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A lot of this is review, but I'm making these points today because I'm hearing from new agents with the same questions consistently, so I feel like I need to make these points again.
Small school, small chances: Year in and year out, the NFL is about 91 percent made up of FBS players. You may think players from FCS, D2, D3 or NAIA are easier to sign and more realistic about their chances, and maybe that's true. On the other hand, these players' chances to actually make It into a camp, by and large, are really long.
Recruit, don't be recruited: Remember, if a player is calling you unsolicited, asking for representation, it's because he doesn't have any other options. A player who's desperate to find an agent, well, that should tell you plenty about his NFL chances. These days, bigger firms try to soak up every player with any kind of NFL chance. If a player slipped their nets, there's usually a good reason for it.
Quid pro quo: If a trainer is calling you to recommend a player, he's not doing it out of benevolence. It's because he wants to train the kid, and have you pay for it. As the combine prep landscape has become more competitive, we're seeing more and more trainers acting as advocates for players. I'm sure you've already been blown away by trainers promoting their services and touting players they have worked with in the past. This isn't for free. Make sure that before you entertain signing any of these players, you get a scouting report from the
ITL Scouting Department, presuming you don't know an active NFL scout.
You can talk to players whenever you want to: If you have spoken to me on the phone, one thing I tell you is that if you follow schools' policies note for note, you'll get an awesome (figurative) participation trophy, but you'll never sign a player of interest to NFL teams. One things schools will commonly drill into you is that you can't speak to a player until his season is over. That's not true. As long as you don't provide any goods or services of value beyond basic marketing materials, you can talk to them whenever and wherever you want to. Be ethical, be moral, but be aggressive.
Good news, bad news: If you pitch a player to an all-star game - which is entirely legal - it could score you major points with a player you're recruiting. On the other hand, you could watch a kid get a place in a game, then sign with another agent. It's a calculated risk. It's a tough call which strategy is better; I've seen different outcomes on this.
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Neil Stratton
