Recruiting athletes is the most important project for an agent. If I cannot sign athletes, it does not matter how well I can represent them. Just like an event company submits a proposal to put on an event, an agent is proposing to an athlete to be his representation. This process requires everything needed in a project’s management such as planning, budgeting, teamwork and satisfying customers.
The recruiting project begins with a plan and a schedule. First, you have to decide on your targets. Jack Bechta, whom I will be citing throughout this post, prefers only to go after a few players (Bechta). I have personally known other agents who will utilize new media to contact a mass amount of athletes, and keeping up with those who respond.
To better understand the recruitment strategy, it is important to look at the whole schedule first:
August- College football begins
November- College football regular season ends, seniors not going to a bowl game can sign with agents
January- After bowl games all seniors can sign
February- NFL Combine (where seniors perform for NFL scouts)
April- NFL Draft
Many student-athletes have narrowed down their agent decision by the end of the regular season (Bechta). While you do not want to distract a player during the season, it is important to establish contact early on so you will be in the running come decision time. In most cases, including my experience, the process begins prior to the start of the season in August. This is a great time to contact the player before their season starts. It is against NCAA rules to agree to representation before the the student-athlete’s final game (including bowls), but you can talk to them.
The next milestone in the recruiting project is attempting to sign the athlete. This begins around Thanksgiving if they are not headed to a bowl game. Agent Jack Bechta has not had a Thanksgiving since 1994 because of business (Bechta).
Determining location and pitch are important points of strategy in recruitment. Visiting the player in his hometown, and perhaps in his home, can go a long way in making him feel important and comfortable. However, if your agency is located in a big city it may be more beneficial to fly the player to you and court him with the big city experience. (Bechta)
Once a player is signed an agent puts him in training and preparation for the NFL Combine, pro-day and draft. Choosing where to train your players is just another part of the strategic planning process. His performance in the combine can affect where he is drafted, resulting in millions of dollars.
Another phase of project management in recruiting is budgeting. This is one of the largest barriers of entry into the agent business. The average cost an agent accrues is between $15,000- $20,000 per player (Bechta). Keep in mind this is before the player even has an NFL contract. An agent must view it as an investment. In addition to training, an agent has to pay for housing, transportation, food, supplements, equipment and training gear. Here are some rough figures of basic expenses from my experience:
State License- $1,200 (Florida) (bi-annual)
NFLPA License- $1,200 (annual)
NFLPA Application-$1,650 (one-time)
Insurance-$1,750 (annual)
Print & Media-$500-$1,000
-Packets
-Postage
-etc...
Per Player
Training- $12,000 (6 weeks)
Travel-$1,000 (multiple trips)
Rental Car-$1,000
Food-$1,000
Equipment-$1,000
When preparing to embark on the recruiting process, it is important to view it as any other business project. There needs to be a schedule, strategy and realistic budget. It is a large risk that requires patience for a return on investment, in which even the best project management can’t guarantee.
Jack Bechta Citations
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