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Feb. 14-20
Believe it or not, it’s here: the 2026 NFL Combine. What once was a fun time to meet up with friends and colleagues in Indianapolis has now become the most pivotal week of the year for us at Inside the League.
First things first. Let’s start with the basics.
2026 Ellison Kibler at Merrill Lynch ITL Seminar
- Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m sharp
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Indiana Convention Center, 100 South Capitol Avenue
- Rooms 205-206
- Seats are limited.
- Free to attend, no registration necessary.
The highlights: It’s our 17th year holding a free event for people in the game. This year, we’ll have more award winners than ever before, with all the usual ones (Best Draft Award, C.O. Brocato Memorial Award, BART List winners in three categories and more) plus a few more. For example, this year, in addition to honoring the top NFL pro scouting departments, we’ll also honor the top analytics departments. We’ve also split the Best Strength Coach and Best Pro Liaison awards into P4 and G5 categories. Best of all, most award winners will accept their honors in person. We’ve been restricted by space in the past, but for the first time, we’ve gone two rooms so no one gets shut out. We normally host 150-200 active NFL scouts, but this year, we expect to zoom past our previous attendance totals. As always, we’ll have a look at salaries for NFL directors of college scouting and national scouts as an added bonus. All of that and we’ll be done in under an hour. Gordon Whittaker of Ellison Kibler at Merrill Lynch will co-host with ITL’s Neil Stratton. We hope to see you there.
2026 Dropback ITL Symposium
- Friday, Feb. 27, 8:30 a.m. sharp
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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).
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Register here; we’ll bill you (if applicable) later.
The highlights: We’re there to network, of course, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some illuminating conversations, as well. We’ll have an hour of panelists, followed by a half-hour break for networking, then another hour of panelists. This year, we’ll have three NIL agents and three GMs on each panel. Confirmed GMs and college executives include Tyler Barnes, GM, Iowa; James Blanchard, GM, Texas Tech (back from 2025); Caleb Davis, GM, San Diego State; Rashad Elby, Director of Football Revenue Sharing Strategy, Virginia Tech; Billy High, GM, Tennessee; and Raj Murti, GM, Oklahoma State. On the agent side, we’ll welcome Shane Costa, Generation Sports Group; Chris Gittings, One West Sports; Miles Jordan, Jordan Sports Group; Luke McMurtrey, Range Sports; Philip “Red” Miller, PM3 Sports; and Will Scott, A&P Sports. We’ve worked hard to have viewpoints from people with backgrounds at the biggest P4 schools and smallest G5 schools; most established NIL agencies and smaller ones; NFL backgrounds as well as college ones; all four P4 conferences; and from all over the nation. We’re excited about having a robust conversation with some candid insights. Luke Bogus of Dropback will co-host with Stratton.
Now let’s cover some frequently asked questions.
So, are you guys having that big NIL networking thing again?: This is the question that drives us crazy, but you, gentle reader of the Wrap, have known the answer to this for weeks. Please help us spread the word.
I can’t make it. Is it being recorded?: No. We at Inside the League have a general policy of not pointing a camera or other recording device at speakers when we’re having honest, candid discussions. So, be there or miss out.
I registered, but don’t have confirmation or any proof of it. What do I do?: Wait. We ask for your contact info so we can confirm your attendance. It’s coming next week. We promise. Questions before that? nstratton@insidetheleague.com.
How many schools will be represented Friday?: As of this morning, we had 31 schools registered, with the overwhelming majority of them P4 schools. Most of the attendees have upper-level titles (GMs, DPPs, scouting and recruiting directors). However, we’ve gotten verbal commitments from even more schools, and we think we have a chance to double our total by Friday. By the way, we had 13 GMs last year. With a week to go, we already have 17 GMs or Assistant GMs registered.
Will the media attend?: Unlike last year, yes, selected media will attend, by popular request. However, like everyone else seated in the audience, those that are there will be nothing more than paying participants interested in the conversation. They’ve assured us they won’t report on what happens Friday morning. So there will be no hot takes, no out-of-context quotes, no social media controversies. Just honest conversation about the state of the game and where it’s going.
Will NFL scouts be there Friday?: Of course. Last year, 13 scouts and executives representing eight teams were represented. This year, already, 12 scouts are registered representing 10 teams, and we’ve still got a week to go.
Who else will be there?: Lots of people, including the men behind two of the top three all-star games, the East-West Shrine Bowl (Eric Galko) and American Bowl (Scott Phillips) and members of their respective staffs. We’ve also invited heads of search firms, consulting firms and wealth management firms in addition to agents and other “football people” of every stripe. If you’re there, we’re confident you’ll fit right in.
What questions will the panelists be asked?: We covered that in last week’s Wrap. We can’t promise that we’ll hold exactly to these 20, but at the least, this should give you an idea of the tenor of the conversation. Got ideas of your own? We’re all ears. Just respond to this email or reach us at nstratton@insidetheleague.com.
Why isn’t Friday free?: Because putting these things together takes money, and we have to defray costs any way we can. So if you’d like to join us, we ask you to pay . . . unless you’re part of an FBS personnel staff, in which case it’s on the house.
I’m going to be a little late. Will I miss anything?: Yes. Both Wednesday and Friday, we’ll start on schedule. In the football world, as much any, time is money. We’ve tried to build some margin into the agenda, but we’ll start on time and end on time.
I’m mainly there Friday just to network. Will I have plenty of time to do that?: Just like last year, we’ve built a half-hour “break” into the middle of our program. We’ve also got the room until midnight. So if you have to leave early, use that half-hour to catch the key people you need to talk to and set something up for later. Or, if you can stay, stick around afterwards for as long as you’d like. We’ll keep the coffee pots full.
Is there walkup registration?: Yes. But you’ll have to pay a little more ($125 v. $100) and there’s no agency fee – everyone must pay individually.
I registered but didn’t see a way to pay. What do I do now?: Wait for us to email you a pay link. We’re seeing a flurry of signups and we’re doing our best to keep up. We promise we’ll get it to you before Friday. Thank you for your patience.
We don’t have to register Wednesday. Why do we have to register for Friday?: We want Friday to be a fully assimilated crowd where everyone knows who’s there and what they do (generally speaking) in the game. Name tags help make that happen.
Still on the fence about coming to Indy? Not sure if it will be worth the cost, time-wise and financially? Does it feel too awkward? The better question is, what happens if you skip opportunities like this one? Can you afford to wait? If you’re still hedging, read this week’s blog at Succeed in Football. There’s still time to find a hotel and a flight. We urge you to get to Indiana.
Want even more thoughts and insights on the value of joining us for our symposium? Check out this week’s editions of the Scouting the League Podcast. Both co-hosts this year and one of last year’s panelists joined co-hosts Rodrik David and Stratton this week. Here are a few highlights.
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Rutgers Director of College Personnel Oren Wilson, who served on the symposium panel last year, on similarities between his head coach last year (Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi) and his head coach this year (Greg Schiano) (16:10): “They could be cousins . . . You know, defensive guys are literally crazy. I was a defensive player, so it’s like, you kinda want that. You kinda look for, like the rah-rah. You kinda want to get yelled at sometimes. It makes you feel like you’re doing something right when you’re getting yelled at (laughs). You know what I mean?”
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Wilson on the reality of the game in the portal era (20:33): “You’re recruiting in the portal, but it’s more, ‘here’s what we got for you. Do you like it or not?’ Unfortunately, that’s what it is. It’s not like high school, where it’s like, they still care about coming to the campus, seeing where my class is gonna be, my parents are involved. Now it’s like money, how do I fit, what’s my platform? It’s a huge difference.”
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ITL Seminar co-host Gordon Whittaker of Ellison Kibler Merrill Lynch on the impact of the Panthers’ playoff season on the city of Charlotte (4:14): “The city is different when sports are successful. . . we didn’t have football until the 1990s. . . Charlotte has grown so much. There are people from all over the country, and usually they bring their teams with them, so we don’t have the New York history. We don’t have the Boston history. . . but that playoff game, I have never seen a football stadium as alive as that stadium was . . . man, it was exciting.”
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Whittaker on returning as title sponsor of the ITL Seminar (10:41): “The opportunity to play a part in this, the opportunity to support (ITL), we’re very proud to have that opportunity. We jumped at the chance to continue the partnership.”
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ITL Symposium co-host Luke Bogus of Dropback on his first entrepreneurial venture, a coffee pickup service during Covid called Brim (4:47): “Didn’t work out, but I think it was a cool lesson in, like, cold-calling people and trying to understand their pain points. At the time, there was DoorDash, there was Uber (Eats), all these different solutions, but just because a space is crowded doesn’t mean that the problem is solved.”
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Bogus on the long-term plan and applications for Dropback (8:40): “Our goals are beyond football, but college sports, for sure. Basically, any sport that revenue-sharing is a part of, you need to make sound business decisions with the dollars that you, as the GM, are (allocating), whether that be volleyball or whether that be football. If you’re spending $10,000 or $10 million on your roster, you still need to have a great decision-making framework behind that.”
Get to know some of the people you’ll see Friday by checking out our podcast. Start here.
One more time: here’s the registration link for Friday. Once we’ve confirmed your status, we’ll bill you. No registration or cost for Wednesday. Hope to see you in the Hoosier State.
In the meantime, here’s a look at what happened this week in the business of college and pro football, courtesy of Ric Serritella of All Access Football.
Moving on up: If you’re a longtime scout wondering if you’ll ever be rewarded for your experience and years on the road, you had to be encouraged this week with the news that Shawn Heinlen was named Director of College Scouting with the Falcons. Consider: he’s been an Area Scout for almost 30 years with three teams (Bills, Eagles and Browns) plus the Senior Bowl. It was validation that years of unsung but determined work still gets rewarded sometimes. Meanwhile, Jared Kirksey was bumped up to Director of College Scouting from assistant director by the Panthers. It was a reward for a job well done in Carolina; Dan Morgan’sorganization is one of the finalists for the 2025 Best Draft Award this year. Winner will be announced Wednesday at our seminar. In other news:
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Jeff King was promoted to Assistant GM in Chicago.
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Per his LinkedIn, Jackson Block, formerly a Scouting Assistant with the Panthers, is no longer with the team.Arizona scout Stephen Wise is expected to go to Georgia Tech per this tweet.
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Per his LinkedIn, the Texans promoted Kevin Clark from Assistant Director of Football Analytics to Director.
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Will Redmond will, officially, be a college scout for the Packers, per this tweet. He was Auburn’s GM last season.
All the moves are in our Scouting Changes Grid.
Colleges, too: We were expecting things to slow down in February after a furious pre-portal hiring cycle, but we keep hearing of moves, either ones that took place earlier or more recently. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve heard and seen.
All the moves are in our College Scouting Changes Grid.
Running a reverse: Just three months after signing a contract extension to remain the Northern Illinois head coach through the 2029 season, Thomas Hammock has switched gears, leaving for the NFL. After seven seasons at his alma mater in DeKalb, Hammock is set to become the highest paid running back coach in the NFL for the Seahawks. Hammock, 44, originally interviewed for the offensive coordinator role, a job that eventually went to former Niners tight ends coach Brian Fleury. While Hammock had multiple NFL offers, he ultimately chose Seattle, due in part to the fact he worked with head coach Mike Macdonald in Baltimore. Some may recall Hammock’s signature victory over Notre Dame in 2024, but his viral response to a question about the transfer portal may be more telling on his decision to head to the Pacific Northwest. We’ve added Northern Illinois to the list of college teams who replaced, or who are replacing, their head coach in the College Coaching Changes Grid.
Fast track: Clint Trickett has become a hot commodity. After serving as the Jacksonville State offensive coordinator under Rich Rodriguez last season, the 34-year old Trickett agreed earlier this offseason to become the new QBs coach at Arkansas. However, Maryland had an opening after the recent announcement that Pep Hamilton would transition from offensive coordinator to an off-field role, and Trickett quickly emerged as their candidate. Prior to his time with Jax State, Trickett served as the offensive coordinator at Marshall in 2022-23. The son of former college coach Rick Trickett and brother of former Rams scout Chance Trickett(now a personnel staffer at West Virginia), he inherits sensational sophomore QB Malik Washington. Maryland head coach Mike Locksley has made several notable changes to his staff this offseason, all of which can be found here.
Hitting the books: We’re still a long way off from the 2026 NFLPA Exam for prospective new agents, but we continue to get questions about our offerings. Here’s a quick overview.
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Our study guide ($400 plus tax) is a 70-page PDF. If you get one thing from us in prep for the exam, make it that. We try to have it delivered to your inbox within an hour of purchase. We hear from test-takers who say they wouldn’t have passed without it.
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We have two 50-question practice exams, where you’ll see content that’s very similar to what you’ll see in July. They are $200 (Exam 1) and $100 (Exam 2) plus tax, and must be bought in sequence (we try to save you some money if you need extra work). Once they’re purchased, they can be taken and retaken.
- We have monthly sessions with Chicago-based agent Ian Greengross covering the content for the exam. Each session is $50 plus tax, and attendees get the video afterwards. These will continue through July.
- We also have an exam review the weekend before the exam. It’s a little more costly, but will cover questions from previous exams.
- We also work with a company (Stratic) that has a more rigorous exam prep program. Stratic offers a Slack channel, weekly quizzes and Zooms.
Got questions? Need more info? Email us at nstratton@insidetheleague.com.
Catching Up: David Cobb, 32, spent three years scouting with the Panthers and also interned with the Titans front office after a brief NFL playing career.
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Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “I’m here in Las Cruces and I’m the assistant head coach and GM at New Mexico State University. I’m coaching running backs and trying to win ballgames.”
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Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “I think the biggest thing I miss about it is . . . the professionalism. You’re with the best of the best, and you’re interacting with those guys, the camaraderie with the front office. Just trying to compete against the best in the world. Everybody can play ball at that level. So, just the level of play.”
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Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “Yeah, absolutely. A lot of them come through here, and it makes me feel like I’m still a part of it. That’s been awesome, all the guys with different teams, getting to see them once a year.”
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Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “I don’t get to a lot of pro games anymore. High school games, yes and no. Sometimes when I’m out on the road recruiting. But I don’t really go to that many pro or high school games as much as I thought I would.”
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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 grew up a big Eddie George fan with the Titans, and they were the team that drafted me (5/138, 2015), but after playing in the league, I don’t root for anybody. As a coach, I watch it more from a schematic point. Now, as a former running back, I like watching the Lions and Jahmyr Gibbs, and when the Falcons are on, I like watching Bijan Robinson. Then some of my guys are still playing, like, (Indianapolis’) Ameer Abdullah. He’s still kicking it, and I will watch him, and (Washington’s)Marcus Mariota was my quarterback, so when he’s spinning it, I root for him. But I more so root for my peers and buddies.”
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: It’s going to be a busy seven days. But even if you don’t make it to Indianapolis, we’ll have plenty of content for you. Here’s a look at what’s ahead.
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The Scouting the League Podcast rolls on. Next week, we’ll have Texas Tech GM James Blanchard, a panelist in 2025 who returns this year, as well as a live stream from podcast co-hosts Rodrik David and Stratton.
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We’ll have another edition of the Succeed in Football blog this week, as well.
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We are due for an Agent Changes report as well as an Agents by Total Clients list. We hope to have them both next week.
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There are still more blanks than we’d like in our Combine Grid. We’ll get to work.
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It wouldn’t be a week in February without news of scouting moves, either on the college side or on the NFL side. We’ll keep an ear to the ground.
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Speaking of changes, we have a new vacancy on the college head coaching front. We’ll update the College Coaching Changes Grid with all the latest scoop.
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There’s plenty going on that doesn’t fit into a grid or board; we’ll cover all of it in our Rep Rumblings.
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Maybe you’re not heading to Indianapolis because it’s a study weekend for you in advance of the agent exam. Need any help? Here’s what we offer.
OK, we think we’ve covered everything. Here’s that registration link one last time if you are thinking of joining us Friday.
It’s going to be a great week. We hope to see you out there. If you can’t make it, and want to keep up with what’s going on, here’s a great way.
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