May 25-31

People outside the football industry don’t always have a good grasp of the challenges of the business. This is especially true when it comes to player representation. Don’t believe it? Let’s look at the numbers when it comes to the NFL Draft:

• There are about 1,000 agents (994 to be exact).
• More than half of them (547) have been certified five years or less.
• More than two-thirds of agents have one or zero active clients. 
• Around 250 players get drafted each year (257 this year). The overwhelming majority of them are signed by the most senior third of the agent community.
• Around 400 players get signed to undrafted free agent deals (416 this year). At least half of them are represented by that same 33 percent upper layer of player representation.

It all adds up to a rough road for first-year agents. Despite this, there are new contract advisors that beat the odds every year and get their clients onto NFL rosters in April and May. We think their efforts deserve some applause. 

First, let’s honor those rookie contract advisors who got players on 90-man rosters via undrafted free agency. It sounds like an easy accomplishment, but far from it. Less than 20 percent of the rookie agent class, year after year, gets a client to a UDFA deal. This year, we counted 29 of the 163 people who got certified last summer that put clients on rosters this way. Of the 29, there were 11 who were part of the ITL family.

They are Top Five Sports’ Michael Harris (Ravens SS Jordan Toles); Stacy Perez (Falcons WO Isaiah Wooden); Forever Athlete Management’s Jeffrey Poe (Chiefs IB Swayze Bozeman and Jets DE Tyreek Johnson); Lady Lib Sports’ Joyvan Malbon-Griffin (Jaguars WO Josh Cephus); JL Sports’ T.J. Linta (Bucs QB Zack Annexstad, Saints WO Mason Tipton and Packers OG Trente Jones); Top Line Sports’ Ty Schwab (49ers OG Briason Mays, Chargers DC Zamari Walton, Steelers DE Julius Welschof and Rutgers OC Ireland Brown); McRae Sports’ Demarius McRae and Melissa Rampal (Commanders WO Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Eagles DC Shon Stephens and Vikings OB Kevon Cloyd); Higher Calling Sports’ Wyatt Mumfrey (Dolphins DT Leonard Payne, Jets FB Lincoln Sefcik and Saints OH Jacob Kibodi); Allstars Sports’ Kimberly Williams (Broncos DE Jaylon Allen); and Divine Sports’ LaVaughn Kelley (Packers IB Ralen Goforth).

Next, let’s give a tip of the cap to several members of the 2022 NFL Agent Class who came up short last year, but not this year. Among those agents who got their first clients on a 90-man roster – all of them ITL clients – are Fifth Quarter Sports’ Jordan Rassam (Jets OT Willie Tyler); Vibe World Sports’ Sean Jamison (Titans WO Bryce Oliver); and EAMG Sports’ Daniel Lomba (Cowboys WO Corey Crooms). 

An even heartier congratulations go out to the members of the ’21 agent class who broke through this year, including Wilson Management Alliance’s Edwin Piner (Lions DE Nate Lynn); Top 1 Sports Group’s Corey Cooper (Rams DE Anthony Goodlow); and Shah Sports Group’s Leon Yard (Cowboys OH Nathaniel Peat).

Will all of these players make 53-man rosters? Not at all. Will they reach the heights of former UDFAs like Malcom Butler, Wes Welker, Jason Peters, Priest Holmes and many others? Probably not. Still, the efforts that these agents put forward to help their clients navigate the pre-draft process and successfully get them to paydirt deserves recognition, and we’re proud to provide it. 

There are two snapshots of the 2024 draft that we provided this week that help measure which training facilities are doing the best work in the business, as well as which firms are staking their claims as the best in the business over the past two decades.

• Trainers by Value Points: On Tuesday, we totaled the points of all draftees to see which training facilities had the most success this year. The numbers showed that EXOS’ Frisco location led the waywith more than 8,400 points, which gave them a 2,000-plus point margin over the second-place finisher, which was also an EXOS facility, Arizona. Last year’s winner, Athletes First Academy, took third place, just about 700 points ahead of a newcomer, Huntington Beach, Calif.-based 3DQB, which three of the top 10 picks in the draft.
• Agencies by Total Value Points: On Wednesday, we looked at the race to gather draft picks over most of the past two decades, and CAA remained far above everyone else. Through the ’24 draft, since 2007, the firm has more than 183,000 points. Athletes First is the only other firm with more than 100,000 points (112,629), then the dropoff is steep. In fact, the third-place finisher, SportFive, has been out of player representation since Joel Segal joined WME Sports for the 2021 draft. In fact, the third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place totals combined don’t match CAA’s point total. Make sure to dive into the stats by clicking here. 

Now let’s turn to the week’s developments in NFL front offices, where things slowed down but didn’t stop completely. Here’s what happened:

• The Patriots have a new Assistant Director of Pro Scouting in Bob Kronenberg, who spent several years in Atlanta. 
• Jim Noel, who’s scouted for the Browns and Chiefs, resumes his NFL tenure in Pittsburgh.
• Chris White moved from Chicago to Washington, where he’ll be the Director of Pro Scouting.
• The Bears continued to reconfigure their scouting staff with some new assignments.
• The Cardinals did the same thing. 
• Will Christopherson moved from Combine Scout to Mid-Atlantic Area Scout for the Chiefs.
• The Patriots and Joe Anile, a Pro Scout the last two seasons, went their separate ways.

We also discussed several moves and promotions among Combine Scouts in Thursday’s Rep Rumblings report. 

With BLESTO and National Football Scouting both having completed their meetings in Southwest Florida, most of the moves on the college side are completed except for in-house maneuvering. However, there are still plenty of vacancies on the pro side across the league, plus plenty of moves to be made at the Scouting Assistant level, so we’ll keep an ear to the ground. 

Our discussion of the industry didn’t end there. On Wednesday, ITL’s Neil Stratton joined Right Step Advising’s Rodrik David in welcoming College Gridiron Showcase Personnel Director (and Edmonton Elks scout) Mike Rittelman to the Scouting the League podcast. Mike discussed his rise from D-III defensive lineman to his current role shaping the roster of the CGS and helping the Elks find gems this side of the border. He also talked about what makes the CGS different from other games; how he determines who makes the cut for the Fort Worth showcase; the power of his network of scouts and agents; how agents can best serve their clients and develop their own respective reputations when at the CGS (or any all-star game); and plenty more. Make sure you check it out if the all-star schedule or player evaluation interests you. But that’s not all.

Monday afternoon, David and Stratton teamed took a break from Memorial Day activities to recap last week’s (and last weekend’s) moves in NFL front offices. Most of the focus was on New England, the change at BLESTO and the latest moves out of Washington, and plenty more. It’s a fast 15 minutes, and if scouting and the way teams build their evaluation staffs interest you, make sure to tune in. 

Now let’s take a look at what else was happening in the business of college and pro football this week, as well as what’s ahead.

A poignant post: The Succeed in Football blog, which celebrates its 10^th anniversary in June, covers a number of topics, but all of them fit neatly within a very narrow window. Whether it’s player representation, player evaluation, handling the transfer portal, how to pass the agent exam, the role of the media in the NFL, it’s not normally the kind of content that draws hundreds of thousands of eyeballs. This week’s post didn’t, either, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t strike a chord with plenty of people who are pursuing the player evaluation profession. Based on the tweet announcing this week’s blog post, in addition to some of the comments from readers, it was a timely piece that resonated with a portion of the community. Maybe it was because so many people are chasing NFL positions right now, and not a lot of them are meeting with success. It wasn’t the kind of post that brings a smile to everyone’s face, but maybe it communicated something more important: the guidance some need as they try to decide what price they’re willing to pay to reach the heights of pro and college football. Decide for yourself here.

Summer is for sleepers: Last year, we introduced a new tradition as we asked former Titans scouting executive Blake Beddingfield to provide a first look at dozens of players agents should have on their radar as they begin to get serious about the 2025 draft class. We even used a blog post to discuss Blake’s prior list from Fall 2022 and provide a hint of what he would provide. Blake presented 55 names of players he expected to go in the Day 3/UDFA range, most of them offensive and defensive linemen. Some of them rose far out of the Day 3 range (2024 first-rounders Amarius Mims and Darius Robinson played themselves into Day 1), but all of them were viable prospects for agents looking to find pre-hype prospects. On Tuesday, he’s back to do it again. At 8 p.m. ET, he’ll join agents, draft enthusiasts, and even a handful of active NFL scouts in previewing the ’25 class. Every participant will get an XL file with a complete list and a sentence or two about each prospect, then listen in as Blake expands on each of them in his one-hour session. Cost is $40 plus tax. As always, you’ll get the XL file and a copy of the video afterwards, and we’ll send out the Zoom link Tuesday afternoon. It’s going to be a fun and informative evening, and we hope you can join us. Questions? Let us know. 

Catching Up: Rick Reiprish, 73, spent 43 years in player evaluation, starting with three years with BLESTO before heading out on a scouting journey that would take him to Kansas City, Seattle, Jacksonville, New Orleans and, finally, Pittsburgh for his last decade in the business. We caught up with him this week.

• Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “I just retired last year. Living in Madison, Miss., and enjoying the grandchildren. Madison is in the middle of the state, about 12 miles north of Jackson.” 

• Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?:  “I miss the challenge of doing it on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis, just doing whatever it took to get it done, that wanting to build the best team. What I don’t miss is the travel and being away from home.” 

• Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “Yeah, I do. Not on a regular basis, but we’ll talk (regularly), so yes. Especially the people in the different organizations I was with.”

• Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “I do go to high school games because of the grandchildren. My grandson enjoys going to high school games. But not really any college games since I’ve been out of it.”

• Are there any players you love to watch and/or feel close to due to your work in the game?: “I probably root for the teams I worked for, especially the later ones, the Steelers and Saints. I’m still pretty close to people there and like to see them do good. But I watch more college than pro. Sundays you get pro games, but I enjoy watching the college games. I always thought the pro games were, I don’t know the right word, but the pro teams all do the same thing. College teams, you get different kinds of offense and defense and a variety on what they’re doing. I always liked the college game better than the pro game.” 

Review the latest from other former NFL scouts and executives by accessing our Catching Up archive here. Want to hear from a former scout, or know someone who may be interested in being interviewed? Let us know.

It’s not early anymore: As of today, we are 59 days from the 2024 NFLPA Exam, and if you’re taking it, we hope you’re taking it seriously. We offer many ways to prepare for the exam, but one is more urgent than others right now. Until midnight tonight, when the calendar switches to June 1, the cost of our February, March, April and May videos is $35 plus tax. After midnight, the cost is $50 plus tax, the same price you’d pay if you were sitting in on the Zoom sessions. If you were thinking about buying them anyway, now’s a great time to pick them up. Here’s a look at what makes up each one. 

• February: Given a signing bonus and Year 4 cap number, calculate rookie salary • Calculation of problems re: June 1 rule, a key concept that's always part of the exam • Calculation of agent fees, including split between two agents after one has been terminated. • Accrued seasons, accrued seasons for benefits, and accrued seasons for salary. $35 plus tax
• March: Eligibility (accrued, credited for benefits, credited for salary) and free agency (Tenders, ROFR, exclusive rights free agency, restricted rights free agency, unrestricted free agency; transition tag, franchise/non-exclusive with terms, franchise/exclusive with terms); determining if a player has accrued a season, earned credit for benefits, earned credit for salary; deadline for payment (if cut on Tuesday, does he get paid?). • Split contracts • Termination pay • Veteran salary benefit. $35 plus tax
• April: Preseason split and in-season split, types of splits, definition, etc. • workman’s comp offsets, etc. • draft signals • PPE (partial coverage) • and practice squad salaries. $35 plus tax.
• May: VSB/Four-Year Player Benefit • Termination Pay • Injury Grievance • PPE/5th year option • IR/Designated for Return • Practice Squad • Severance pay/calculation of retirement benefits. $35 plus tax. 

If you truly haven’t started studying, once you’ve got our videos, make sure to pick up our study guide. It’s $350 plus tax, but you won’t find a better resource on the market. We’ve also got two practice exams (start here). But we’ve also got a new service. Generation Sports Group’s Shane Costa and Christian Kranz are teaming up to offer their assistance on passing the exam. This June and July, for $250/month, the Agent Exam Support & Study Program will offer the following:

• One Zoom/Google meetup per week with Christian and/or Shane (Wednesdays or Thursdays).
• A Slack channel where Christian and Shane moderate and answer exam questions and explain materials (must have purchased ITL exam guide).
• End of July ITL Exam Review Session.
• Daily Subtext with 1 exam topic explainer per day (M-F).

Ready to sign up? Click here.

Next week: The scouting changes are still ongoing, and there are still slots to be filled, but things are slowing down. We’ve also completed most of our metrics on the ’24 draft. That means we hope to start catching up on some of our standard features. Here’s a look at what’s ahead.

• Rep Rumblings will still be the place to be, but the content may look a little different. We still haven’t started drilling into the revenue-sharing buzz that’s spreading across college football, and we haven’t looked at early recruiting for the ’25 draft. That’s likely to start this week, along with front office moves, of course. 
• Though things are slowing, the ITL Twitter account is still the place to be when news breaks regarding NFL front offices. Also, make sure you’re monitoring the Scouting Changes Grid for a roundup of every change in evaluation lineups. 
• The Succeed in Football blog returns; we’ll try to capture the moment the same way we did this week and keep things as relevant as ever. If you’re seeking straight talk on the industry, we respectfully request you read our blog regularly.
• ITL’s Neil Stratton and Right Step Advising’s Rodrik David will be back with the Scouting the League podcast. We might also have a brief update on scouting moves on Monday. That’s TBA.
• We had Connecticut, Duke, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan and Florida in this week’s Profile Reports. Next week, we’ll look at Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, Fresno State and Georgia.  
• The Agent Changes (we’re two reports behind) and Agents by Total Clients are ahead this week. 

Whether you’re studying to become an NFL agent, or you’re already part of the business, you can’t afford to be left behind. We can give you an advantage. Check us out.