NCAA Elite Student-Athlete Symposium for Football provides student-athletes road map for future

Prepare for the journey ahead. Tomorrow starts today.

Both are thematic messages that 18 college football players heard during last month’s NCAA Elite Student-Athlete Symposium for Football. The annual event, held by the NCAA leadership development and enforcement staffs while the NFL Combine was in Indianapolis, aims to prepare high-profile college players with eligibility remaining for that journey.

Specifically, attendees spent three days gaining insight on transitioning to the NFL, managing life as a professional and thinking about life beyond football. 

This year's attendees, representing 13 schools, engaged with several prominent speakers with NFL experience on the field and in the front office, as well as NCAA leaders and various subject matter experts. The speakers covered topics such as the scouting process, agents, financial management, film review, social media, rules on the NFL draft and academic eligibility and professional development strategies beyond football.

"I hope this program just prepares me for when I do have to go through the draft process, the combine and everything, just not to be blindsided by everything and not be learning on the fly," said Zion Tupuola-Fetui, a senior defensive edge player at Washington. "To have that background information already stored is pretty ideal."

The NCAA has held the Elite Symposium for Football annually since 2017 — it was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and hosts a similar symposium for draft prospects in basketball each fall. Student-athletes are invited to the symposium after NCAA staff members consult with coaches, athletics administrators, professional sports officials and other experts closely linked to draft prospect lists.

Many former participants have experienced success in the NFL, including standouts like Saquon Barkley and Bradley Chubb, as well as 2021 Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year winners in Ja'Marr Chase and Micah Parsons, respectively.

"When I read about (the program) and saw all of the great people who have come to it, I felt like it was just a blessing," said Raheim Sanders, running back at Arkansas. "This is just the start, the beginning of the next journey."

"It means a lot to me to be selected to come here, to be around all of these young men," added Jared Verse, defensive end at Florida State. "Everybody has the same goal as me, same aspirations, but not just as an athlete but also as businessmen, as men, as fathers, brothers, just to become better people."

While the symposium included several football-specific sessions, attendees also spent significant time on their personal development, identified core values and started thinking about a life after football.

"One way this program will benefit me moving forward is that it was not so much about the athletic part of everything," Verse said. "It's more so the mental part of everything and what happens after football, how we can prepare ourselves now to put ourselves in a good position in the future."

One session featured a panel discussion with four current or former NFL players who spoke to their transition to and out of the NFL. The panelists were Darrell Stuckey, former standout at Kansas who played six seasons in the NFL; Aaron Jones, former UTEP standout and current Green Bay Packers running back; Alvin Jones, twin brother to Aaron who played linebacker at UTEP, signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and has played the past two seasons in the Canadian Football League; and Shawn Barber, who played at Richmond before spending 10 years in the NFL. Tre Stallings, current associate commissioner at Conference USA who played at Ole Miss and four seasons in the NFL, moderated the discussion.

"We were learning about all aspects of what it's going to be like whenever you get to this level. It could be the financial side. It could be just the football side," Michael Penix Jr., senior quarterback for Washington, said of the symposium. "We were able to speak to some former players, some current players, as well, and just hearing how they viewed coming into the NFL and their process, the change they went through and allowing us to be able to get feedback was great. For me, my focus now is being able to go back home, make sure I study what I've learned here and make sure I use it."

Other speakers at the symposium included NFL Players Association representatives, a crisis and strategic communications expert, a former NFL general manager and current scouting consultant, athlete development leaders and financial advisors.

Roman Oben, vice president for football development in the NFL who played more than 10 years in the league, was the symposium's keynote speaker. Oben spoke to the attendees about how to stay focused during their transition to the NFL and the importance of taking care of their mental health during that period.

Oben's message put a bow on the symposium's overall goal to prepare these student-athletes for the journey that lies ahead.

"I think it teaches you about the experiences you're going to face … so you can learn about it beforehand," Notre Dame offensive lineman Joe Alt said of the symposium. "You're not going to get smacked by it. You kind of have a good feel for what to expect."

2023 Elite Student-Athlete Symposium for Football Roster

• Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
• Barrett Carter, Clemson
• Jared Verse, Florida State
• Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois
• Connor Colby, Iowa
• Maason Smith, LSU
• Javion Cohen, Miami (Florida)
• Joe Alt, Notre Dame
• Blake Fisher, Notre Dame
• Denzel Burke, Ohio State
• Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State
• J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
• Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
• Troy Franklin, Oregon
• Cole Bishop, Utah
• Michael Penix Jr., Washington
• Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
• Braelon Allen, Wisconsin.