Feb. 7-13

The countdown has begun to our two, big annual events coming to Indianapolis later this month. We’re 12 days away from the 2026 Ellison Kibler at Merrill Lynch ITL Seminar and two weeks from the 2026 Dropback ITL Symposium. 

Before we dive into all the details and discuss what’s ahead, let’s give you all the particulars about each event. Here’s the rundown:

2026 Ellison Kibler at Merrill Lynch ITL Seminar 

• Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m sharp
• Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue
• Rooms 205-206
• Seats are limited 
• Free to attend, no registration necessary

2026 Dropback ITL Symposium

• Friday, Feb. 27, 8:30 a.m. sharp
• Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue
• Room 205-207
• Free to members of all 136 FBS personnel staffs
• For others, $100 for individuals/$400 for agencies (admit six)
• Register here; we’ll bill you (if applicable) later

Our seminar is a tentpole event for us; it’s our 17^th year gathering people in the industry to discuss ideas and celebrate the people and teams doing things the right way. This year, we’ll hand out 30-plus awards, including the Best Draft Award (given to the team scouts say did the best with its picks last year) and the C.O. Brocato Memorial Award for Lifetime Service to NFL Scouting (given to one longtime NFL evaluator who’s worked hard and gained respect, mostly in the shadows).

Our symposium is a newer and much more evolving event. As recently as 2023, we invited members of collectives to sit on our panel. It turned out to be a pretty raucous event. The following year, former Texas A&M staffer Oscar Monnier (fresh off work assembling the Aggies’ portal class) joined attendees to say the things about the portal and NIL that you don’t normally get to hear. Then last year, we brought in two panels of P4 GMs to face questions about the state of the game, best practices, etc. This year, we’ve brought back the same format – an hour of panel discussion, followed by a half-hour networking break, then another hour of panel discussion – but with different panelists (three NIL agents, three GMs this time). We’ll reveal the people in the hot seat in next week’s Wrap. 

Last year, we had about 300 members of the transfer portal community join us in Indy (here’s a quick peek at things). We’re really confident we can come close to doubling those numbers this year. Consider: 

• Last year, about half of our attendees registered in the last week before our symposium. With two weeks to go in the signup process, we’re already almost halfway to last year’s total. 
• Last year, 10 NFL teams were represented. We expect to double that this year.
• Last year, 26 P4 schools were represented. With two weeks to go, we’ve already got 17 P4 schools registered, with dozens more having communicated their intentions of coming. This includes schools from all four P4 conferences: five Big Ten schools, four SEC schools, four ACC schools and four Big 12 schools. 
• So far, six FBS schools (five of them from P4) that didn’t come in 2025 will be there this year. 
• We’re drawing decision-makers. While we welcome all members of FBS personnel departments, 90 percent of registered participants so far hold upper-level positions (GM, AGM, DPP, Director of Scouting, etc.).
• Several top NIL agents have already registered; we expect representatives from every major NIL firm. 
• This year’s two panels, respectively, will be made up of three college GMs/AGMs and three major NIL agents. Of the four confirmed FBS panelists, three P4 conferences are represented and two have a background on both the G5 and P4 side of the game. 

But what’s on the docket? We’re still finalizing the questions our panelists will handle, but here’s a tentative list.

• For the first time since the transfer portal came into existence, we had one window this year. Was this workable? What would you change?
• We’ve seen MMR deals and allocations of sponsorship money swell the pot for top NIL signees. Does this violate the spirit of revenue-sharing? 
• At least in theory, the College Sports Commission was designed to keep NIL payments in check and above board. If this is true, is it fair to say the CSC is the only true “governing body” of college football? On the other hand, is there even any purpose to the CSC if all schools don’t sign the participation agreement? 
• Several schools and conferences are considering private equity. Do you see PE as a net positive or a net negative?
• What’s the proper amount of contact to have with agents pre-portal?
• Would it improve the portal if it were separated into three weeks – a week for all entries, a week for communication between schools and athletes, then a week to pursue them? 
• The overwhelming percentage of players who hit the portal don’t find riches and opportunity. Should there be a mechanism for allowing them to return?
• What percentage of the players on your team have “representation?” How often do you hear from the agents for your starters? Do you ever hear from the agents for non-starters?
• Should a team’s current scholarship commitments automatically be observed (“locked in”) once the portal period opens? Is it ethical to remove a player’s scholarship halfway through the portal?
• What percentage of the agents you deal with would you consider “professionals?” How do they differ from the parents, coaches and others who claim to be agents?
• (For GMs): What would a code of conduct look like for an NIL agent?
• (For agents): What would a code of conduct look like for a college GM or portal official?
• (For GMs): In today’s world, is it harder to acquire players in the portal or keep the ones you have?
• How much communication do you have with your peers? Are you able to compare best practices in a meaningful way? How about salary numbers/offers? 
• What one requirement, that all FBS schools agreed to observe, would instantly elevate the professionalism of player representatives, be they actual NFLPA-certified agents or just interested parties (coaches, parents, etc.)?
• As an agent or as a college personnel official, what’s the hardest part of your jobs, respectively? 
• (For GMs) What area of your job is most important, but gets the least amount of your attention? If you could add one staff member, where would that staff member work? Player evaluation? Salary management? OV hospitality/care? Something else?
• Would you be in favor of a standard agreement, similar to an SRA, that set forth basic stipulations protecting the player, the agent and the school and that was observed by P4 schools? Do you think this would be workable? What would you include in it?
• Should NIL agents be allowed to represent coaches as well?
• (For GMs): The NFL used to be the end goal of virtually everyone working in a college personnel role, but things have changed. Is the NFL your aspiration? If so, would you be happy with the traditional path into the league, i.e., starting off as a low-paid scouting assistant and working your way up?

We’re also working on a “speed round” to wrap up each panel. Presuming we all woke up one days and rules could suddenly be collectively bargained. Would they support or oppose:

• Minimum two-year commitment for HS recruits
• Rookie cap for HS recruits
• One “free” transfer; second one would require player to sit out a year
• A certification process for NIL agents
• Standardized 5 percent fee for NIL agents
• A “transfer fee” P4 schools would pay to G5 schools

We’re also considering asking panelists to comment on excerpts from videos that have circulated on social media – clips from press conferences, interviews, game action, etc. It’s going to be a robust and lively two-plus hours and if you’re part of the college football business community, we hope you can join us. Remember – if you’re an FBS college football staffer or a member of an NFL scouting staff, there’s no cost. Come enjoy the program and contribute whenever and however you’d like. Once again: 

Our seminar (Wednesday, Feb. 25, 530 p.m., Room 205-206 of the Indiana Convention Center) is free and requires no registration. Just come join us. 

Our symposium (Friday, Feb. 27, 830 a.m., Room 205-207 of the Indiana Convention Center) is free to members of the FBS or NFL scouting community, $100 for others ($400 agency fee admits six). Registration is required, which you can do here.

Don’t miss these chances to join others in the college and pro football space, reinforcing relationships and building new ones. See you in Indianapolis. 

By the way, maybe you’re a college staffer and the idea of attending the NFL Combine has always intrigued you, but you’ve been reluctant to go due to the unknowns. If this is true, make sure to read this week’s blog at Succeed in Football, in which we try to answer all the questions. But hurry – deadline for credentialing college football professionals is tomorrow! 

Speaking of the business of college football: Virginia GM Tyler Jones was among our panelists at last year’s ITL Symposium, and given his thoughtful takes on the industry then, we thought he’d be the perfect guest this week on the Scouting the League Podcast. He did not disappoint as co-hosts Rodrik David and Neil Stratton grilled him on the state of the game in this week’s episode. Here are some highlights:

• On finishing his college career as a receiver at Eastern Michigan with 23 receptions in his last game (5:49): “We tossed the ball around a ton. It was like a four-hour game.” 
• On taking an alternative path (business development) into a role running the football department at a P4 school (9:20): “I didn’t really have a desire to be a general manager. That wasn’t my goal early in my career, but you either innovate or you die, right? You learn and adapt if you want to compete at the highest level . . . just challenge myself to grow and be a lifelong learner and adapt and pivot if your ultimate goal is to compete at the highest level.”
• On the critical role of coaches in roster management (17:54): “There’s a ton of really talented rosters that aren’t very good teams. Now, we won a ton of games this year, but we were not the most talented roster for every one of those victories. There were a few rosters that had more talent, but you win games with being a better team.”
• On the new reality facing high school prospects (27:19): “Their experience has changed. . . everyone went from building their roster through high school recruiting and now it’s shifted to a ton of transfers, right? Before it was the wild, wild west in terms of athlete compensation, and then now, there’s more of a cap. Oh, by the way, there’s a roster limit. So all these things are happening and impacting just high school recruiting. . . I feel bad. I really empathize for the high school coaches and high school prospects because the environment is shifting rapidly.”
• On one dilemma facing NIL agents in the current environment (35:17): “There’s some agents that don’t know the player. They don’t know them that well, because it’s like speed dating for them. They’re trying to find an agent that can help them. So, again, I have to challenge that a little bit of, like, how well do you know your client? Do you know them? Do you know their injury history, and, like, those types of things.”
• On the battle between recruiting players in the portal and retaining current players (47:10): “It starts with our head football coach. . . the continuity with our staff, our position coaches, it’s been really strong. You’re going to have attrition and guys move on and take different responsibility. That’s healthy. But that’s a reflection of the leadership where young men want to be here. And typically, guys that you retain are likely taking less.”
• On separating the sometimes outrageous “asks” from an agent from feelings toward the player (51:09): “Very rarely is it coming from the student-athlete. Very rarely that it’s coming from them. So, again, you gotta look at it as, like, let’s not cast judgment or question a young man’s character because that could just be someone that’s in their circle asking unbeknownst to the player.”

If you work in the game, you’ll get a lot from this week’s hour with Tyler. As always, you can find the podcast wherever you listen or on video here.

Now let’s take a look at the biggest stories in football, college and pro, courtesy of Ric Serritella of All Access Football.

Combine by the numbers. The NFL announced 319 players invited to this year’s combine in Indianapolis, more evidence that combine invites have declined significantly since 2021, the first Combine directly affected by Covid. Since 2022, there has been an average of 322 combine invites. By comparison, the previous five years averaged 332 invites, with as many as 338 in 2019. A statistical anomaly? No one knows, and there’s been no specific reason given as to why numbers have been down recently. In the meantime, the Aggies have an argument for most talent in the 2026 draft class with 12 invitees to Indy, followed by Alabama (11); LSU & Ohio State (11); and Georgia, Miami & Oklahoma (10). More observations: 

• When it comes to conferences, the SEC led the way with 114 player invites (36%), followed by the Big Ten with 84 (26%), the ACC with 50 (15%) and Big 12 with 45 (14%). When you factor Notre Dame into the equation (six invites), the ‘Power Four’ plus the Irish account for 94% of all combine invites in 2026. 
• A total of six FCS players received an invite. 
• As far as snubs, we feel these players have a legitimate beef: Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Mississippi; Kaelon Black, OH, Indiana; Cyrus Allen, WO, Cincinnati; Nolan Rucci, OT, Penn State; Caden Barnett, OG, Wyoming; Delby Lemieux, OC, Dartmouth. James Thompson Jr., DT, Illinois. Ckelby Givens, DE, Southern; Jordan Kwiatkowski, OB, Central Michigan; Devon Marshall, DC, NC State; and Cole Wisniewski, FS, Texas Tech.
• We counted 134 Senior Bowl invitees, 93 East-West Shrine Bowl invitees, 11 American Bowl picks, five Hula Bowlers and no CGS or Dream Bowl participants.
• As for the top agencies represented, Athletes First is in a class by itself with 35 clients. CAA is next with 23. WIN Sports Group (18) was next. Six other agencies (Klutch Sports Group, Rosenhaus Sports, Sportstars, The Familie, VaynerSports and Wasserman Sports) had at least 10.
• Power continues to be aggregated in a handful of firms. We counted 79 agents or agencies who represented the 319 invitees. That’s a slightly higher number than last year (75) but under 2024 totals (81); go back to 2020, and there were 88 agencies repping the combine invitees. 

We’ve broken out the full combine list with agencies, training facilities and all-star games for each player. We’ve got a lot of blanks to fill, but we’ll strive to have them full by the time it’s wheels-up for Indianapolis. Check out the big board here.

To be continued?: Speaking of the aforementioned Trinidad Chambliss, a Mississippi state court judge issued an injunction on Thursday, granting the Rebel QB a sixth season of eligibility. The decision is expected to pave the way for Chambliss to play for Ole Miss in 2026, or does it? The NCAA has the right to appeal the decision, and that appears to be the plan. In fact, the NCAA was swift to issue a statement declaring, "We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules against repeated attempts to rob future generations of the opportunity." Since Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia successfully sued the NCAA in December of 2024, Chambliss is the 11th player to receive an injunction for extended eligibility in the 55 lawsuits filed, according to Yahoo! Sports. In 34 of those cases, a judge ruled in favor of the NCAA in a preliminary judgement, or the case was voluntarily dismissed. About a dozen cases are still pending, including one coming Friday, when Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and attorneys plan to argue for an eighth year of eligibility before a Tennessee judge.

Vikes add cap specialist: The Vikings are down a man after the dismissal of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. In the interim, with free agency just around the corner, the team has hired temporary help, bringing in cap-ologist Matt Thomas as an administration consultant for the 2026 offseason. With more than three decades of NFL experience, Thomas will serve as a trusted assistant to Vikings Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who’s also the acting GM. Thomas’ resume includes 11 years as in the Seahawks front office (2013-24), three in Cleveland (2010-12) and 12 in Miami (1998-2009). In other moves: 

• Will Redmond, who was most recently GM at Auburn, latched on with the Packers.
• With a new GM in Atlanta and turnover part of the game, the services of VP of Football Operations/Player Personnel Ryan Pace were no longer required.

Both moves went into our NFL Scouting Changes grid.

Exiting Park Avenue: The league office lost its second high-ranking executive in recent weeks when it was announced on Wednesday that former NFL Vice President of Football Development Strategy Roman Oben would accept a job as the new SEC Associate Commissioner. A 12-year NFL veteran as a 1996 third-round pick out of Louisville, Oben brings a wealth of experience, having spent 12 years in an administrative role at the NFL office. He was recently seen at the Senior, Shrine and American Bowls last month, serving as NFL liaison to the games. He has also worked hands-on with establishing underclassmen policies for the NFL Draft. In his new role with the SEC, Oben will help oversee operations, work directly with school staffs, represent and promote the SEC brand and handle other responsibilities. Last week, it was announced that long-time NFL executive Dawn Aponte would depart the league office to join John Harbaugh on his staff with the Giants as the Senior VP of Football Operations and Strategy–a role previously held by Kevin Abrams. No announcement has been made yet as to how the NFL will fill those voids. In other moves on the college front office level:

• Stanford promoted Albert Garcia to Director of Recruiting Strategy and High School Personnel. He was previously Assistant Director of Football Player Personnel.
• It was rumored to be happening as early as late December, but now it’s official: Deontrae Cooper is the new Director of College Personnel at UCLA. He comes over from Arizona State, where he was Director of Scouting.

We’ve added all the new hires to our College Scouting Changes grid.

Another bowl bites the dust: The NCAA college bowl season schedule will look a little lighter this year as a third game has announced its cancellation. The latest announcement came this week, as the game most recently known as the GameAbove Sports Bowl will be discontinued. Originally dubbed the Motor City Bowl in 1997, it was later renamed the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and then the Quick Lane Bowl. The event hosted by the city of Detroit ends its run after 29 years. It was previously announced that the LA Bowl and the Bahamas Bowl have also been cancelled. With an expanded 12-team college football playoff format and no guarantee top players will participate in non-CFP contests, it has become increasingly difficult for bowl games to fill their allocated slots.

Nine lives for King Solomon: Montana linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu tied a college football record for eligibility after he was granted a ninth season by the NCAA this week. The 26-year old will play his second season for the Grizzlies after starting his career at USC in 2018. Remarkably, Tuliaupupu did not actually see the field for the Trojans until 2022 due to an assortment of injuries. For more on this story, click here.

Recognition and remembrance for Ted: Late former CFL executive Ted Goveia will be the namesake for a new award the Canadian league will present for the first time in March. The Ted Goveia Football Operations Award is among the honors that will be handed out at the Coach of the Year Celebration in Edmonton next month. Goveia, a football lifer who was a constant during the January all-star cycle, passed away last year after a battle with cancer. Goveia helped win three Grey Cups in his time as an executive with Toronto, Winnipeg and Hamilton.

Catching Up: Jackie Slater, 71, helped coach the offensive line and also pitched in on the scouting side while reviewing offensive line prospects for the Raiders in 2006. We caught up with him last week.

• Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “I live in California and I’m doing a podcast with my old teammate and friend, Vince Ferragamo, and talking about the things that I’ve had the most passion about in my life, and that’s football. My wife said it’s the only thing I can talk about (laughs). It’s called On Point Live with Vince Ferragamo and Jackie Slater.” 
• Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “The extent of my involvement was looking at film on guys who played my position, and the thing that I made that so comfortable for me was that that was the aspect of my job for 20 years that I absolutely loved. I feel like I had some of the best offensive line coaches that ever came through the NFL in Dan Radakovich and Hudson Houck. When I (went) from from a guy who was athletic and try-hard to a guy who was trying to master the techniques being taught, when I made that transition, that’s when I became a real student of the game. There were certain techniques that would solve the Mark Gastineau problem, the Reggie White problem, the ‘Too Tall’ Jones problem, and every day in practice I worked at solving the Kevin Greene problem. If I was gonna play football, for my job, I had to be more than just big and strong and tough. I had to be a guy who controlled my body to negate these players.”
• Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “No, not really. . . The first time I was within 100 yards of (former Raiders player and head coach) Art Shell, I went out and introduced myself to him and shook his hand and told him I admired him. He was prototypically built to be an offensive lineman. He was big, he was in control, he was just the player I wanted to be. He didn’t run his mouth, just walked back and forth to the offensive line and bullied people all day long. I think the world of Art Shell, and he asked me to come and work with him and coach with him (in 2006). We would talk about technique and stuff, but I was not a coach. My strength, I think, was teaching technique, and helping people solve problems with the uniqueness of who they were built to be.” 
• Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “No, I don’t go to live games. Well, the only live games lately have been Rams games, since they’re local. I really enjoy what (Rams owner) Stan Kroenke has created for the fans. It’s really worth the trip to go to SoFi Stadium, and to see what he’s done with the team. It’s kinda fun to watch live. But I mostly like watching it on TV because when I see a guy get beat, I have access to run it back. I want to know why. I’m more concerned with what they do wrong than following the game sometimes. That’s the fun part to me. I look at the offensive line and see so many more things than the average guy when a guy is trying to pass block or run block.” 
• 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?: Well, the two teams I like to see do well in the NFC and in the AFC, I like to watch the Rams, the Patriots and the Raiders. Probably just because I had a past with them, and I’m always thinking, they should go get this guy, they need this or need that. Those are the teams I watch, just because I have some affiliation with them. Even though I didn’t have an affiliation with New England, my son, Matthew, played there, and I still believe (former Patriots head coach) Bill Belichick is the best to ever coach the 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.

We’re under way: Thursday night was the first of our monthly Zoom sessions with Ian Greengross covering key topics in advance of July’s agent exam. This month’s session covered calculation of cap numbers, agent fees when there’s a change in representation, and the June 1 rule. If you missed it, don’t worry. The video is still available for $50 plus tax. Our next session is Thursday, March 19, again at 9 p.m. EST. If you’re hoping to pass July’s exam, we hope you’ll join us. 

Next week: We’ll continue with the content while spending the week putting the finishing touches on plans for our seminar and symposium the last week of the month. Here’s what’s on the agenda.

• NFL and college teams are fine-tuning their front offices, respectively. We’re capturing all the moves in our NFL Scouting Changes and College Scouting Changes grids.
• We’ll talk to some of the people who’ll play key roles or be part of discussions at our events in Indianapolis in the Scouting the League Podcast.
• We’ll have a few last tips for people headed to Indianapolis, as well as a look at what’s ahead in the Succeed in Football blog.
• Need to know pro days, training locations or all-star games for the 319 players invited to work out at Lucas Oil Stadium later this month? Check out our Combine Grid.
• Need to know which players and what firms were involved in Agent Changes over the past 10+ years? Check out our Master Agent Changes grid, which was just updated this week with the December-to-January changes.
• Don’t forget to register for our symposium! Just $100 unless you work for a college or NFL team. Heading to our seminar? Just show up. No fee, no registration required.
• Our first instructional session for the 2026 NFL Agent Exam is available now for $50 plus tax. Order here.

It’s almost time for the biggest offseason gathering of the year. We hope you’ll be there, and you know we will be. Remember: the best way to be a part of things is by joining us.