March 21-27

On Wednesday, AFCA Executive Director Craig Bohl penned an open letter to Congress calling for an overhaul of the early 2000s SPARTA legislation designed to rein in NFL agents. He sought four reforms to the original regulations designed to protect student-athletes and make the player representation process more defined and standardized. You can read it here.

The tone of Bohl’s declaration was upbeat about new opportunities for players but painted agents with a broad brush. We have thoughts. 

First of all – let’s all relax. As our symposium in Indianapolis showed, there’s a cooperative relationship between team executives and player representatives these days, and everyone accepts each others’ roles in the process. But that doesn’t mean things can’t improve. 

We continued our conversation with people in the industry this week by exploring the idea of agencies providing more transparency regarding their client lists. Several days of texting with agents from 30-plus firms generally seen as leaders in the industry allowed us to make several observations. 

With no formal agreements to speak of, poaching is still rampant. One top-10 pick in 2025 switched NIL agencies multiple times his last year in college, per sources, and we’re always hearing that players never stop shopping for better representation. Bigger, sexier firms with multiple NFL skins on the wall obviously have an advantage over smaller, more boutique firms. In a world where most agreements are sealed on a handshake, and there’s no Standard Representation Agreement (SRA), poaching is almost inevitable.

Repping the top players for NIL is a tremendous head start on NFL representation. We’ve tried to catalogue players and their NIL agencies when possible, but have met with little success. However, based on what we’ve gathered – though many players “reopen their negotiations” when it’s time to choose an NFL firm – the overwhelming majority seek continuity.

Many firms are already quite transparent about their respective client lists. Go no farther than Instagram to find the NIL clients for firms such as Rosenhaus Sports, Equity Sports, Team IFA and others. Then there are firms like Jordan Sports Group that post their client lists on their respective websites. Other agencies (like CAA, in Penn State QB Drew Allar’s case) apparently have no problem when the player displays his NIL rep on social media. “I mean, I’m married,” said one agent whose agency is quite open about its clients. “If I have to point to a marriage certificate to keep my wife, I’m in big trouble.”

However, transparency is a clear non-starter for many firms. When one agent was asked how open he’d be to disclosing his client list, he promptly responded, “not open at all.” Another rep from a big firm said he’d defer to the lead NIL agent but admitted “I don’t think we’d want to do that.” Another comically offered that he “would rather you slept on the floor in my bedroom for a week next to my wife and me. That’s less private (than our NIL client list).”

These firms tend to deal less in sheer volume and more in star power. Among the firms who were prohibitive about their client lists, we observed that they were bigger, more established companies that often repped NFL first-rounders. Less-established firms tended to have more of a laissez-faire attitude about things, though that could be due to the realization that they’re mostly powerless if a player wants to leave.

There are some very good reasons agencies are wary of transparency. NIL deals and rates of pay are sometimes the elephant in the (locker) room, and making a big deal about who reps who can create sensitive situations, one agent said. “Some of our players from certain programs are actually slow to want it public,” he said, “largely due to their coaches and locker room tension.” Maybe you’d argue that they should get thicker skin, but the fact is egos can get bruised.

We are of the belief that more transparency regarding client lists would curb – not stop, but curb – tampering. As it is, GMs and college executives are left to piece it all together by use of media contacts and discussions with others in the industry. As the business becomes more formalized and the stakes get even higher, the time has come for more clarity. Of course, this will require some kind of enforcement . . . which doesn’t seem to be on the horizon.

Maybe it’s pointless to even speculate about how to make dealings more professional, but if we don’t keep it front of mind, there’s little to no chance things will improve. We’re not quite ready to give in to cynicism yet. Though maybe we should be. 

By the way, as we mentioned earlier, we recently posted a list of 30 agencies (actually, 31) who seemed to be the most . . . significant? . . . established? . . . best-recognized? . . . firms in the industry, based on a limited number of conversations with people in the industry (agents and personnel professionals). There’s been a bit of controversy related to who is and isn’t on the list, so we thought some perspective was needed. We tried to provide that in today’s post at Succeed in Football.

Now let’s turn it over to Ric Serritella of All Access Football for a look at this week’s big stories in college and pro football.

Fool’s gold?: How often do NFL free agents pan out? That’s the question posed by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, who gathered a decade of data to determine the outcome. The article looks back at the top 50 free agents (by average annual salary) compiled between the 2013-2022 offseasons, providing a 500-player sample size, in an attempt to find out just how many players performed up to expectations. Barnwell created a six-tier ranking system based on the following factors: How long were these players starting? If they had been a starter previously, did they live up to that level of play after accounting for aging curves (which are priced into the contracts)? If they were graduating from a rotational role into the starting lineup, did they then play at a starter level? And if they were being paid like a superstar at the top of their position's market, were they difference-makers? The results paint a grim picture. Just 12.4% of free agents exceeded expectations, while 3.6% of players signed during the offseason achieved Pro Bowl status and just 0.6% were deemed 'superstars.' Most of the time, free agent signings do not live up to billing, per the study. Nearly one-third of all players signed (30.2%) found their way into the ‘mildly disappointing’ category, while 25% of signings were dubbed ‘average’ and 9.4% labeled a ‘disaster.’ When broken down by position, safety was the only spot to receive a success rate above 50%, working out positively in 60% of overall signings. The least successful position was determined to be running back, where a mere 10% of free agent signings lived up to expectations. It also broke down the free agents by age, with younger players clearly panning out at a high rate. The age 24-27 bracket produced a 44.2% success rate, while ages 28-31 had a 39.4% success rate and free agents who were 31 years old or older, had a 39.6% success rate. The article also goes on to break down the 30 biggest free agent deals during that time. The data reinforces the widely held belief that the best way to construct an NFL team still remains via the NFL Draft.

Heinecke’s winding highway: From the Senior Bowl to the combine to pro day . . . to spring ball? That could be the path for Oklahoma’s Owen Heinecke. The Sooners linebacker, who’s represented by Range Sports, has been preparing for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft as he awaits his April 16 emergency hearing for a preliminary injunction to determine whether he will receive another year of eligibility. A two-sport athlete (lacrosse) during his time at Ohio State, Heinecke’s attorneys claim he was denied an opportunity to join the Buckeyes' football program in the fall 2021 semester due to reasons beyond his control (COVID-19 related disruptions), his recovery from a hip injury suffered in high school, and Ohio State’s decision not to hold football walk-on tryouts until the spring of 2022. The NCAA determined Heinecke was out of eligibility because he competed in three games with Ohio State's lacrosse program in 2021 prior to joining Oklahoma's football program as a walk-on in 2022. Heinecke played three seasons over his four years with the Sooners. His waiver request and appeal were denied by the NCAA earlier this year. "OU fully supports Owen and his pursuit of a fair opportunity to continue playing the game he loves," Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement. "We'll stand firmly beside him as he works to do just that." Heinecke is the third high-profile player to sue the NCAA over eligibility rules this year as Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss was awarded a sixth year of eligibility by the state court of Missouri, while Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar was denied his appeal last month. NFL teams must now wait until just days before the draft to determine whether Heinecke is in, or out, of the draft pool. "We're not giving up," Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy told reporters earlier this month. "Owen is just a guy you want to fight for."

League links for Stanford staffers: Stanford GM Andrew Luck and new head coach Tavita Pritchard have been busy re-aligning the Cardinal front office and coaching staffs this offseason, both with a heavy NFL tilt. Stanford is set to name Bobby Merritt as its new Director of College Personnel, as we reported March 16(USA Today caught up with things just this week). Merritt brings a wealth of experience, having previously worked in the Texans front office as well as serving in personnel roles at Tennessee and Texas and holding the GM title at Rice. He joins the Cardinal after a brief stint as GM at Nevada. Of course, Luck and Pritchard, who previously served three seasons as the Commanders QBs coach, are not strangers to the league. They’ve since landed several former pro coaches, including Director of Offense Terry Heffernan (previously with the Bills) Director of Defense Kris Richard (who’s coached with the Seahawks, Saints, Cowboys and Jaguars), while wide receivers coach Brian Bratton (Colts) and special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor (Jags, Titans, Bucs, Redskins) also bring coaching experience at the league level. After just 10 wins the last five seasons, Stanford continues its attempt to shift their fortunes. Can a pro level infrastructure get them headed in the right direction? Time will tell. By the way, Merritt wasn’t the only one on the move this week. Things slowed on the college side a bit this week, but that’s not to say nothing happened. Here’s a look at both college and pro moves in front offices this week.

• Matt Boockmeier, a former NFL, CFL and XFL scout, is taking over as the Director of Player Personnel/NFL Liaison at FCS St. Thomas in Minneapolis.
• Tyler Olker has taken over as Assistant GM at TCU after four-plus years as DPP in Fort Worth. In addition, Binuk Kodituwakku is (officially) the new GM at Duke and Chris Pettit, most recently the Giants’ college director, is the new Assistant GM at Michigan.
• Per the Jaguars website, John Stevenson has been promoted to Senior Personnel Executive. Also, Jeff Kopp, a former Jags player, has been added as a Personnel Specialist.
• We tweeted it earlier this week, but Nick Hart is a new Scouting Assistant in Arizona after nine months with BLESTO.

Catch up with all the moves in college here and in the pro game here.

Is Bird the word for the NCAA?: The Big Ten is currently discussing creating a new ‘Larry Bird’ exemption to help schools retain players. First implemented by the NBA, the ‘Larry Bird Rule’ states that teams can exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own veteran free agents, typically after three consecutive seasons with the team. Big Ten officials are hopeful that an agreement can be made in which schools would be permitted to exceed the $20.5M revenue share cap without penalty in order to retain their players. What’s not clear yet is whether that’s by a percentage of the existing cap or a flat rate. Either way, we’re apparently a long way from getting the other P4 conferences to buy in. The topic has not yet been broached by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, according to Sports Business Journal, while the ACC might be reluctant to agree to such terms as schools are already struggling to manage the $20.5M threshold. 

UFL kicks off: Tonight, spring league returns as Birmingham travels to Louisville to face one of the league’s new teams, the Kings. We think this is good, and that’s not all. Of course, there’s some bad associated with the new league, too. Let’s review: 

• GOOD: Football is back. Enough said.
• BAD: Mike Mitchell, who’s been perhaps the most reliable voice on spring football over the past six or seven years, is stepping away from league coverage. We hope all is well for Mike, a Friend of ITL, and we hope someone fills the void, at least until he returns.
• GOOD: Four-point field goals. The 60-plus yard field goal has become almost ubiquitous. This year, a team gets four points for these boomers. It’s just one of several innovations this year.
• BAD: Several capable personnel men – including Von Hutchins (former with DC), Paul Roell(Birmingham), Steve Kazor (Michigan), Marc Lillibridge (San Antonio) and Dave Boller (St. Louis) are no longer with the league as the UFL streamlined its personnel process. One has found a new opportuny; here’s hoping all of them do.
• GOOD: Another Friend of ITL, Doug Whaley, Senior VP of Player Personnel, is playing a more visible role with the league. Doug is this week’s guest on the Scouting the League Podcast. More on that later.

Make sure to tune in tonight at 8 p.m. EST on FOX, followed by Saturday at noon (DC at St. Louis, ESPN) and 4 p.m. (Houston at Dallas, FOX) and Sunday at 8 p.m. (Columbus at Orlando, ESPN).

Staying in to study?: It’s maybe not such a bad idea if you’re taking the NFLPA Exam this summer (which is now 115 days away). Just a reminder of what we have to offer if you’re just digging into things: 

• Our study guide, which is where we always recommend anyone starts. It’s $400 plus tax (works out to be about $433) for a 70-page PDF, and worth every penny.
• Our February and March Zoom session videos with Chicago-based agent Ian Greengross. Our first session ($50 plus tax) covers calculation of agent fees, calculation of cap numbers and the June 1 rule. The second session (also $50 plus tax) focuses on free agency, tenders, eligibility (accrued vs. credited), termination pay and split contracts. Our April session, which is about three weeks away, will center on Veteran Salary Benefit (VSB), a more detailed discussion of split contracts, workman’s comp offsets, signals, Player Performance Escalator (PPE) and practice squad salaries.
• Our practice exam ($150 plus tax for ITL clients, $200 plus tax for others) is out there, too, though we feel it’s better saved until after students have a good grasp on the material.

Need a more structured program with a slightly higher price point? We’ve got that, too. Just reach out and we’ll send you in the right direction. At the end of the day, there’s a reason why we’re the best. If you’re taking the test, give us a chance to prove it. You won’t be sorry. Just respond to this email if you have questions. 

Kicking things off: UFL Senior VP of Player Personnel Doug Whaley has been a busy man over the past month with camps under way in advance of the 2026 season, which starts tonight. Still, he wasn’t too busy to join us this week to chat up what’s ahead over the next 10 weeks (plus playoffs) in spring football. It’s not Doug’s first turn with the podcast, and as he did last time, he delivered with lots of interesting insights and note about the coming season. Here are a few highlights. 

• On the improved talent level this season (3:37): “One interesting aspect we found, because we just had our cuts on Thursday, that of 112 players we cut, 65 of them had NFL experience. So we believe we’ve improved the floor of our league.”
• On the league’s shift from recruiting old NFL talent to developing new NFL talent (6:10): “(UFL co-owner) Mike Repole’s like . . . ‘we’re gonna lean into a developmental league’ . . . Repole’s focus is, hey, after two or three years in this league, they’re either gonna make that jump, or realize it’s time to do something else with their life.”
• His message to members of the 2026 draft class (7:35): “We are open to 2026 draft-eligible players, guys that, like you’re saying, might not be getting that interest. Well, guess what? Here’s a better way to get yourself noticed by the NFL. Instead of chasing a pro day, and your school may not have one, and you’re just an add-on at another one, come play in a professional setting. One, you’re gonna get professional coaching. Two, you’re gonna go against professional players. And three, what better way is a scout gonna evaluate you that may not have had a chance from your college tape to see you in this type of setting?”
• On the turnaround time for players interested in entering the player pool, from filling out the interest form to official entry (9:27): “Probably less than 2-3 days. Our scout will evaluate him, They’ll kick him up to myself and some veteran scouts, and we’ll have them and we’ll put him on that hot list . . . we will make sure they’re denoted as 2026 draft-eligible players.”
• On how one rule change may affect end-of-game strategy (18:00): “I think there were six 60-yards-plus field goals in the NFL (last year), and our owner was like, ‘hey, let’s make this a very exciting play,’ especially if you’re thinking about end-of-half or end of the game. . . plus the thought process now that the coaches have, if you’re down by three, do you try that four-point field goal? . . . If you’re down by four, do you get in and try to score? There’s going to be that chart of two, three, and now you got to throw in four (points).”
• On opportunities for aspiring scouts in today’s game and how to pursue them (31:19): “When I came out, it was just the NFL and that was it, and the CFL. Now you have, like you said, college, the NFL, CFL, UFL and arena teams. So you have a lot more options. . . I would say, if you really want to do this job as a profession, it’s networking, but it’s also, while you’re networking, actually evaluating and starting to write reports.”

The UFL truly is a land of opportunity, and Doug is bullish on what’s ahead. Listen in to his enthusiastic words in this week’s podcast via audio anywhere and video here.

Catching Up: Billy Bonneau, 33, spent four years on the NFL level scouting with the Giants (one year) and Jets (three years). We caught up with him this week.

• Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “Director of Scouting for Kansas Football. I just finished up my fourth football season here. I live in Olathe, Kansas. Love it. It’s been great.” 

• Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “I think there’s definitely part of you, as a competitor and evaluator at the highest of levels, that I miss being in the NFL. I was fortunate to have the experiences I had which allowed me to really sharpen my skills as an evaluator and roster builder as there’s a lot more that goes into putting together a football team than most realize and that never stops at either the college or professional level as you’re always looking for ways to improve the roster to create more competition. Most people have no idea how much the back third of an NFL roster and practice squads change throughout the course of a season and that was an incredible learning experience for myself. Gamedays at Metlife were surreal to be a part of. You know, growing up as a kid, I would have never imagined I would be able to make this a career, so you pinch yourself sometimes when you’re a part of different game day atmosphere and get to call it work. To my core, I absolutely love playing a role in building competitive football teams, so I always really enjoyed the discussions we would have about players to see who fits our team the best during draft and free agent meetings. Or even at the 53-man roster cutdowns at the end of training camps and the draft weekends were always cool to be a part of. The travel aspect of the job was a lot of fun, too. Being able to go on the road to visit and scout college players and then travel to different cites for advance scouting assignments to help the team prepare for the upcoming opponent was very cool. As far as the college aspect, I love where I’m at and being at Kansas has been a great spot for me. It's been awesome being back with a lot of staff I have familiarity with under Coach (Lance) Leipold, who I've worked for now at both Buffalo and Kansas. The college game is ever-changing, and the relationship piece of it . . . it’s so black-and-white in the NFL at times. I definitely missed the relationship aspect that the college level allows you to build with recruits and their families, and see the guys you help bring in develop and grow into players who make an impact on Saturdays. I mean even in the portal, it still comes down to relationships and building trust. I was able to build a lot of good relationships and learned a lot during my time in the NFL that has really helped mold me into the person I am today. I think there’s a lot more similarities now with the college game becoming more and more like the NFL, so my experience has allowed me to bring more value to our staff here.”

• Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: Absolutely I try to as best I can, (Jets Pro Scout) Dom Esposito is a guy I was really close with. We worked closely for three years and I would say I probably keep in touch with him the most. (Jets College Scout) Andy Davis, I was really close with him. (Former Jets executive) Phil Savage, I still keep in touch with him, and (Jets College Scout) Drew Morris. (Raiders Assistant Director, College Scouting) Jon Stigall, (Bills National Scout) Alonzo Dotson, (Jets College Scout) Chris Nolan and (Jets Senior Personnel, Special Projects) Jon Carr. Relationships are important to maintain and it's always easier said than done as we all get busy. I was fortunate to work with and learn from a lot of good people -- it’s been cool to see some guys go different places and continue to climb in their careers. As the pro liaison here at KU, it has allowed me to really reconnect with a lot of people and grow my network meeting personnel from all 32 teams. I always enjoying catching up with guys I used to work with, so it's been fun seeing familiar faces come through Lawrence over the past few years."

• Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “In my role, I could (go to high school games), but they haven’t designated me as a guy who goes on the road. They do allow personnel staff members which is continuing to grow around the country. We can now have 16 staff members available to travel with 10 out on the road at once. Something we’re looking at more for the fall is having more personnel guys going out. I miss the live evaluations, going to games, going to practices and talking to different staff about the background of players, I’ll be ready whenever I’m able to go back out because of the experiences I was able to gain from the NFL. I don’t have the time to go to any NFL games during the season since Sunday’s a work day for us. We’re in the office early Sundays breaking down the upcoming opponents game from the day before for the advance scouting report. We present it to both sides of the ball so that ties up the first part of my Sunday, then I’m watching our game from the previous day and high school recruiting is non-stop, trying to catch up with what happened over the weekend and prepare for the next week.” 

• 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’d say it’s a little of everything. Naturally, you root for the Chiefs now because of our location. Everyone around here are Chiefs fans. We played four games there a couple years ago at Arrowhead, and I’ve been able to get to know a lot of the staff there, so I pull for them. I still keep in touch with a lot of people in both organizations I worked for, the Giants and the Jets, so I like following them, and knowing most about those organizations, and knowing the people inside both buildings, makes it easy. You’ll laugh, but my dad’s a diehard Vikings fan, so I was that kid who grew up rooting for a team in Minnesota while growing up in upstate New York (haha). So I keep tabs on them. Honestly, in this profession, you root for people, both staff and players, and when you have a relationship with them, you absolutely root for them to be successful. You get into this profession early on and you have such a small circle, and to see how it’s grown over time, that’s been the cool part.”

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: With pro days wrapping up, we’re almost into the long, mostly still wait until the draft. We’ve got a few things going, though. Here’s what’s ahead.

• Our Profile Reports kick off Tuesday. We’ll start with Air Force’s top 10 NFL prospects, regardless of class, as we always do, and run through all 135+ FBS programs until we get to Wyoming in September. Picking the best pro talent isn’t easy the summer before the season starts, but we’re not into doing what’s easy. 
• In our Rep Rumblings, we’ll continue to chronicle the changes in college and pro front offices as well as examining the trends we see in player representation trends, salaries, staffing/hiring, scouting and anything else related to the business of the game. 
• We’ll also keep our numerous boards and grids updated, including our College Scouting Changes, NFL Scouting Changes, NCAA Head Coaches and GMs, our NFL Combine Grid (if there are any terminations), College Coaching Changes Grid (because coaching changes take place year-round these days), Agent Changes or anything else. 
• The Scouting the League Podcast returns, as does the Succeed in Football blog. 
• Last week, we broke down the SRAs signed, agent by agent, for the March 1 SRA list. Which agents even signed a player? How many P4 clients did they sign? G5? Sub-FBS? It’s always interesting to see who’s swinging for the fences and who’s risk-averse. This week, we’ll do the same thing for the March 20 SRA report. Who’s not in the game? Who’s taking the biggest risks? Who’s hoping to beat the odds with long shot signees? You’ll know soon.
• If you’re a first-year agent, next month, we’ll have a former NFL GM who’ll tutor you on what to expect, especially if your client is more of a Day 3/UDFA proposition. Who is it? What will he cover? Our April Zoom is coming. Stay tuned. All ITL clients who are first-year agents are invited automatically, but all ITL clients are invited. 
• We have a study guide, a practice exam and two Zoom sessions (February and March) available if you’re ready to start bearing down for this summer’s agent exam. 

If you’re part of the business, or interested in the business, or hope to be a part of the business, we’re where you need to be. If you’re not already part of the ITL family, come on over.