In a piece titled “Life Of A First Year NFL Agent: Entry 1” on the Epic Agents website, up and coming NFL agent and former University of Miami WR Shawn O’Dare documents his journey of becoming an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor thus far.
His participation and passion for the game of football from a young age instilled the desire to become an NFL agent (after initially wanting to be a NFL player, of course). After committing to Jacksonville University to play quarterback at first, he ended up transferring to his dream school, the University of Miami, as a preferred walk-on. He made a position change to wide receiver, a position group where he played among six future NFL players.
He met his future business partner, Alex Gavilla, while finishing graduate school and found out that their values aligned in the industry. When he initially signed on, O’Dare worked on the marketing side of things at the agency, gaining valuable experience, preparing him for when he officially became certified. His certification came the next year, as he received notice that he passed the NFLPA exam on September 18, 2015, becoming one of the 37.8% of participants to pass.
At 25 years old, he is just starting in the industry and is in a position that many aspiring agents thrive to be in. His advice for those of us – establish relationships. A common thread in the sports agency, specifically representation, is the importance of developing relationships with other industry professionals.
O’Dare goes on to mention the cost associated with becoming an NFL agent, and it is not cheap.
To read the whole article, click here. To follow O’Dare on Twitter and keep up with his journey click.