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June 13-19
Thirty-one days. As of today, that’s how long until the 2026 NFLPA Exam for aspiring contract advisors. If you’ve dreamed of one day representing NFL players, one month is all that’s left to prepare. That should get you focused.
On the other hand, it might also get you worried. Four weeks and change is not a lot of time to learn the basics of how the NFL manages player salaries, eligibility, marketing, regulation of agents, the vast benefits structure, and everything else that might be testable. Lucky for you, we’ve devoted today’s Wrap to soliciting advice from several successful first-year agents who were in your shoes last year. We asked them, with one month to go until the exam, what advice would you give this year’s test-takers?
Here’s what they told us.
DON’T PANIC – IT CAN BE DONE
“I found (Inside the League) and kicked off my studying process very late in the game, inside of 30 days, candidly, so it can be done. I’ll acknowledge, though, a wealth management day job made the benefits section very easy for me, which is a lot of the exam, and may be more foreign to other backgrounds. What worked for me was watching back each zoom session, taking handwritten notes through out, and then taking a practice exam. Rinsed and repeated that full process three times. Each run I’d catch something to make my own notes better/more efficient and get the core concepts down. From there, it was just continual practice questions and refining the best personalized guide for me to go in confident.” – Graham Bailey, 755 Sports Management
PUT IN THE TIME
“First, take more time to study over these remaining days than you think you need. Go back through Neil’s classes and figure out which subjects seem more foreign to you. Work through those issues with Neil’s resources and the specific chapter in the CBA, and if that still seems foreign, ask for clarity. Don’t waste your time trying to go over it by yourself endlessly. Work through it a couple times, then ask others and move on to the next issue. Try to understand way more concepts in your head than where they are in the material. The test moves fast and flipping through more pages will only slow you down.” – Conor Chawke, Rosenhaus Sports
“Time will fly by. Getting into a habit of spending at least two hours a day at the local library or office by yourself is key right about now. Also, give yourself a mental break on the weekend or in the middle of the week. But commit to a structure of consistency. I would utilize the ITL practice exams, make note cards, and create your own study guide. I re-wrote my own version of every section of ITL’s study guide in a separate notebook. Twice. Writing crystallizes your thinking. So write, write, write. Get as many reps in as possible, even if you think you know it.” – Winston Venable, Venable Sports Group
DON’T GO CHEAP
“If you’re serious about this test, and the business, you have to get comfortable pretty quickly with the financial investment that comes with it. For me, spending money on the right materials, and actually using them, ended up being an investment with a great personal return. If you’ve been putting in the work up to this point, you should feel prepared. If you’re just getting started, it can definitely feel overwhelming, but the resources are there to help ease some of that pressure and give you a real path forward.” – Alexis Costa, Athlete Partner
GET ORGANIZED
“I think the best advice I can give to anyone taking the exam is to have the most elite table of contents you can for your binder. It is impossible to know everything, and being able to find what you need to get to the bottom of something will save people crucial time. My suggestion is to have a table of contents for each topic alphabetically. It is okay to have your material contained in the order you learned it, which is likely not alphabetical. However, if you know a question is on PPE, it is much easier to think that ‘Proven Performance Escalator’ starts with ‘P,’ and find out on your table of contents it is on page 5 of your binder than to read through each topic as you have it listed on pages 1-50. You could read through 36 topics until you find out PPE is on page 37 if that’s the way your binder is set up. Now you’ve wasted time reading your contents by topic when you could have found your topic’s page in your binder much faster by just going straight to letter ‘P’ as soon as you diagnosed the question.” – Travis Malinowski, Aviator Sports
“I took (Inside the League’s) materials, especially the ‘cheat sheets’ and ‘charts,’ and copied and Scotch-taped them into the specific CBA sections so I had ONE BINDER to use during the exam. . . (Inside the League) and (Shane Costa of Stratic Exam Prep) got me through the darn test.” – Joe Ciucci, Duane Morris LLP
“What helped me the absolute most was the organization of my binder and folders that I brought to the test. My binder included the CBA and all of the other test materials that were provided by the NFLPA. I had each section tabbed out with labels. I brought three folders: (1) ITL Practice Exams; (2) ITL Study Guide; (3) Other Practice Exams. The practice exams were huge! . . . I made a Table of Contents for the practice exam questions that I combined all into one doc. I went through each question and labeled them with key words for the Table of Contents so, for example, when I would get a question about Salary Cap, I knew exactly where to find the salary cap practice questions within seconds. This was huge and allowed me to fly through about 70% of the exam and spend more time on the more complex questions. Doing this and knowing exactly where to find each topic within the CBA and NFLPA documents were my two biggest assets.” – Brian Cooey, Kool Vibe Sports
“A huge thing is staying organized. With only a month left, I’d make notes on every topic that could possibly be tested instead of constantly flipping through materials. I’d also make sure your CBA is tabbed well. Being able to quickly find sections during the exam can save a ton of time and reduce panic when you hit a tough question.” – Will Scott, A&P Sports
KNOW WHERE, NOT WHAT
“Looking back, my biggest piece of advice would be not to get caught up trying to know everything. There is just too much material. For me, the key was being as organized as I’ve probably ever been in my life. I spent a lot of time making sure I knew exactly where things were in my guides, notes, and reference materials. The goal wasn’t to memorize every answer. It was to know where to find the answer quickly when I needed it. Practice tests were huge. Not only because of the content, but because they helped me understand how questions were being asked and where my weak spots were. I saw many practice questions I studied similar to the ones on the test. The best advice I got before the exam was to flag questions and keep moving. Don’t burn 10 minutes chasing one answer. There were multiple times where a question later in the test either triggered my memory or helped me find the answer to something I had flagged earlier. Keep moving, build momentum, and come back to the tough ones. If I had 31 days left, I’d focus on being organized, taking practice tests, and learning how to navigate the material instead of trying to memorize every page.” – Blaise Rosati, NXT ERA
“The best piece of advice I could give is that the test isn’t as much about what you know as it is about how to quickly and efficiently get the answers. It is time pressured so what I found most helpful was being familiar with my materials. Be organized and don’t just blindly walk into the test thinking because it is open book, it is easy.” – Abe Kuhl, Kuhl Sports
WRITE IT DOWN
“During the NFLPA presentations, I followed along and created my own notes and outline instead of just passively listening. Writing everything out helped reinforce the concepts, and it was much easier to use an outline that was in my own words during the test. My advice is to focus on active learning: practice questions, outlining key concepts in your own words, rather than trying to reread every page of material. That’s what made the biggest difference for me.” – JJ Winn, First Winn Sports & Entertainment
FOCUS ON THE STUDY GUIDE
“The best advice I have would be the exam is straight forward, memorize the info on the study guide, work through the practice tests a whole bunch, and you will be fine.” – Matt Baldeck (independent)
VIDEOS ARE KEY
“Join every study session Neil offers, take (ITL exam instructor) Ian (Greengross) up on a private lesson, and ask as many questions as possible. Get immersed in the business. There are good articles and videos online of real-life examples and scenarios of what you’re studying, whether it’s free agency transactions, guys that have been penalized for drugs, or when rookies report to camp versus vets. There’s stuff out there that serves as great examples and provides a deeper understanding.” -- Venable
TAKE THE PRACTICE TESTS
“I think for me in the last month, I focused my time on watching and/or rewatching Ian’s videos, reviewing the study guide, and taking every practice test I could find. I did not spend much time, if any, reviewing the CBA. The practice tests to me are the most important tool.” – Lane Macaluso, Macaluso Law
“I would advise those preparing for the NFLPA Agent Exam who are a month out and short on time to obtain (the new ITL exam application), as I found (ITL’s practice exams) to be integral to my success on the test . . . I found it very helpful when reviewing ITL’s test preps to mix up the questions and interchange them to make certain that I wasn't memorizing the answers based on their order, but rather the topics they addressed . . . Additionally, I would organize my test materials in a manner that is conducive to retrieving information and saving valuable time during the test.” – James Tortorelli, Reliant Athletic Management
DON’T RELY ON THE PRE-EXAM SEMINAR
“The best thing I got out of the (NFLPA) seminar (the week before the exam) is that every once in a while someone would ask a question and a PA member would say, ‘that’s not going to be on the exam.’ Make note of those! Other than that, the seminar was frustrating, long, and not that helpful . . . in my opinion.” – Venable
And finally, once the exam begins, remember . . . .
STAY ON PACE
“The objective should be if you don’t know the answer for sure off of the top of your head, you know exactly where to find it and quickly. If you’re taking too much time with one question, move on. You can always go back at the end if you have time. Knock out everything you can first and then come back to it. I was fortunate enough to have about 15-20 mins at the very end, so I even went back and just did a quick double-check on all of my answers.” – Evan Pobuta, Vienna Sports LLC
“When taking the test, answer the questions you know readily, and skip/flag anything that takes too much time. You can then feel confident that you answered all of the ‘easy’ ones and then go back over the harder questions and take your time with a better understanding of what remains. You don't want to get stuck on a question and miss answering the last 10 at all.” – Gabriel Opatken, 8180 Sports
READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY
“Attention to detail - read each question carefully. Many of the questions have several rules baked into them. (Also), work backwards - read the answers first so you know which issues the question is trying to test.” – Robert Miller, National Sports Agency
Remember, whatever you need, we have it.
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Locate our brand new practice exam application, which gets you an unlimited number of practice exams for $250 plus tax, here.
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To order our study guide (operators are standing by), for $400 plus tax, click here.
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You can purchase all five of our Zoom videos (February, March, April, May and June), for $50 plus tax each, here.
Now let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories this week on the college and pro level, courtesy of Ric Serritella of All Access Football.
Kings crowned UFL Champs: The Louisville Kings, a first-year franchise led by head coach Chris Redman, won the United Bowl, defeating the DC Defenders 27-20 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The back-and-forth affair featured numerous lead changes as the Kings stormed back to score 14 points in the final quarter. Louisville OH Ian Wheeler earned game MVP honors, rushing 10 times for 81 yards, including a momentum-changing 44-yard TD scamper. Kings FS Keaton Ellis recorded six tackles and a sack, and caused a critical fumble with his 'peanut punch' on Defenders OH Xazavian Valladay, who despite the turnover finished with 111 rushing yards. The UFL has done a tremendous job placing special teams standouts into the NFL over the past several seasons, and the championship game showcased two kickers likely to be playing on Sundays. Special Teams Player of the Year Tanner Brown connected on both of his field goal attempts, including a 57-yarder, while Defenders PK Matt McCrane nailed a 60-yard field goal. The United Bowl sold out, drawing 20,000 attendees, while ABC registered 985,000 television viewers—a slight uptick from the 983,000 who tuned in for the 2025 championship (in 2024, the UFL saw 1.596 million viewers for its final game). Before the United Bowl, it was announced that Orlando Storm quarterback Jack Plummer was named UFL MVP for the 2026 season. As of today's post, 23 UFL players have signed with NFL teams. More on the league, and the path forward, later in the Wrap.
CFL heats up: Looking to quench your football thirst this weekend? The CFL enters Week 3 with a triple-header on Saturday. At 1 p.m. EDT, Ottawa (0-1) hosts Toronto (0-1), followed by Montreal (2-0) visiting Edmonton (1-0) at 4 p.m. and Saskatchewan (1-0) at Calgary to conclude the action at 7 p.m. Tonight, Hamilton (1-1) hosts BC (0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Last week, four quarterbacks surpassed the 400-yard passing mark, the first time that has occurred in the CFL since Week 6 of the 1995 season. Among the standouts crossing the 400 standard were Toronto’s Chad Kelly (445), Montreal’s Davis Alexander (441), Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros (421) and Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris (417). All CFL games can be watched for free on CFL+.
Sorsby to Supp: The latest twist in the case of Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby occurred this past week when he announced that he would declare for the NFL Supplemental Draft. The league still needs to approve Sorsby's application for there to be a special selection meeting, which would take place sometime in July. As PFT noted, a precedent may have been set in this matter by UFL quarterback Hunter Dekkers, who lost his NCAA eligibility due to gambling but who signed with the Saints before last season. That suggests the league office won't hand down any punishment on Sorsby. The timeline for Sorsby is as follows: Friday, it was announced that Sorsby dropped his lawsuit, officially ending his NCAA career. With the deadline for players to declare for the supplemental draft June 22, Sorsby will have a window to conduct a pro day or hold private workouts between July 5-12, with the draft to follow later that month. The NFL hasn't had a supplemental draft since 2023, and no one has been selected in one since 2019, when the Cardinals picked safety Jalen Thompson in the fifth round. The last QB to enter the supplemental draft was Terrelle Pryor, who was a third-round pick in 2011 by the Raiders. In the interim, NFL teams will be busy gathering more background information for their assessment of Sorsby, who is expected to fetch a mid- to late-round draft selection.
CFB roundup: Get to know Miami executive director Dennis Smith, who oversees player acquisition and retention while working closely with Mario Cristobal and the coaching staff, in this profile . . . Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has implemented a new policy requiring all players to receive identical NIL compensation. In other NIL news, the NIL Standard compiled a useful chart detailing positional earnings and their relation to the NFL . . . The 30th edition of the Manning Passing Academy has been announced and it features nearly two dozen of the top signal-callers in college football . . . Meanwhile, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian stated that he wouldn't be surprised if Arch Manning bypassed the 2027 NFL draft and stayed in college for a fifth year.
A busy week in scouting: This week, with mini-camps wrapping up and scouts and executives packing their bags for some time off, there were dozens of front office moves and, frankly, we didn’t get to spend the time on them (in our Rep Rumblings and on Twitter) that we felt was deserved. So, let’s take a look in greater depth at what happened in Minnesota, Seattle and Washington.
Talent travels east: Good on Seahawks GM John Schneider for developing so many accomplished scouts and executives. Of course, the hard part is accepting that they’ll get new opportunities, and that’s what we’ve seen in Minnesota as Nolan Teasley takes over at GM. Among other new faces in Vikings purple is new Assistant GM Trent Kirchner, winner of a BART List Award in our first-ever year giving out the honor (2022). Props also go out to new Assistant Director of Pro Scouting Azzaam Kapadia, who’s enjoyed a fast rise in the game since arriving in Seattle in 2023. Also this week, we learned Teasley would have a former GM to help out in Ryan Pace, who comes over from Atlanta after serving in the top chair with the Bears from 2015-21, as well as Andrew Healy, who brings his analytics acumen over from Cleveland.
Opportunity knocks in Seattle: Though the losses of Teasley, Kirchner and Kapadia will be felt in Seattle, Schneider promoted several capable staffers to take their respective places. Seattle is unique in that so many of the team’s scouts and executives have been recognized by their peers with BART List Awards, and some of them received promotions this week. Matt Berry, who has won BART List recognition in the executive category the last two years, became Assistant GM this week, while Aaron Hineline, who (like Kirchner) won in 2022, got bumped up from college director to Director of Player Personnel. Then there’s Willie Schneider, who led the Seahawks pro department to recognition as one of the top three in the league for the 2025 season; he accepted the honor, along with his staff, at this year’s ITL Seminar in February. Like Berry, Schneider will be a new Assistant GM with the team. In true Seahawks fashion, the team filled its vacancies from within, moving up Jason Barnes (the new Director of College Scouting) and Armani Perez (new Director of Pro Personnel). It will be interesting to see the Schneider “tree” continue to grow branches and bear fruit.
Turning the page in Washington: As we’ve discussed for months in our Rep Rumblings, changes were coming to the Commanders in the form of retirement, and this week it became official as two true soldiers of the profession, Chuck Cook and Paul Skansi, called it a career. For Cook, who won the C.O. Brocato Memorial Award for Lifetime Service to NFL Scouting in February, it’s the end of a long career that followed that of his own father, Hamp, another scouting legend. Chuck’s path began in 1984 with the Chiefs before making stops with the Dolphins and Bills before coming to Washington. He’ll be missed particularly in schools across the Southeast, where he had become a regular visitor. Meanwhile, though Skansi didn’t have the roots in scouting of Cook, he developed them over 25 seasons on the road. He started off with the Chargers, spending 16 years on the West Coast, before switching to the then-‘Skins in 2017. Skansi’s career as an evaluator followed a nine-year playing career as a receiver in the league, mainly with the Seahawks. He finished with 166 catches for 1,950 yards and 10 TDs. "Chuck and Paul are two of the best scouts I've had the pleasure of working with in my entire career," GM Adam Peters said in a team release this week. But not just great scouts -- great men, too. Coaches, scouts and administrators across the country will surely miss both of them this fall.
Among other moves on staffs across the league:
With regard to entry-level additions to scouting staffs, we’ve seen 24 hires at Scouting Assistant or Scouting/Personnel Assistant, while 19 Scouting Assistants were promoted to College/Area Scout, Pro Scout or an analytics post. Also, the jobs of four Scouting Assistants were vacated either voluntarily or involuntarily. A couple other observations:
- The toughest job to keep this offseason has been Pro Scout, with seven no longer holding the position. As we discussed in last week’s Wrap, one reason could be that analytics staffers are filling the jobs formerly done by pro staffers.
- We’ve seen minimal attrition at Area Scout this offseason. Counting Skansi and Cook, who both retired voluntarily, just four will not return next season. That may be the least amount of turnover we’ve seen since we started tracking offseason movement. A typical year is 6-8 scouts losing their positions each offseason.
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Though it’s not a pro move, Oklahoma GM Jim Nagy got a lucrative extension, cementing the role of the front office on the major college landscape.
Keep up with all the moves so far this offseason in our Scouting Changes Grid.
From the bottom to the top: Taylor Morton didn’t get to take shortcuts on the way to helping the Rams win division titles and even a Super Bowl. The Senior Personnel Executive & Deputy Chief of College Scouting Staff took the long road, winding through several stops before ending in Los Angeles, and that’s what made the hour he spent with Rodrik David and Neil Stratton on this week’s edition of the Scouting the League Podcast so entertaining. Among the highlights:
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On his first “official” job in major college football at Auburn (5:09): “I thought I was gonna be a (grad assistant). I got there, and they said, ‘well, we don’t have an official graduate assistant position, but you can live in the dorm and we’ll give you meals.’ And there was no salary involved . . . But that’s where I met Les, Les Snead, our general manager, and it was me, Les, (Chargers GM) Joe Hortiz and (Texas defensive coordinator) Will Muschamp, and a couple other guys . . . me, Joe, Will and Les lived in the dorm, and looking back, it was a lot of fun.”
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On coaching in the junior college ranks at Pearl River (Miss.) Community College (10:11): “I was the running back coach, and the video coordinator, and I helped in the equipment room when I needed to, and recruiting, you did it all year-round. We’d get in this little white minivan and drive around the country and try to find players. We’d actually put them in the van and drive them back to school, and then try to figure out how we could get them in school. Back then, and I think it’s still the case, it was a 55-man roster, and you only had ‘em three semesters usually, and you only got eight out-of-state players. Those eight out-of-state players, they were like your draft picks. You couldn’t miss on those out-of-staters. The junior college model is really more similar to the NFL in terms of roster management, evaluations – we were always bringing in guys, working them out – and so forth.”
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On Hortiz’s start, and subsequent rise, at Auburn (14:18): “I hadn’t been there all that long, and (assistant coach) Tommy Bowden called me down to his office, and said, ‘there’s this kid that just walked in off the street, that wants to help out. So go down there and meet him, take him to the GA room. If he can help you guys, let him stay. If not, just tell him to hit the road.’ Well, I go down there. This kid’s name is Joe Hortiz, he’s got a double-strapped book bag on, full of books. Nineteen years old. Had a baseball background. Really hadn’t done anything in football. And I was like, ‘oh geez, come with me,’ and took him back to the GA office. I was in charge of the summer camps, and back then, before the Internet, you would get all these mail-ins, these brochures for the camp, and you had to organize them. So I had this stack full of camp brochures on my desk that these kids had filled out and mailed in. One of the coaches said, ‘you need to figure out how to put it in the computer.’ Well, we had one computer in the GA office and nobody knew how to turn it on. And so we brought Joe Hortiz back there, and I said, ‘hey, do you know anything about computers?’ Next thing I know, he sits down and starts typing in all these brochures. . . Joe broke into the football business because of his computer skills . . . the next year, I turn on the TV, and they show the press box during the game, and Joe’s up there, with a headset on, like he’s calling plays. I’m like, he went from double-strapped book bag to he’s in the press box in an SEC football game.”
If you love football stories from someone who’s reached the top but hasn’t forgotten his past, Taylor’s hour is required listening. Find it on audio anywhere you find podcasts and on video here.
Looking for good players?: Whether you’re a scout or an agent, the hunt for talent never ends. These days, however, it’s a little different. The better players in each draft class have an established agency relationship, so, for contract advisors, the job is sifting through the 400-500 players who’ll make up Day 3 and undrafted free agency in an attempt to find players who will ascend, maybe, into Days 1 and 2. We know that, so we commissioned former Titans scouting executive Blake Beddingfield to put together three reports – focusing on the offensive line, defensive line, and across all positions – in which he spotlights players who enter the 2026 season on the fringe, but who might move into more central places in the eyes of evaluators. It’s our second year doing it, and maybe not the last time we do it this year. If you need leads on where to look for talented (but not high-profile) players in the coming draft class, look no further than this week’s reports.
Notes for networkers: As Ric noted earlier in the briefs, Manning Passing Academy has published its list of attendees among college quarterbacks. The Academy comes to Southern Louisiana next week, and features such big names as Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss, Arizona’s Noah Fifita, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, USC’s Jayden Maiava, Oklahoma’s John Mateer, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, Texas’ Arch Manning and many more. Impressive. However, maybe you’re looking to make connections, but can’t make it to Thibodaux, La., next weekend. If not, there are other opportunities out there. We discuss them (in Birmingham, Ala.; Dallas; and Nashville) in this week’s post at Succeed in Football. If you’re looking to meet more people who could be part of your football journey, make sure to check it out.
Whither spring football?: In case you missed it, the UFL wrapped up its season with an exciting championship game as the first-year Louisville Kings defeated the defending champion DC Defenders 27-20. It was not just a game comeback – the Defenders held a 16-7 halftime lead – but a season comeback as the Kings opened the season 0-3 after losses to Birmingham and Orlando twice, with two of the three defeats coming at home. It was an especially impressive effort from head coach Chris Redman, who was not just in his first year as a UFL head coach but his first year as a head coach anywhere. The former NFL QB led his Kings to four straight wins to complete the season and a three-game sweep of the 2025 UFL champs. But what do the numbers say?
The news is good and bad, per this story on ESPN. Attendance was down slightly, despite the league’s move to smaller, typically soccer stadiums, which officials had hoped would spur more fans. On the other hand, ratings were up (8 percent for Disney network broadcasts, 5 percent for Fox) and some of the innovations were proven winners, including the restriction from punting inside the 50 and the four-point field goal for kicks from 60-plus yards. All of this took place despite headwinds, including never-ending expansion of NFL draft coverage as well as fascination with college football’s transfer portal.
Of course, whether UFL co-owner Mike Repole and league officials want to admit it or not, the biggest lifeline of them call would be an official relationship with the NFL. But is that coming? Not anytime soon, it appears. Though several teams acted quickly to sign some of the UFL’s starts – James Larsen’s Twitter account is a great place to go to follow all the players getting NFL shots – the fact is that the overwhelming majority of signees are skills players. For example, the Lions signed two Kings receivers as well as a Houston Gamblers receiver and a Columbus receiver; the Falcons signed yet another Columbus receiver; the Bills signed Louisville’s top running back; and the Eagles signed a Dallas cornerback among several defensive backs getting looks. Unfortunately, that’s not what the NFL is looking to develop. Until the UFL can show that it’s developing young, talented offensive and defensive linemen, there’s no compelling reason for the NFL to take a stake as a farm system when college football is advancing at a supersonic pace.
“The hardest thing for that type of league is OL and QB play,” said one pro director we texted with this week. “There aren’t enough OL at our level, so they struggle to find guys who can pass protect long enough to give the QBs a chance.”
As we’ve discussed previously on Twitter, the NFL’s move to expand practice squads was almost a kiss of death for the UFL. “The biggest issue is the best UFL players are the older guys, so NFL teams have already had them or don’t want a 28-year-old,” said another NFL pro director. “The NFL would never do it, but if they went back to 10- or even 12-man practice squads, the UFL would immediately get 100 players worth evaluating . . . at the level of, or better than, the top tier of the UFL.”
If there’s a focus of development for the NFL these days, it’s overseas. The International Player Pathway program feeds the league twice, both by bringing in interesting talent in the later rounds and, hopefully, by sparking interest in foreign markets. Until the UFL can show that it can fill a key niche, the upstart league will have to go it on its own.
We’ll keep watching and rooting even as there’s an uphill climb for Repole and Co. At the same time, we wish the best to everyone associated with the UFL and congratulate the executives, coaches and players on an exciting 2026 season.
Catching Up: This week, we recall our conversation with Bob Beers from 2020. Beers spent 20 years in scouting with the Texans, Lions and Broncos, along with 47 years in the game.
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Where are you now?: "We retired in Butte, Mont., where I started my first job as a college coach at Montana Tech and got my first head football coaching job at Butte Central High School. I spend time fishing the rivers in Western Montana and some in Canada trying to fool the trout, fly fishing and tying flies. I also spend time getting worse at golf. Some people play to get better, and I play for the same reason, but seem to get worse."
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Do you miss the game?: "We probably have moments where we miss the job and the people associated with the work, i.e., the college coaches and scouts from the various organizations in the league. I miss the people I worked with and the everyday grind of the job and having a schedule to work with. It's hard getting used to not having to get on a plane or driving to get to the next destination. I have learned to adapt, however."
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Do you ever talk to old friends in the game?: "I do stay in touch with some of the scouts that are retired and some that are still active and in the league. It's fun to talk to the guys that are retired and listen to them go through the same thing I assume that we all go through when the fast pace finally comes to an abrupt stop, and you ask, 'What now?' I always like what I heard (former Florida State head coach) Bobby Bowden say when he retired: 'The next big event is the one I'm not looking forward to.'”
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What do you do to follow the game these days?: "I will go to some of the local Butte and Butte Central High School games, and attend home games at the University of Montana and Montana State on Saturday afternoons. In Montana, we do not have a pro team closer than Seattle and Denver, and we pick them up on the local TV networks. I follow the teams I worked with and root for the coaches I have a relationship with and talk with at times. I still have the NFL package on my TV and will scroll through the games and follow the NFL weekly."
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Do you keep up with the players and coaches you scouted and worked with?: "I still follow some of the players. Some of the players I coached are now coaching, and love to watch their games. (Then-Ducks head coach) Mario Cristobal is doing a great job at Oregon and I follow his team and some of the others. (Then-Beavers head coach) Jonathan Smith is doing a great job at Oregon State. I also like to watch and keep track of the former coaches I worked with and watch them whenever I get the chance."
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: We’ll be on the road next weekend, but before we go, there’s a lot to get done. Here’s what’s ahead.
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It’s that time of the month to review the changes in representation across the league as well as counting the number of NFL agents with at least 10 active clients. We’ll have both reports next week.
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These days, our Rep Rumblings have been chock-full of notes on who’s repping whom in the NIL space, as well as our usual rundown of the scouting news and buzz we don’t include on our Twitter feed. Check out our reports for all of it.
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The Scouting the League Podcast has been on a roll lately, and if you’re into player evaluation and the finer points of NFL and college front offices, make sure you’re tuning in. More outstanding guests on the way.
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Our Profile Reports continue with looks at Louisiana Tech, La.-Lafayette, La.-Monroe, Louisville and Marshall.
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The Succeed in Football blog continues next week, as well. Of course.
What else do you need? Our DMs are always open at @insidetheleague. Meanwhile, we’re churning out the content at the home site. Come and see.
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