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Excel Sports Expands Into Coach And Executives Representation

excel sports management

Excel Sports Management is launching a Coaching and Executives division and has acquired football coaching and sports broadcasting representation agency Harlan Sports Management to provide it some staff support and clientele right away.

Over twenty head football coaches at the NFL and NCAA level, as well as front office executives, are now Excel clients. The acquisition of Harlan also bolsters Excel’s existing Media Talent representation business with the inclusion of media personalities from Barstool Sports and DraftKings.

Bryan Harlan and Bynum Jaeger will be part of the Coaching and Executives division as part of the purchase. They will operate out of Excel’s Chicago office.

“Establishing a coaching and executives division creates a new avenue to extend the lifecycle of work we do with our clients and expands Excel’s existing presence in the sports representation landscape,” said Jeff Schwartz, Founder and President, Excel Sports Management. “Bryan Harlan is a veteran in the industry with a legacy of trust and credibility and he has tapped an excellent young leader with a vision for growth in Bynum Jaeger. We are excited to anchor our growth in coaching around their expertise.”

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.