It’s such an interesting concept, not being able to “afford” something that could help you land your dream job. Don’t get me wrong, I am as frugal as it gets and would have been highly reluctant to pay even $25 a month for an investment in my future. That’s exactly what this is, an investment in your future. I think about it from this perspective, and I implore you to do the same, you spend four (or eight for some) years spending 15k a semester to get a piece of paper that you hope will land you that dream job, isn’t it worth it to spend $50+ bucks a month to directly improve your chances of landing that job you’ve desired since you were a kid? Don’t worry, this whole blog isn’t going to be a sales pitch, just a little perspective on why it’s important to invest in your future and start learning with Elite Scout School.  

I created Elite Scout School because I had accumulated valuable knowledge in what could be considered a Master’s Degree in scouting. I am no master scout, the moment that you think you have learned it all is the moment you stop attempting to learn. I am far from that. I do pride myself on continual improvement and consider myself a knowledge seeker. The knowledge and skillset that Elite Scout School can provide will give you an edge. The demand for these jobs is immense. I can tell you that most GM’s, directors, and others in leadership can’t keep their desk clean because they constantly have a pile of resumes on their desk. Who doesn’t want to be the person who helps turn your favorite franchise around and bring a championship to a city you love? Who doesn’t want to have a tangible impact on a community by bringing the joy of a winning football team? It seems cliché but it’s true. This was my dream since I was 10 years old. Help turn around the Cleveland Browns. Every step since high school was with that goal in mind. My college choice primarily revolved around a quality sports program. My singular goal when I arrived at the University of Arizona was to get a job with the football team. The opportunity that arose was equipment. I knew it wasn’t the most direct path but I knew if I just put my head down and showed my worth then opportunities would become available. If you’re on this site then I am sure you have done a little background on me, so I won’t bore you with all the details of how I got to Cleveland and how I managed to work my way into the scouting department (I cover it quite extensively in a few blogs: MY INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE and HOW TO CONTACT NFL TEAMS).

The point is, I was fortunate (some would say lucky). I have an underlying sense of regret that I didn’t do more to prepare myself for my dream role. Yes, I still managed to make it but I was by no means “prepared”. Forget what you think you know about scouting, general football knowledge does not equate to scouting knowledge. They are two entirely different languages. If you come from a coaching background, you’re a little closer but still very far off. I had to learn everything from scratch. Frankly, I am pretty embarrassed about the reports that I brought to my interview. In hindsight, they were both inaccurate and very poorly structured. I didn’t know how to properly speak on players because I had never really attempted to speak on players. If you’re reading this then you are probably just like I was, highly knowledgeable on past drafts, present top prospects, and future NFL stars. Problem is, that doesn’t help much when learning to scout.

Let me tell you a quick story. The year was 2016. I was on my first school visit to the University of Miami (Ohio). I was shadowing the area scout. It wasn’t his first visit to the school, he had already accumulated a list of potential prospects and stacked them above or below the line (reject or not). Part of the job was already done for me, all I had to do was evaluate the Seniors above the line. One specific player I remember was a RT named Collin Buchanan. He was big at 6’5”, young (I think 20 at the time), and a wealth of experience having started over 30 games in his career. I thought he may have an NFL future. I watched him and others throughout practice and jotted notes on body types, athletic traits, and overall abilities. I got back to my hotel to write the players up and was totally lost. I realized I had no idea how these players compared to others in the NFL. I didn’t know if Buchanan had future starting potential or would be fighting for a roster spot in camp. I had nothing to compare them to because I didn’t have the experience to draw on nor did I have a good enough feel for what played in the league. I actually ended up texting the area scout I shadowed hoping he’d help put me in the ballpark of what this player was. Unfortunately, he didn’t bite and told me to just “evaluate it like you see it”. That was my problem, I hadn’t put in the report writing work prior to becoming a scout and it was biting me now. To be fair, resources like Elite Scout School weren’t available at the time. I drew on that experience when I decided to create Elite Scout School because I wanted prospective scouts to be more prepared than I was when I entered my first year.

I can’t understate how important it is to start your evaluations. That is why I implore prospective scouts to join Elite Scout School and start writing reports now! It’s not just that it will help you get you ahead of the competition when trying to get a job, it will set you up for success once you land that dream job. I’m sure you have looked up Buchanan by now, but he never made it out of training camp after going undrafted in 2017. In fact, he was waived weeks after signing with the Saints because he told Head Coach Sean Payton he “[didn’t] want to play anymore”. Had I known to ask the right questions; we may have gotten the coaches to say that he didn’t love football. But hey, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.