New Agent Zoom VIII: A Bit About Our Guest & Our Session

29 Wednesday Nov 2023

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Wednesday night, we’ll have our eighth Zoom session for members of the 2023 NFL Agent Class, and this one will be a little different. Our guest will be Andy Ross, owner of Upper Edge Sports and, for about two decades, an NFLPA-licensed contract advisor.

Here’s Andy’s bio, from his agency’s website. Andy will discuss his career in player representation — which spans 18 years (he got certified in 2005) and work with two major firms, Octagon and Select Sports Group — as well as his newish firm, Upper Edge. Though the focus is working with NFL players, Andy has a grander vision and has plans to move into entertainment as well as representation in multiple sports. 

This is why he’s joining us on Zoom. Andy is looking for help, so several first-year agents will gather to hear what he’s got mapped out. It’s a tantalizing opportunity for one or two agents. I don’t know the details about what Andy is seeking, but the ability to potentially work with a seasoned and experienced agent so early in one’s career is something special. 

My guess is that Andy will offer a chance to recruit on behalf of Upper Edge, and perhaps there will be an offer to help with training fees for the right players. Obviously, that would mean that if the player makes a roster, Andy and the agent would split fees. That’s the usual arrangement, though I’m not trying to put words in Andy’s mouth. 

So to recap, here’s what I expect the body of the Zoom to be:

  • Andy introduces himself and his firm.
  • He discusses the opportunity he’s offering, what kind of agent he’s looking for, and what he can offer in return (I think that will be, mostly, the chance to work with someone with years in the game).
  • He describes the profile of the perfect candidate.
  • He answers a few questions from those on the Zoom and provides best way to contact him.

New contract advisors always ask me how they can earn a place with a firm that gives them the horsepower to really recruit, sign and represent legitimate players. Until now, I didn’t really have an answer, but Wednesday night, that ends. I don’t want to exaggerate the possibilities, but the bottom line is, this is something that’s pretty exciting. 

All ITL clients are welcome tomorrow night, but you have to be a subscriber first. The Zoom link goes out tomorrow afternoon. Want to join us? Start here. 

 

New Agent Zoom VII: Our Questions for Mike Delle Donne

20 Monday Nov 2023

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

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Seems crazy that tomorrow night will be our seventh Zoom session aimed at helping inform the 2023 NFL Agent Class. We’ve covered so much so far, but we’re far from done.

The next two sessions, including tomorrow’s, are focused on helping rookie contract advisors ascend to the next level. One way to do that is by joining an established firm, which gives you clout and validation that is hard to find in Year 1 (or Year 2, for that matter). 

Our guest will be Mike Delle Donne of UA Sports. Mike is smart and capable, naturally, but he’s also been very good about building bridges and helping agencies understand the value he brings, which is one reason he’s been certified just over two years and has already served with two good firms. It doesn’t hurt that he already represents the kicker for an NFL team, New Orleans’ Blake Grupe, who signed as a UDFA out of Notre Dame last spring.

Here’s a list of the questions we’ll have for Mike.

  • How did you approach getting certified? What was your background?
  • Were you ever independent? What challenges did you face as an independent agent at first?
  • Is it intimidating to work for a firm that’s already established and already has NFL clients? 
  • How did you come to be associated with Roche Sports Representation? How did it help you in Year 1?
  • Would you consider yourself a person who networks well with agents? Is that a goal of yours? If so, has it been beneficial?
  • Why did you ultimately decide to move to UA Sports? How has it been beneficial? 
  • Did you bring clients with you to UA Sports? How was that handled?
  • Do you anticipate staying with UA Sports long-term? Would you ever be independent again? 
  • Tell us about recruiting and signing PK Blake Grupe. Did you expect him to be one of the 32 NFL kickers in his rookie year?
  • What’s the hardest part of being an agent? The best part?

Our special training guest Monday will be Jordan Luallen of X3 Performance and Physical Therapy. The results Jordan has gotten for players who didn’t get invited to the combine has been phenomenal. Few trainers have been able to move undrafted free agent prospects into draft range better than Jordan. He’ll introduce himself and talk a little bit about his service. He’ll be the fourth trainer to have joined us on Zoom, with more to go. 

I hope you can join us. Sign up here for ITL and we’ll send out the Zoom link Monday afternoon.

New Agent Zoom Session VI: Here’s What We’ll Ask CGS Co-Founder Jose Jefferson

16 Thursday Nov 2023

Posted by in Agents, NFL draft, Scouts

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Last night, we had our fifth Zoom session aimed directly at the newest NFL agent class. For almost two hours, we went into depth about the five major games that will take place in January and all the relevant details. We were joined by Brandon Stroupe and Mason Hays of APEC Fort Worth, one of our training partners. It was fun and, I hope, informative for everyone.

Tonight, we’re at it again, and this one won’t be as specific to new agents; in fact, we’ll have several veteran contract advisors as well as a few wealth managers sitting in. It makes sense. The College Gridiron Showcase, which will have its 10th edition in January, has changed up its format a bit. We’ll have CGS co-founder Jose Jefferson on to discuss what’s ahead and how this year’s event will differ from previous editions.

With the NFL restricting teams from evaluating all-star games that don’t adhere to their strict new rules announced this spring, changes were inevitable, and the CGS won’t be the only one affected. Here’s what we’ll ask Jose tonight.

  • The CGS was one of the first legitimate all-star games to share costs with the players in the game, as well as their representation. How have the NFL’s new rules changed this? What, if any, costs will be associated with this year’s event?
  • In the past, the CGS was a five-day affair. This year, it will be over a weekend only. What’s gone? Has anything been added?
  • The CGS has always brought in 200-300 players for evaluation. Will that be the case this year, as well?
  • The NFL has granted underclassmen access to three all-star games. The CGS isn’t one of them. Is there any way around this rule?
  • This spring, the NFL mandated that all all-star events must have an end-of-week game. Will the CGS have one? Is it even possible to have one under such a tight schedule?
  • The CGS has always been known for its interview session, which has been especially popular to NFL scouts. Will this year’s edition still include the hours-long interview availability session that other editions have included?
  • NFL teams have always showed up in big numbers for the CGS. Do you expect this year’s game to be every bit as popular with scouts as in previous years?
  • Where are we in the invitation process? 
  • Will there be any kind of spring league orientation to the CGS?
  • There are a lot of all-star games. What would you say is the main selling point for the CGS?

These 10 questions are the ones we’ll pose to Jose tonight. If you’re in the industry, you probably should join in. To do that, all you have to be is an ITL subscriber. You can sign up here, and we’ll get you registered ASAP as well as supplying the Zoom link for tonight. But hurry — things kick off at 8 p.m. ET, and we don’t want you to miss a thing. 

 

 

Here’s What Players NOT to Sign If You’re a New NFL Agent

09 Thursday Nov 2023

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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Due to a pretty full schedule this week, I didn’t schedule a Zoom session for new agents. It’s the first week in about the last four that I haven’t huddled with new contract advisors, and I guess I feel like I’ve let people down.

That’s why I wanted to write a piece today that, hopefully, serves as a kind of substitute for a Zoom. Given that we’re mere weeks away from the end of the season for many teams, I thought I should look at recruiting. So, today, let’s look at the positions where players seem to have the least success making 90-man rosters and, even more, making it to the 53-man roster.

Center: If you follow what we do, you know we’re big advocates for signing offensive lineman, and that used to extend to centers, as well. I have learned the hard way that the guys in the pivot are just not as highly valued as tackles, definitely, and even guards. Only about a third of centers (technically, 36 percent) who signed with agents for the 2023 draft class actually made it to a 90-man roster via draft or signing as a UDFA. If you sign a center, you absolutely must sign one who has playing experience from guard to guard, and, even better, some time at tackle. Otherwise, you’re taking a big risk.

Cornerback: Signing a corner is really attractive because it’s a premium position, and if a player blazes an impressive 40 time, teams are going to at least take notice. If you’re an agent, it’s easy to talk yourself into signing a player who, if he has one special trait, has a chance at making a team. The issue is that there are an overwhelming number of people in the world who are between 5-8 and 6-2, and when they play football, very often, they play defensive back. If you’re playing the numbers, you better get a really good player at that size because there’s so much competition at that body type. You’re usually looking at 38-42 percent of all corners signed by agents actually getting to a 90-man roster (it was 38.08 percent in 2022). If you look at some other positions, the percentage is closer to 50 percent.

Wide receiver: Wide receiver is very similar to cornerback when it comes to scarcity. In 2022, 35 percent of receivers made it to a 90-man roster. Once again, if you get a really fantastic receiver, great, but if you merely sign a “good” one, odds are it’s going to be tough to get him on a roster. 

Kicker/punter: Training punters and kickers is a lot cheaper than regular position players. They usually spend a week with one of the kicking services, and it costs pennies on the dollar as compared to those who have traditional combine prep. However, teams simply rarely draft them. Yes, they are taken on draft day at times, but by and large, they are signed post-draft. Also, teams don’t carry backups at these positions, so you really must have an exceptional player to actually get him on a roster. One other issue: most teams use their special teams coaches to do their scouting for kickers, punters and long-snappers, so you can’t even appeal to scouts to get workouts, etc., as you do with all other positions. 

We’ll be back with two Zoom sessions next week. If you’re a first-year agent, or just an agent who is still learning the craft, why don’t you join us? We’ll have more details in the Friday Wrap. You can register for it here. 

Our Fourth New Agent Zoom Session: A Preview

01 Wednesday Nov 2023

Posted by in Agents, combine prep, Getting started

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Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, we’ll have our fourth Zoom session for new agents. This session will cover all facets of combine prep for draft prospects. We’ll answer several questions related to training. Here are a few of them, with our answers.

Is combine prep pretty one-size-fits-all? Yes and no. The basics are that you’re looking at eight weeks of training, typically, with an emphasis on explosiveness — the 40, obviously, but also the 3-cone, short shuttle, the jumps, etc. The importance and weight (no pun intended) of the bench press varies by position. Depending on the size and reputation of the trainer, there could be 30-40 players of similar draft station as your client training alongside him.

How much influence do you have over your client’s combine training? That kinda depends on the draft caliber of your client. I’ve heard stories of fringe draft prospects reaching out to agents, hoping to sign with them, and they tell the prospective contract advisor that they’ve “already got their combine training picked out.” Obviously, it’s not that simple. The bigger, more popular trainers have aggressive social media presences and do a good job of selling their services and, of course, touting the big names they’ve trained previously. These trainers are very enticing, but their pricing can exceed the costs you want to assume for a late-round pick. 

Does geographical location really matter? It may matter to your client. Increasingly, the top combine prep facilities are in the Sun Belt. Training doesn’t take place 24 hours per day, and most players will want to go somewhere they can enjoy their off time. You don’t want to be insensitive to that, but at the same time, it’s not your responsibility to cater to those kinds of needs. It may take a little finesse to figure out what situation fits your client and your budget. 

Here are a few other questions we’ll address:

  • Who expects training?
  • What is the cost of training?
  • How do training costs compare with lodging and food?
  • What is pro day training vs. combine prep?
  • Do players repay training? Is there a way to recover training payments?
  • Do players at all positions get same kind of training? Does it all cost the same?
  • What if I don’t have a training budget?
  • How do I protect my training expenses in case of my client terminating me? 

We’ll also be joined by my friend, Kevin Dunn, of TEST Football Academy. Kevin has trained players of every stripe, from first-rounder to free agent (including Steelers QB Kenny Pickett), and has facilities in New Jersey and Florida. He’ll discuss what TEST offers, what they recommend for players on the draft bubble, general pricing, etc. He’s the second trainer who’s appeared on our Zoom series, and he won’t be the last. I think it’s critical to hear from subject matter experts, and Kevin definitely qualifies.

If you’re someone who has your own questions about combine prep, we’d love for you to join us. All you have to do is join ITL, which you can do here. We’ll send out the Zoom link later this afternoon. It’s going to be a fun and informative evening. I hope to see you there. 

 

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.

I’m Addressing Law Students Thursday — Here’s What I’ll Say

16 Monday Oct 2023

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, Uncategorized

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On Thursday afternoon, I have the privilege of addressing the South Texas School of Law here in Houston. My audience will be law students who have an interest in being NFL agents, and I look forward to answering some of their questions about the business.

I think I’ll call my presentation, Here’s What You Need to Know about NFL Player Representation. Here’s an overview of the points I will make.

  • For all intents and purposes, forget about NIL. Some agents enter the game thinking they’ll use name, image and likeness as their entree into working with players. The problem is, done correctly, NIL representation takes an incredible amount of man hours and bears fruit only slowly. What NIL has evolved into in college football is something very different, and this needs to be explored. 
  • Don’t fall into the trap of thinking negotiation is a big part of player representation. At least not at first. This is a classic sports law class talking point, and it’s something I have to spend a lot of time unwinding with many of my clients. The 2011 CBA made a player’s rookie deal mostly a paint-by-numbers proposition. You won’t be sitting across the table with an owner or GM in a smoke-filled room, pounding the table, for a good 5-7 years. If ever.
  • Don’t consider certification unless you have access to cash. This doesn’t mean you have to be personally wealthy, and it doesn’t mean you have to hand out gobs of dollars to players as a signing inducement. However, you are not going to make progress on your student loans in the early years of your career in player representation. Not if you’re doing it right. The simple fact is that you’re going to have to spend a certain amount of money to sign players worthy of NFL consideration.
  • Waiting until you’ve got 500 mostly NFL contacts on LinkedIn won’t work. If you’ve already got friends in the game, great, but you’re going to make most of your key relationships on the fly. What’s more, most of those relationships will happen because you both have skin in the game. No amount of social media connections or beers/meals bought is gonna get you a draftable player. You’re going to have to go out and do it. Then the relationships will come.
  • There’s a certain way you need to recruit players. First of all, forget about signing a draftable player in Year 1. An independent rookie contract advisor gets a player drafted about once every couple years, and then only in the sixth or seventh round. You may be the exception to that rule, but chances are, you’ll sign someone who moves up into the draft after being a UDFA prospect than someone that everyone sees as a possible fourth-round pick.
  • Plan to be independent for a while. I can’t tell you how many of my young agent clients ask me, early in their career, if any agencies are hiring. That’s just now how this industry works.

If you’re in Houston and interested in joining us, contact me on Twitter/X for details (@insidetheleague, DMs always open). I’d love to pack the room, but we need to get you registered first. Also, don’t forget to register for our newsletter, the Friday Wrap. It’s got nothing to do with Thursday, but I promise you’ll enjoy it. 

2023 New Agent Zoom Session II: Our Questions for Aaron Wilson

11 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by in Agents, Media

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Every year, shortly after the NFLPA announces the new agent class, we begin a Zoom series specifically for the contract advisors who have just entered the business. It’s something we’ve been doing for three years, and every year, it’s grown. We start a little earlier and we end a little later. 

I feel it’s worth it. There is so much to learn about the industry, and the Players Association does new agents no favors by making them wait until October to get started. It really puts them at a disadvantage for that draft class, and they only get three years before they face expulsion. They don’t have a lot of time to learn about how to get a player into an all-star game; who and how to recruit; how to budget and how to decide on finances; what to do when a player calls and asks to be represented; how involved they should get into NIL representation; and so many other topics. We cover all of these subjects in our Zoom sessions between now and the end of the year.

Anyway, our second guest in the series is Aaron Wilson. Aaron is a longtime friend who is relentless in his capacity to write and report, of course, but also network and build relationships. I don’t think I’ve ever found anyone who doesn’t like Aaron, and that’s pretty rare in this industry. Anyway, we’ll start at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, and we’ll go about an hour. Here are the questions I’ll ask Aaron, who’ll be on the other side of an interview for once. 

  • How do you develop a relationship with an agent? Who typically initiates the relationship?
  • Do new agents have much to “offer” you? Or does it take a few years before you really forge a relationship?
  • How many agents have you had to end relationships with, and why?
  • How many agents would you say you correspond with on a typical day during the season? How about during draft season?
  • What percentage of your sources do you actually like vs. have a strictly professional relationship with?
  • How has social media changed your job? How has it changed sports media in general?
  • Do you think you’ve ever written a story or a tweet that actually influenced the way a team/teams drafted?
  • You’ve covered two teams, the Ravens and the Texans. How did the teams’ attitudes toward the media differ?
  • What percentage of breaking news related to the NFL comes from an agent vs. how much comes from an NFL source (coach, scout, executive, player)?
  • When an agent shares information with you, does he expect something back? Or is it most often just a gesture of goodwill?

If this interests you, I’d love for you to join us. All it takes is that you join ITL. At $29.95/mo, I think it’s a really good deal, and you can cancel at any time. It’s especially good if you’re new to player representation and need to learn the tricks of the trade. If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time. 

We’ll get started at 8 p.m. ET sharp on Wednesday, and we’ll send out the Zoom link to all subscribers Wednesday afternoon. I hope you can join us.

Dogra’s Exit Headlines NFLPA Agent List Update

05 Thursday Oct 2023

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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Ben Dogra is no longer an NFLPA-certified contract advisor. That’s one of the biggest revelations of the NFLPA’s updated posting of the current representation class for NFL players.

The Players Association refreshes its list of all licensed contract advisors in October after the deadline for dues payment passes on the first of the month. This year’s update brought news of several key exits and other highlights, but none is bigger than the departure of one of the first true titans in player representation. 

For those of us who have followed the business of the game for the last two decades, it’s hard to believe Dogra might not be at its forefront. When I launched ITL in 2002, Leigh Steinberg and David Dunn were fighting it out over their respective roles in the growth of Steinberg Sports, which had become a behemoth in the field of player representation. Soon, however, Steinberg, Dunn and others in the industry had a rival at the top in Dogra. By the time he had risen from an intern at SFX in the late 90s to one of the faces (along with Tom Condon) of CAA, Dogra was not just respected, but feared. I remember having a conversation with one of the top contract advisors in the game when Dogra was at the height of his powers, and I was struck by the awe in my friend’s voice, as well as his desire not to cross Dogra. From the stories of Dogra’s near-fights (literally) with NFL executives to tales of his magic tricks (again, literally) performed for friends after several late-night beverages in Mobile, Dogra cast an oversized shadow over the industry.

When Dogra was dismissed by CAA in 2014 for cause, the impact across the industry was seismic and, ultimately, began his descent. He even briefly lost his certification, and though it was restored in 2017 (and though he won a big arbitration judgement against CAA over his termination), his career never regained its luster. Still, at one time, he represented Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Mario Williams, A.J. Green and countless others, and for that decade from about 2004 to 2014, if there was a black player slated for the top 10 in the draft, Dogra was the agent to beat. His last first-rounder was Ohio State’s Damon Arnette (1/19, Raiders, 2020), and per the latest NFLPA rolls, he has no active clients in the league today. In the history of player representation, no list of truly great NFL agents is complete without Dogra’s name.

If you’re an aspiring agent hoping to one day break into the league, Dogra’s rise from unpaid intern at SFX to the NFL’s mountaintop in about a decade’s time should inspire you. On the other hand, if you’re an established NFL contract advisor regularly representing the NFL’s best, his disappearance from the limelight should be a reminder that nothing is forever, especially in pro football. 

There’s a lot more to be learned from the new NFLPA list of 1,026 contract advisors. We’ll be talking more about who’s out, who’s in, and what the latest list tells us about the state of player representations at Inside the League in our Rep Rumblings and in our weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap. You can register for it here.  

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.