On3 Elite Series Live Updates: DeAndre Hopkins, Will Levis discuss making transition to NFL
The second annual 2024 On3 Elite Series, presented by D1 Hardin Valley, is being held this week in Nashville, welcoming the top college football prospects in the nation to educate and inform how to safely navigate the NIL Era.
The On3 Elite Series is aimed to give each athlete and their family an education on the NIL climate they’ll soon enter in college. On3 Elite will bring in former college and professional athletes, marketing executives, legal and financial experts, among others. Seventeen of the athletes in attendance can monetize their NIL rights as high schoolers.
On3 is covering every angle of the event, with multiple reporters on the ground covering NIL to the latest on each athlete’s recruitment.
DeAndre Hopkins, Will Levis discuss making transition to NFL
3:40 p.m. – Tennessee Titan stars DeAndre Hopkins and Will Levis closed out the day of programming discussing making the transition to the NFL. Hopkins also spoke about not overspending once players make it to the league.
“If someone tells you that you have a budget, and you can spend a certain amount of money, and that number is crazy because you guys are going to make it to the NFL and have budgets,” Hopkins said. “You don’t need to spend more than you are right now in life. You don’t need to go buy the craziest cars, the chain with the most diamonds. You don’t need it. I know it looks good. Just try to stay true to what you’re doing now.”
Ed Berry, Jimmy Sexton talk finding representation
1:55 p.m. – CAA agents Ed Berry and Jimmy Sexton addressed recruits after lunch about finding the right representation and the differences between the NFL and college, specifically true NIL and Roster Value. CAA represents more than 200 NFL players. Sexton reps the likes of Steve Sarkisian, Mike Norvell and Lane Kiffin, among others.
“I hear my coaches say all the time, they describe a situation where a player or the handler or the agent, whatever you want to call it, walks in the room and leads with, ‘Hey, it takes $1 million to get in the game,'” Sexton said. “Versus saying, ‘Tell me what your plan for my son is to make him the best player he can possibly be to develop him as a person and then to get him to the NFL.’
“That’s the approach that will take you further on. I’m never going to negotiate whether it’s for a player or coach, I never go in and tell them ‘You got to get to that number.’ You don’t start with that number.”
Who should be on your team?
12:15 p.m. – Morgan Stanley’s Global Sports & Entertainment division, a sponsor of the On3 Elite Series, held a panel on managing wealth and sustaining resources at the event. Who should athletes have on their financial team? An agent, financial advisor, accountant and attorney, according to the presentation.
“You don’t need to prove you’re rich. What you do need is a lifelong income to live a great life,” said Morgan Stanley financial advisor Brett Goetz said. “Nobody needs to keep up with anybody. Think about that and think about those decisions.”
Be aware of exclusivity terms
11:20 a.m. – With top recruits now allowed to negotiate terms of NIL deals before they sign a National Letter of Intent and enroll at their respective universities, contracts are being drafted. Kennyhertz Perry attorney Mit Winter pointed out exclusivity as one part of contracts to keep an eye on.
“Some agreements will say we have exclusive rights to your NIL,” Winter said. “That means you cannot enter into any other NIL agreements with anyone outside of the collective. So that’s an important thing to pay attention to unless they’re paying a lot of money. You probably don’t want to sign an exclusive deal. You want to sign a non-exclusive deal. So these are the parts of these agreements that you really want to pay attention to.”
Will Compton emphasizes vision, process, audit
10:50 a.m. – Over the course of his nearly 30-minute presentation on Wednesday, Will Compton discussed how athletes have a jumpstart on succeeding and how to take advantage of that. Speaking to the top college football recruits in the nation, he shared what has worked with him in an eight-year NFL career and now as the co-host of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast.
“Vision – we all want to be an NFL football player,” Compton said. “When I was working to ultimately make the practice squad, at that point in time, I had written down I wanted to be a starting linebacker for the Washington Redskins. That obviously didn’t happen, I was on the practice squad. But I needed to believe. I needed to go and chase even though I doubted those goals. So that was my vision.
“What is that linebacker doing every day? I kind of alluded to that. What does he listen to, what does he read? What questions is he asking the people that have been there and done that? ‘Hey, what makes you so successful?’ But it’s stuff like that. Write out what this process looks like.
“And then audit. The last thing is audit, because like I said earlier, Day 1 Will Compton is not going to feel the same as Day 30 Will Compton. When you’re waking up to the same monotony of the schedule every day, that combine can’t come fast enough. That testing day can’t come fast enough. You have to do these bullshit tasks every day. Habits are more dependable than inspiration and motivation.”
Will Compton takes stage at On3 Elite Series
10:10 a.m. – Former Nebraska and NFL linebacker and the co-host of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Will Compton is in Nashville speaking to the top recruits in the nation about taking advantage of the moment they have.
“I’m taking advantage and I’m stoked, but I had anxieties of what the hell am I going to do?” Compton said. “I think it was after my sixth or seventh year, kind of what the hell am I going to do when football’s over? Something that I am passionate about is wanting to beat it into these athletes’ heads that we have such a head start on life.”
‘NIL deals and NFL are stratospherically different’
9:45 a.m. – Speaking in front of the top recruits in the nation, On3 founder and CEO Shannon Terry discussed knowing your value. Specifically, how NIL and NFL deals are starkly different and the highest NIL bid is not always the best opportunity.
“The NIL deals and NFL are stratospherically different,” he said. “They’re not even in the same boat. So we’re going to talk about instant gratification, short-term gratification versus a long-term plan. … And I beg you guys to not choose a school based on NIL unless you can look in the mirror and say, ‘Damn right, I’ll go in there for the most money.’ You guys are not to be bought. You’re not objects. You’re not for sale.”
On3 Elite Series begins
9:15 a.m. – The second annual On3 Elite Series is officially underway. On3 founder and CEO Shannon Terry opened the event with a welcome address, emphasizing what he wants athletes and their families to take away from the next seven hours.
“We want to spend these next six or seven hours about all the other stuff [off the field],” he said. “I want to reach eight people. I want them to come back to me in 10 or 15 years and say I was one of eight. Every relationship and opportunity came from sport. NIL came in July 2021. And let me tell you, it changed the trajectory of your life and your family’s life if you look at it the right way.”
On3 Elite Series kicks off Day 2
7 a.m. – Day 2 of the On3 Elite Series kicked off early Wednesday morning with top recruits going through a workout with presenting sponsor D1 Hardin Valley. Wednesday will feature former college and professional athletes, marketing executives, legal and financial experts providing insight to athletes and their families on the NIL climate they’ll soon enter in college.
What we learned about at Day 1 of On3 Elite Series
6:30 a.m. – Since NIL began more than 34 months ago, plenty has been made about how financial packages are factoring into the decisions of top recruits.
At Tuesday’s second annual On3 Elite Series in Nashville, the top prospects in the nation emphasized that NIL is a factor in recruitment. However, finding the best fit remains the real dealbreaker in the sport.
“For sure that’s a big deal,” Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle David Sanders said ahead of a crucial month of visits in June. “I feel like you need to live your now, and if you’re a top-rated guy in your class, then you deserve to get what you can get. You deserve to get it then, and then you can get it in the NFL as well.
“But I feel like development is going to play a big piece of your decision. You don’t want to go somewhere where all they’re offering for you is money, rather than someplace where their offer will come with the development piece, where you know you go there do your thing and get to the next level.”
Sanders has trips scheduled to Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Ohio State. He’s repped by WME and has aspirations of playing in the NFL.
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On the flip side, George MacIntyre has already shut down his recruitment. The five-star quarterback committed to Tennessee in January. He saw firsthand how desperate some programs are when they’re on the losing end of recruiting battles.
“I would say, right around commitment time, I was getting phone calls from schools I never visited before,” the No. 16 recruit in the nation told On3. “I didn’t choose my school based off of money, but it’s good to be able to capitalize off your name. I think it’s greatly benefited Tennessee and their football and stuff like that, so it’s definitely been good.”
An outlier at this moment, USC quarterback commit Julian Lewis has reaped well into the six figures off NIL as a high school athlete in Georgia. He told On3 he’s been able to spend NIL earnings on a new car for himself and his father, TC.
Despite the commitment, he has not fully shut down his recruitment with Auburn, Colorado and Indiana all still under consideration. He’s leaned on his representation at Athletes First to help him profit off the field and keep his recruitment on track.
“Shoot, money’s life,” Lewis said. “I’ve got to help provide for my family. I bought my first car. I bought my dad’s car. It’s definitely been a blessing to go through the process. But I mean, my whole thing is football. I’ll make more in the NFL than I will right now in high school or college off NIL.”
Chad Woodfork recognizes ‘billion-dollar game’
10:30 a.m. Tuesday – Four-star prospect and top-100 recruit Chad Woodfork is coming off a TCU visit and is still scheduled to visit LSU and Texas Tech. NIL is not the deciding factor in his recruitment, but he does realize he needs to take advantage of his worth when he can.
“It’s a billion-dollar game out there,” he said. “You can only play the game for so long, you have to capitalize on it. The ultimate goal is the league and get that really big paycheck. Who doesn’t want to get paid when you’re still playing the game?”
Trey McNutt helps change OHSAA 7-on-7 policy
9:45 a.m. Tuesday – The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) rule that limited athletes from playing 7-on-7 outside the window of May 15 to July 31 has been overturned, allowing athletes to participate year-round.
On3’s No. 4 ranked safety in the 2025 class in Shaker Heights (Ohio) High product Trey McNutt had been facing suspension from games this fall for playing in 7-on-7 tournaments this spring with the Fast Houston team. But he’s no longer in jeopardy, thanks to the rule change.
“I knew I was going to get it changed, so I wasn’t really surprised but it was definitely a relief when it happened,” he said. “Just taking that all in, that the generations after me get to do it now just builds a whole new path for them.”
Jaime Ffrench shares dream NIL deal
9:30 a.m. Tuesday – After decommitting from Alabama in January, five-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench has a slew of official visits lined up for June. Texas appears to be in the driver’s seat at the moment.
Ffrench told On3 on Tuesday morning that his dream NIL deal would be to land a Lamborghini. Fittingly, former Texas running back Bijan Robinson signed an endorsement deal with Lamborghini Austin in May 2022. Specifics on the deal were not public, but the Texas running back was allowed to drive a Lamborghini off the lot and the contract was a year long.
Ohio State QB commit Tavien St. Clair checks in
8:40 a.m. Tuesday – Ohio State quarterback commit and five-star recruit Tavien St. Clair has checked in for the day. He told On3 he’s “locked in” to his dream school. The Ohio native has not been able to start monetizing his NIL yet because the Ohio High School Athletic Association does not allow athletes to monetize their publicity rights.
“I just got to control what I can control, that stuff will come along with how I play on the field. So not too worried about it right now,” he said. “My top priority is getting on the field and playing. Being the quarterback at Ohio State is a big platform, so I’m sure that will present some opportunities.”
Second annual On3 NIL Elite Series begins
8 a.m. Tuesday — Thirty-four of the top 100 prospects in the 2025 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, will be in attendance. The private two-day event is designed to give each athlete and their family an education on the NIL climate they’ll soon enter in college. On3 Elite will bring in former college and professional athletes, marketing executives, legal and financial experts, among others. Seventeen of the athletes in attendance can monetize their NIL rights as high schoolers.
Held at the W Nashville Hotel, invitations to the event have been extended to athletes and a guardian.
“We’re excited and ready to put on a top-level event for the stars of tomorrow,” Head of On3 Elite Grant Frerking said. “Our goal is to create an experience for athletes to learn more about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, navigating the new era of NIL, while planning for the long game of life after football. We have assembled an all-star panel of speakers of current and former athletes to share their wisdom and experiences.”
How to follow along
On3 will covering every angle of the event, with multiple reporters on the ground covering NIL to the latest on each athlete’s recruitment. On3’s VP of Recruiting & Transfer Portal Steve Wiltfong and Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons will catch up with recruits as they enter the month of June, which is official visit season.
On3’s national reporter Pete Nakos will be running a live blog of On3 NIL Elite Series, focused on sharing some advice guest speakers share, the experience athletes have had dealing with NIL in their recruitments and the latest on the NIL marketplace. On3’s J.D. Pickell, Josh Newberg, Phillip Dukes and Andy Staples will be delivering video content throughout the week.
Make sure to follow along on Twitter and subscribe to On3’s YouTube page. Also, be sure to subscribe to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter.