Jan. 3-9

Last week, as the calendar switched to 2026, we completed polling on our BART List Awards. However, if you’re an active NFL scout, we need to ask your opinion once more. Don’t worry, it’s easy. 

Then again, maybe it’s not. This year, determining the finalist for the Best Draft Award was harder than ever, as we chronicled last week on the Succeed in Football blog.

Our worst fear is that we’ll determine the wrong finalists. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so this year we set up criteria for the award. They are, in no specific order: 

• Record improvement: It’s all about winning. A good rookie class doesn’t necessarily guarantee a record transformation, but the goal is always victories. 
• Contributions at impact positions: QB, OT, WO, DE/OB, DT, DC. If you’re getting contributions at these positions as rookies, you’re building a strong foundation.
• Depth of draft: Getting your Day 1/Day 2 picks right is critical, but getting contributors on Day 3 really shows good work out of the scouting staff.

We leaned harder than ever on several former NFL scouts and members of the draft industry, 10 in all, to help us determine the contenders, and still it was tough to determine a consensus. Therefore, as we’ve done in 2020 and 2023, we expanded beyond the normal five finalists. Though all 10 teams we listed in or blog last week have a case, we believe these six have the strongest arguments to win the ninth annual Best Draft Award. This year’s six finalist are: 

• Bears (2024: 5-12/2025: 11-5) — TE Colston Loveland (1/10), WO Luther Burden (2/39); OH Kyle Monangai (7/233)

• Browns (2024: 3-14/2025: 4-12) – DT Mason Graham (1/5); IB Carson Schwesinger (2/33); OH Quinshon Judkins (2/36); TE Harold Fannin (3/67); OH Dylan Sampson (4/126); DT Adin Huntington (UDFA)

• Giants (2024: 3-14/2025: 3-13) – DE Abdul Carter (1/3); QB Jaxson Dart (1/25); OH Cam Skattebo (4/105)

• Panthers (2024: 5-12/2025: 8-8) -- WO Tetairoa McMillan (1/8); DE Nic Scourton (2/19); FS Lathan Ransom (4/122); TE Mitchell Evans (5/167) 

• Patriots (2024: 4-13/2025: 13-3) – OT Will Campbell (1/4); OH Treveyon Henderson (2/38); SS Craig Woodson (4/106)

• Saints (2024: 5-12/2025: 6-10) -- OT Kelvin Banks (1/9); QB Tyler Shough (2/40); FS Jonas Sanker (3/93); IB Danny Stutsman (4/112); DC Quincy Riley (4/131)

Need help deciding? We get it, completely. Several services have weighed in with their “best of” lists in the last 24 hours, from The Athletic to NFL.com to Sports Info Solutions. PFF published its honorees a few days ago. CBS Sports weighed in on New Year’s Day. Of course, NFLs scouts have their own opinions, and that’s why they are the only bloc that gets a vote. 

This year’s winner joins the Saints (2017 draft class), Colts (2018), 49ers (2019), Buccaneers (2020), Broncos (2021), Seahawks (2022), Lions (2023) and Rams (2024) as winners of the award. As you know, we’ll present the trophy to the winner at our annual seminar at the NFL Combine Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 530 pm EST. 

We’ll send out the ballots tomorrow morning, so look for them in your inbox then. Again, this year, we’ll only be asking for your Best Draft vote, so it’s a one-question survey. We’ll conduct salary information in February in a more direct way. We don’t feel that our information-gathering of late has been sufficiently specific, and we want to provide only the best and latest information in Indianapolis. 

Thanks for your help! We are honored to recognize the best and brightest in the game and see it as or privilege. We appreciate your help in letting us determine that. Now, let’s take a look at the biggest stories in college and pro football this week, courtesy of Ric Serritella of All Access Football.

A boom for booting coaches: Former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville once said NFL stands for “not for long,” and that still rings true today. On Thursday, the Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel, bringing the total number of head coach vacancies to eight, tied for the most openings in one offseason since 2023. There were seven in 2024. That means in each of the past three years, approximately one-quarter of the NFL’s head coaching jobs turned over. Things took an unexpected turn in Miami this week after McDaniel met with reporters on Monday, telling them he would be involved in the hiring of the new GM (former GM Chris Grier was fired in October). However, the Ravens announced the termination of John Harbaugh on Wednesday, and McDaniel was let go the following day, leading many to speculate that Miami would aggressively pursue Harbaugh. "After careful evaluation and extensive discussions since the season ended, I have made the decision that our organization is in need of comprehensive change," Ross said in a statement. The change in South Florida followed the dismissals of Kevin Stefanski (Browns), Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals), Raheem Morris (Falcons), Pete Carroll (Raiders) and Harbaugh; Brian Daboll (Giants) and Brian Callahan (Titans) were let go earlier this season. McDaniel’s replacement will be the Dolphins’ fourth new head coach in 11 seasons; astonishingly, no Miami head coach has lasted four full seasons with the organization since Dave Wannstedt in 2003. Meanwhile, today, it was widely reported that Packers VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan would be Grier’s successor. Amongst the biggest offseason decisions facing Sullivan and the new head coach will be whether to retain QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has a $56.4 million cap number for 2026. Per this tweet, the other finalists for GM were Chargers Assistant GM Chad Alexander, Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly and 49ers Director of Scouting and Football Operations Josh Williams. To keep up with the NFL head coaches as they transition in and out of the game, while also tracking the firms that represent them, make sure to check out the NFL Head Coaches and Agents Grid. We’ll roll out our 2026 NFL Scouting Changes Grid later this spring.

Blank check. From franchise QB to TV personality to NFL decision-maker? That’s path former Falcons QB Matt Ryan seems to be following after the team announced that Matt Ryan would interview for the newly created ‘President of Football’ position. With vacancies at both GM and head coach, owner Arthur Blank instituted the new position to help spearhead the hiring process. According to Blank, the GM and head coach will hold full responsibilities for each position and will report to the President of Football, who will then report directly to Blank. The organizational front office restructure comes after Blank hired Sportsology to conduct an internal evaluation of the team’s football infrastructure. Blank was reportedly surprised to learn of the firm’s discovery of a lack of clarity when it came to the overall vision of the team, and this led to the firings of GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris. Sportsology will remain on board to assist in finding the new GM, while ZRG Partners has been hired to assist with the head coach opening. Lions COO Mike Disner and Panthers Executive VP Brandt Tillis have interviewed for the new role, while Bears AGM Ian Cunningham is a candidate for the GM title. Many feel the new role was specifically designed with Ryan in mind, though he’s only 40 and has zero front office experience. "His EQ and IQ when it comes to football is extraordinarily high," Blank said of Ryan. "I've known Matt personally since 2008 . . . and he's an outstanding individual, great community leader and the kind of person we certainly would want to consider in that position."

Ready for the draft?: The NFL Draft is still more than 100 days away, but if you’re starved for the drama and intrigue that comes with a football selection meeting, we’ve got good news. The 2026 UFL Draft started todayand continues through the weekend. This year, the draft represents a complete reimagining of the league as each team will start over, completely rebuilding each roster from the ground up. “We decided to really start over as a league,” Senior VP of Player Personnel Doug Whaley told Rodrik David this week as a guest on the Scouting the League Podcast. “I mean, we’re gonna have each team redraft from zero all the way up to 60 to (62) players. . . when we thought about it, we thought, OK, we have a wide range, a mix of experience of head coaches. Some of them have been college, some in pros, but a lot of them haven’t been able to go through a draft process. So let’s try to set them up for success.” Today, UFL teams picked their passers only, with the regional allocation draft slated for Saturday, the UFL players draft Tuesday and the free agent draft Wednesday. Saturday, each team will select three players from allocated schools in a move designed to enhance regional interest with fans. The bulk of the draft takes place next week as teams select players from 2025 UFL rosters in six positional groups on Tuesday (offensive linemen; running backs/tight ends; wide receivers; defensive front seven consisting of linebackers, defensive ends and defensive tackles; defensive backs; and specialists). Then, on Wednesday, teams select from the same positional groups, but from players who were not on 2025 UFL rosters. Newly reconstituted team rosters will finish with between 60 and 62 players. Kickoff for the 2026 season is March 27. For more details, click here. Highlights of the full podcast with Doug are later in this edition of the Friday Wrap.

Gamecocks grow front office: Though one of the biggest football headlines of December centered on the countless staffers who changed personnel jobs to follow head coaches, the South Carolina football team sought to beef up its NFL pedigree this week with the hiring of Rex Hogan as the team’s new Director of Scouting. With stints as a national scout for the Chicago Bears, plus front office roles with the Jets and Colts, Hogan brings over two decades of NFL experience. He spent the previous two seasons guiding the college scouting department at Auburn. Hogan’s addition came at the request of head coach Shane Beamer, who felt a change was needed to reflect the increasing demands of NIL contracts and the explosion of transfer portal entries. Hogan will work under player personnel director Darren Uscher. “It’s really just to continue to strengthen what we already do,” Beamer said. “Darren does an awesome job heading it up but if there’s a way to make us even better and add to the personnel back there, let’s do it. And Rex, to me, fit what we were looking for. I thought we were a little bit behind some schools from a personnel structure standpoint. Not a lot. I mean, we’re very much in line with a lot of people, but I just felt like there was a position or two that we were maybe missing, lacking.” 

Huskies QB runs reverse: It was an eventful week for Washington quarterback Desmond Williams. On Tuesday, Williams announced that he would enter the transfer portal. However, just days earlier, Williams had signed a $4M contract to remain with the Huskies for 2026. The announcement created a conflict of interest for his agent, Doug Hendrickson of Wasserman Sports, who also represents Washington head coach Jedd Fisch. On Wednesday, it was announced that Hendrickson had dropped Williams as a client. "I have made the decision to end my representation of Demond Williams Jr., effective immediately, due to philosophical differences," Hendrickson posted on social media. "Demond is an incredible talent and we wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors." On Thursday, Williams hired legal counsel to review his options before coming to the conclusion that a return to Washington would be in the best interests for all parties. That led to the announcement by Williams later that evening that he would honor his initial contract with Washington. "I am fully committed and focused on contributing to what we are building," he posted on Instagram. His commitment was reinforced by Fisch, who added, "Demond and I have engaged in very honest and heartfelt conversations about his present and future. We both agree that the University of Washington is the best place for him to continue his academic, athletic, and social development." With the integrity of legally binding contracts called into question, the outcome represents a small victory for NCAA athletics and sets a precedent for any similar instances in the future.

Setting the record straight: There has been some negative publicity surrounding the Altrua HealthShare Hula Bowl on social media, primarily from individuals who were not in attendance. Hosting an all-star game event is a costly and arduous task, and much of the criticism (especially on social media) has not been reflective of what transpired on the practice fields and in the interview rooms. Like any all-star game, hiccups are expected. While the game faced challenges with receiving pads and equipment (not uncommon for games scheduled the first week of the year), the interview sessions are probably the most valuable aspect of these events, and by all accounts, this came off without a hitch. What’s more, we’ve seen instances of critics ridiculing the Hula Bowl as a “money grab.” The game covers all travel and lodging costs for the week along with three meals per day and transportation, while players get to meet with and be evaluated by NFL scouts (against minimal gate and scant broadcast viewing). Where is the money grab? Criticize the organizers, the roster or the game’s amenities if you must, but once the week is under way, a continued verbal assault only harms the players and jeopardizes future opportunities for next year’s prospects. 

Save the date(s): The buzz is growing for our two big events at the NFL Combine, and we’ve been contacted by several people this week making sure we haven’t already filled up the room(s) (we haven’t). For now, here’s what you need to know. 

• Our annual 17^th annual ITL Seminar will be Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 530 pm EST in the Indiana Convention Center. Admission is free, but seating is limited and we’ve had to turn away guests the last 3-4 years. We expect 200-300 members of the NFL scouting community, most of them active scouts and executives, as we hand out our BART List Awards, recognize the school officials who are doing the most to help scouts, and celebrate the industry. 
• Our fourth annual ITL Symposium will be Friday, Feb. 27, at 8 am EST in the Indiana Convention Center. Cost is $100, and we’ll go about two hours. We see this as the major networking opportunity of the year as we bring both sides of the portal community, members of college personnel staffs and members of the player representation community, together. If you don’t leave with a dozen new contacts, you’re just not trying, based on our events of the last few years. Here’s a story about our 2023 event. Here’s a short video look at last year’s event.

If you want to join us, don’t worry – it’s not too late. Tickets are not yet available. We’ll let you know when we flip the switch in early February. We expect to have 600 people from all around the industry in one room sharing ideas, listing concerns and shaping the way business is conducted. See you there.

New beginnings: This time of year, players are signing with agents, heading to training destinations and/or all-star games, and otherwise making the transition from college athlete to budding pro. We’re all over it in our Signings Grid. Here’s a look at a few of the Day 1 prospects who’ve already chosen representation, based on our most recent Mock Draft Review (IV).

• Auburn DE Keldric Faulk, Notre Dame OH Jeremiyah Love, LSU DC Mansoor Delane, Utah OT Spencer Fano and Penn State OG Vega Ioane are among signings by Athletes First.
• Arizona State WO Jordyn Tyson, Georgia IB CJ Allen and Michigan DE Jaishawn Barham have all signed with WIN Sports Group.
• Oklahoma DE R. Mason Thomas has signed with CAA. 
• North Carolina DC Colton Hood has signed with Klutch Sports Group.
• USC WO Makai Lemon is on SRA with GSE Worldwide.
• Texas A&M WO KC Concepcion has signed with The Familie.

With Ole Miss now out of the CFP and either Indiana or Oregon saying farewell tonight, there will be lots more big names popping up soon. We’ll continue to track it all. Make sure to keep an eye on our big board regularly. 

Spreading the word: The UFL has made several changes since last season, and with the kickoff for the 2026 season about two-and-a-half months away, Senior VP of Player Personnel Doug Whaley is trying to let people know what to expect. This week, he joined Scouting the League host Rodrik David as they discussed the league, which hosted the kickoff of its four-day draft today. Here are a few highlights.

• Whaley on the league’s player personnel management change (3:34): ‘We switched from a GM model, where you had a GM and a head coach, to a centralized model. So, the way we look at it is, especially people that are familiar with the NFL, you’ve heard of BLESTO Scouting and National Football Scouting, those type of models where everything gets brought into a centralized (system). We have three of the GMs that were GMs last year on the roster, (and) another guy named Patrick Austin. So Jim Monos, Will Lewis, Rick Muellerand Patrick Austin are the four regional scouts. Myself, I’ll oversee, and we’ll also have our director of football operations and chief of staff, David Dykeman.”
• On starting with the passers (9:08): “So, obviously, the most important position on any football team, and some can argue, in all of sports, is the quarterbacks. So we thought this would be a really good way to start the foundation of everybody’s team and roster. So we decided to go with the remote quarterback draft (today). It will be a three-round draft. Every team can draft up to three quarterbacks. Some may draft two, but they can draft up to three. . . With our draft being on the 13^th, we wanted to announce the quarterbacks and the other regional allocations on the 12^th and get some momentum going and have that bleed right into the acutal draft on the 13th and 14^th.”
• On the benefits of a 2026 draft prospect playing in the spring league (35:23): “Anybody out there that thinks, ‘hey, I’m draft-eligible in 2026, and I’d rather, maybe, instead of going through the spring process, I think I have a better chance of improving my draft stock by going into a professional setting, playing against professional players, and learning the profession while showing what I can do my skill set to NFL scouts’ (is welcome).” 
• On how duties are divided up within the league’s scouting department (22:04): “So every one of our centralized scouts is responsible for two teams. So those guys have been in conversations as soon as those coaches got hired. We introduced them to those two teams, so they’ve had constant communication. We had a call today which took us over about an hour or two just to really reemphasized what’s gonna happen in the college draft, take any questions that the coaches have. Those guys have been in really meetings with their head coaches and their coordinators . . . as I say, our centralized scouts are really Chat GPT.” 

If you have a client, or clients, who wish to play in the league this spring, this is must-see (on the Scouting the League YouTube page) or must-listen (wherever you find your podcasts) material. Make sure to tune in.

Let’s go!: This week, you may have taken your first giant step toward being an NFL agent as you paid $2,500 to register with the NFLPA for this summer’s test. Then again, maybe you took the exam last year, came up short, and are gearing up for your final try (at least for another five years). Either way, you need to know this: you’re looking at a very trying exam with a substantial failure rate, and if you’re not careful, you’ll get bad news in late August/early September when results are out. But there’s good news: we are at the ready to help you. As the most tenured provider of exam prep help, and with more successful former students in the business than any other service, we’d be honored to work with you. But first, we have a few thoughts, almost a ‘frequently asked questions” column, at today’s blog at Succeed in Football. Make sure to check it out. Our first Zoom session of the 2026 exam prep season is in February. See you then.

Catching Up: Ryan Reichert, 57, spent 13 years with the Texans, finishing up as the team’s VP of Security. We caught up with him this week.

• Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “I live in a suburb of Houston, in Richmond, and I’ve currently returned to law enforcement with the Houston Police Department’s major offenders division, a specialized investigative division within the Houston Police Department.”
• Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “Do I miss the league? I don’t miss the time requirement. It’s a full-time, 24-7 thing, especially in my role, head of security on the player personnel side of the football operations. It was no time off except mayb the two weeks before training camp, but in security or player personnel, everybody in your organization has your phone number. You’re ‘the fix-it guy.’ Even on vacation, I was getting calls from people needing things, or their family members, so I had to really juggle what I did or what I could do. We were very fortunate we were in the NFL because baseball and basketball have a lot more games. When you work for the NFL, people think it stopped at the end of the Super Bowl, but they don’t see the scouting and player acquisition side of it. When the team is in the playoffs, you’re on the road scouting the all-star games, even up to the combine. Once the combine’s over, you gotta do all the followup on the kids you didn’t get to see, the kids that didn’t come through for interviews. . . and that’s all continuing till you get to the draft. It's different from a normal job with five days on, two days off. You’re playing on Christmas, playing on Thanksgiving, so there’s a big commitment. Obviously, you miss your co-workers, because you see them quite a bit. You get close to a handful of players, but that’s the part you miss. You just have each other. You’re always trying to get ready for the next game. It’s a time commitment. If you have family, kids in activities . . . I had to be there when the players checked into the hotel, and we had five young girls, so you didn’t make all the events that you tried to do. The hunting and fishing all happens in the fall when football occurs, and you put that on the burner. You can steal away for a little bit of time, but not much.”
• Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “Obviously, the guys who live locally. (Former Texans executive) Mike Maccagnan still lives here. He left here and had some success, was the GM of the Jets. I don’t know what he’s doing now, but probably some kind of consulting on the side, being at that level. (Former Texans trainer) Kevin Bastin and I live very close to each other, and I still talk to a couple of other people here and there, mostly by text. I’m not a social media guy. I’ve never done Facebook or any online platforms. To me, a text or a call is best. I definitely watch the NFL from afar now. That coaching tree from (Texans head coach) Gary Kubiak is prolific thought the league. (Packers head coach) Matt LaFleur was an intern for us, (former Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel and (49ers defensive coordinator) Robert Salehwere all in the same office tougher. Three little cubicles inside of a spare meeting room we had right off the coaches offices. The Lions have a lot of our staff as well, maybe more on the scouting side, but throughout the league I can look at coaching staffs and see some of our coaches still. There’s still a handful. I watch from afar. When watching the game, I might search online for a coaching staff just to see who’s still out there. As far as (former) players, look at (Texans head coach) Demeco Ryans, a player-turned-coach from our own organization. I’ll watch from afar now. But I don’t reach out to them much. There’s a handful of players you get close to and maintain relationships with, a lot by text message. I haven’t been to an NFL game since I left but I’d like to go to an away game. I’ve been in (NRG) Stadium enough. I’d like to get up there to Green Bay and see the Packers. Nashville was always fun. I love Nashville because you never know who’s gonna be singing the national anthem. So many great singers up there.” 
• Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?:  “I have not. I just I see them on TV . . .  Would love to go to (Texas A&M’s) Kyle Field and see what they’ve done at that stadium. But my daughter went to (Texas), and I’ve never gone to a game, and another daughter went to TCU, and I never went to a game. I went to so many, and I don’t want to deal with the crowds.  Maybe I’m jaded. I always had free access to go anywhere in the stadium, and as a fan, dealing with parking and tickets, maybe subconsciously, I’m just not doing it. I would love to go to those stadiums just to see them, but sometimes the best seat is at the house.”
• Do you find yourself rooting for the NFL team in your region, the one you grew up rooting for, or the one with the most people you’ve worked with?: “I kinda root for the staff, because you realize how much goes into it, and how much time, and what the commitment is, and you want to see the guys you worked with have their own success. It’ kinda fun to root for those guys. It’s kinda fun to see these guys that were with our teams in the early years where the wheels were coming off and the head coach was probably gonna get let go and the team was rebuilding. They get fired and hook up with a team in a year or two or three, they’re Super Bowl champions, and they have that to reflect on for the rest of their lives. I cheer for the guys I still know that are on the staff.” 

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.

Next week: By Monday, the Hula Bowl, Dream Bowl and College Gridiron Showcase will be behind us. After a break next week, the American Bowl begins a run of three games over the last two weeks of January. We’ll rest up a bit, then dive right in. In the meantime, here’s a look at what we’ll be working on.

• The Signings Grid takes top priority this time of year. Just as we did this week, we expect to add hundreds of more signings, all-star berths, training destinations and more to our big board. If you want to separate the contenders from the pretenders when it comes to NFL agencies, you need to keep up with our grid.  
• Our Rep Rumblings have plenty to offer this year, as well, with tips on who’s signing where, what’s going on in alternative leagues, which scouts and executives are on their way in (or on their way out), and everything else associated with the business of college and pro football. Make sure you’re up to date with our daily reports.
• The Scouting the League Podcast and the Succeed in Football blog will roll on, with interviews, thoughts and insights you won’t find anywhere else. 
• Along with everything else, we’ll continue to try to track the moves in college front offices in our College Scouting Changes Grid. Though we didn’t get to it this week, we also hope to launch our NFL Scouting Changes Grid next week. 
• Interested in who wins our Best Draft Award, BART List recognition, and everything else associated with our February events? Check out the winners here (BART List) and here (Best Draft).

There’s so much to keep up with this time of year. We try not to miss anything. See for yourself.