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61 Underclassmen Soft-Declare For 2012 NFL Draft

If three years have passed since a college football player’s high school class graduated, he is officially eligible to declare for the NFL Draft.  Typically, that rule provides redshirt Sophomores and true Juniors the opportunity to leave school early and test their luck with NFL teams.

Players who are interested in declaring for the NFL prior to the culmination of their Senior seasons must express their intent to enter the NFL Draft prior to January 15 of each calendar year.  Thereafter, those players who have soft-declared have a 3-day window (until January 18) to decide whether they will remain eligible to be selected in the forthcoming NFL Draft or remove their names from the pool.  Importantly, if an underclassman hires as agent, that player will forfeit his remaining eligibility to play college football whether or not the player withdraws his name from the NFL Draft pool.

Today being January 17, there is a large group of underclassmen who have soft-declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, and who have roughly 24 hours to change their minds.  There are currently 61 underclassmen who believe that they are prepared to make the jump to the NFL.  While players such as Justin Blackmon, Robert Griffin III, and Andrew Luck are sure to be very high picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, there are many players listed who may not be selected at all.  They have taken risks (hopefully calculated risks with the advice of knowledgeable and caring advisors) to forfeit their remaining eligibility in favor of the perceived riches waiting for them in the NFL.  Further, they have hopefully utilized the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, and submitted their information to get their current draft grades.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.