don’t know anyone else who is doing this with a person of Sammy’s caliber, especially for $100 plus tax. 

Consider joining us. You won’t regret it. 

 

Our Next NIL Learning Opportunity: Questions and the Answers We’ll Be Seeking

23 Friday Sep 2022

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On Aug. 30, we had two name, image and likeness experts, Peter Schoenthal of Athliance and Sammy Spina of Vantage Management Group, join us on Zoom to give a thorough overview of today’s NIL landscape. Anyone interested in how to make money in the interest got an awful lot of information on how to approach this new area of the industry. However, we’re not done.

Next month, Sammy will join us again for a four-class course on how to break through and turn NIL from a theoretical financial windfall to a legitimate, steady revenue source. Our classes will be Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 4-5, and the following Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 11-12. Cost is $100 plus tax (sign up here). There’s a trick to it, obviously, and it all starts with getting honest questions answered. 

When it comes to those questions, I’m interested in two things: how an agent identifies and recruits a player ideal for NIL marketing, and how an agent finds business opportunities for the client. We touched on that in our Zoom last month, but this is going to be a real close-up look on how to make money.

Here are some of the questions I’m seeking to get answered:

  • How long does it take to build a book of contacts, a network I can rely on?
  • How long will it take to make money while I build that network?
  • What kind of businesses most often seek lasting relationships? 
  • What is the key to a successful media post? How can I measure and repeat that success?
  • How do you turn a successful solicitation into repeat business with multiple clients?
  • How do you assess your client to find out how to best position him for NIL success?
  • What do you tell a client who wants to know how long it will take to make money with NIL?
  • How do you explain to a client that success will require effort on his part, i.e., that NIL isn’t a completely passive revenue stream?
  • When do you “cut bait” with a client? When do you know he’s not a good fit for NIL?
  • What’s the best ratio of success on the field and NIL aptitude? Can you succeed if a client has only one of the two?
  • How much time and effort should a client be expected to give away for free before he can start charging? How does he best spend that time?
  • What happens if you build a book of business in one area, then your client enters the transfer portal?
  • How do you exploit a client’s potential as an anti-hero in a rival market? Is it possible?
  • What does a basic NIL agreement between an agent and client look like? What does an agreement between a client and a business look like?

If you have the same questions, I hope you can join us. Nothing will be out of bounds, and we want this to be a real difference-making session.

We’ll have more details in our Friday Wrap, which comes out later today. Register for the Wrap here.

The NIL Conundrum: Three Popular Questions

07 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by 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.

 

Ask the Agent: Where Do You Start with NIL?

24 Friday Jun 2022

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Vantage Management Group’s Sammy Spina got certified as an NFLPA contract advisor in 2017, but he wasn’t your typical aspiring sports professional. As told in the interview I did with him in June 2018 for the Rising Contract Advisors Newsletter, the story of his success includes total resolve and iron will. Hear it in his own words at this link (I highly recommend it). His background also includes a deep well of experience in sports marketing, so when the NIL era kicked off about a year ago, it was a natural fit for him.

Sam has since begun working with young people who aim to follow in his footsteps — more on that in the coming weeks — and he’s got a lot to say about how he’s supplemented his traditional NFL agent work with his endorsement and marketing talents. This week, I asked him to help out by providing a few words of wisdom for agents young and old who want to take advantage of the new name, image and likeness rules. I expected 500 words, but he gave me almost 1,500.

One of the questions I asked him was this: The most common question I get from agents is, where do I start? What would you tell them?

Here’s how he responded:

Start with relationships. The common misconception is that NIL is brand new. That’s false! NIL is simply a way to phrase “athlete marketing” as it relates to college athletes in the NCAA who have eligibility remaining. I have had success in this realm because I have a marketing background and lean heavily on those relationships and approaches to put my clients in the best opportunity for success.

If I had to provide a step-by-step guideline as to “how to start” – I suggest the following:

  • Look: Find student-athletes that you have relationships with and offer to help with finding endorsement opportunities.
  • Be transparent: Report and acknowledge this new working relationship to the school’s compliance department. Seek the school’s guidance on next steps.
  • Set reasonable expectations for your clients!: We all read headlines and believe that all college athletes are making millions of dollars. Well, the student-athletes see these same headlines. Thus, make sure you set reasonable expectations for your clients and explain how, according to your research, not many athletes actually make large sums of money. The majority of deals are product exchanges for social media or small payments for services.
  • Understand your client: Remind yourself that not every athlete is marketable. There are several factors to marketability, but in essence, it comes down to supply, demand, return on investment, and how much of an impact you can make to increase the local and national exposure for a company.
  • Is it the right deal?: Additionally, you must always ask yourself: what does this deal do for my client? Does it help? If so, in what ways? What are some negative implications that could occur if we enter into this deal?
  • Get creative!: Think outside of the box. One of my favorite deals is the one we did for Kenny Pickett when he was at the University of Pittsburgh last year, partnering him with a fancy restaurant in Pittsburgh to treat his offensive linemen to weekly dinners. The partnership received national attention because it was innovative and different. It was Kenny using NIL to help his teammates before helping himself.
  • Develop business: Don’t be afraid to cold-call and cold email once you have a unique idea. Show companies that you have something so unique that it is bound to help generate exposure for their brand. Since most college athletes don’t have a million Instagram followers, you need to rely on media exposure to increase the company’s visibility. Once you do one or two, then you have a proof of concept to take to other companies.
  • Think before signing: Make sure the deals make sense for your client. Don’t just accept something to say you did it! Make sure that it is beneficial for your client. You cannot be afraid to say the word, “no.”
  • Do your research!: Know the community, know the fanbase, meet the collective. What does the fanbase enjoy? What are some major sponsors in the area for local events, team functions, etc.? Who are notable alumni that own companies and may want to help out? Utilize the knowledge that you generate to create a best-case-scenario for your clients.

This is just a taste of the advice Sammy provided. He also touched on the balance between merchandising and endorsements, appearances and paid posts; the mistakes not to make; the minimum number of social media followers to make a client viable financially; how much school, geographic location and position play in NIL (and how to exploit each or work around them if your client’s situation is not favorable); and plenty more. If you enjoyed Peter Schoenthal’s excellent presentation on NIL a few weeks back, stay tuned in the coming weeks as we continue giving Sammy the floor. Check out more of Sammy’s work here.

Also, as always, make sure you’re reading our newsletter, the Friday Wrap, which comes out later today. Register for it here. 

 

ITL Zoom Week: Three Sessions, Three Speakers, Plenty of Fire

19 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, NIL

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I think my genius — and I use that term very loosely — is that I’ve been able to befriend people who are way smarter than I am. From there, I’ve been able to talk some of them into joining me on Zoom to share their wisdom.

This week was one of those times when we threw the kitchen sink at the ITL family, hosting three Zoom sessions (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). I can’t possible relate how powerful my guests were, so I’m going to pass along their thoughts in their own words today, then give my thoughts afterwards. Here goes.

Greg “Tripp” Linton of HOF Player Representatives on the biggest problem facing new agents (Tuesday): “The one thing that I wish I would have known when I first started (is) . . . the worst part about being an agent is, you don’t know what you don’t know. That is the worst part about being a new agent.”

My thoughts: I could almost have run Tripp’s entire commentary on the agent industry, which is why I brought him on to talk about agent expenses. As always, he was riveting, forceful and transparent as always. I try to be adamant about how quickly costs can add up in this business, but a lot of people don’t want to hear it. OK. Well, if you’re a new agent, at least admit that there are things you don’t know. If you don’t want to spend $29.95/mo with me, you better befriend people like Tripp who are willing to spend lots of time with you and tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it.

Trevor Swenson of Dynamic Talent, on building an NIL presence (Wednesday): “So this is a store I built for one of my buddies who wanted to start his own personal training site. . . Yes, his name really is ‘Popcorn.’ . . . You got merchandise built right in there. . . . This site took me about four hours to build. So he went profitable, I think, the second day. Right now he’s averaging about $700 a day in sales, which is 100% profit because it’s training programs. So it’s super easy to do once you get it up and running, but you just have to market and brand it after it’s up there. . . I built his YouTube channel, and then he just stopped sending me videos — which is fine, he didn’t have to — but I will give you this as an example. I built his YouTube channel and I got him up to 305 subscribers in the first week. . . we got him almost 100,000 views in about a year. . . So we posted just videos of him doing the actual movements and most of these views came in the first 48 hours. So we got like 10,000 views of him doing a triceps pushdown.”

My thoughts: I realize that this passage requires a bit of context, but I think you can figure out what Trevor was saying here. I mean, have you ever heard of Popcorn Savage? Neither have I, but who cares?! He got 10,000 views in 48 hours of him doing a triceps pushdown, the least complicated move in the entire gym! I mean, I wouldn’t watch Arnold Schwarzenegger do a triceps pushdown, but somehow, Trevor got 10,000 people to watch a guy they probably hadn’t heard of do it. My YouTube page has probably been around for 10 years, and I don’t think I have 10,000 views on all my content put together. This is Trevor’s genius. He gave a two-hour presentation Wednesday, and my head is still swimming. I think everyone on that Zoom is the same way.

Damond Talbot, Executive Director of the Hula Bowl, on his philosophy on roster-building: (Thursday, as part of our Zoom with seven all-star game directors): “We all do this for one purpose and one purpose only, and that’s for the kids. I don’t care if my kids gets sniped from me by one of these guys, as long as they get an opportunity to play. I scout football, so I’ll find somebody else. It might not be the best player, but dammit, I’m gonna find somebody who checks some boxes. I’m confident in what I do. I’m not cocky, but I’m definitely confident that I can find a replacement, no matter what. . . and if you need any damn help, if you need a sleeper last minute, man, let me know. If I have one, I’ll definitely shoot it your way. Whatever you guys need.”

My thoughts: This is classic Damond, who always goes beyond the call of duty. I know when I ran the Hula Bowl, I was not nearly so magnanimous. I thought Damond earned a lot of respect and goodwill with his comments. I heard plenty of praise from agents afterward.

If you were part of this week’s Zoom sessions, as a speaker or as a participant, I’m deeply appreciative. It’s been a great week, and we’ll talk about it even more in today’s Friday Wrap. Make sure to register for it if you haven’t already.