Manager, Football Operations

Reports To: VP Football Recruiting
Location: A1 Office Atlanta GA
Direct Reports: N/A

About Athletes First

Athletes First is a full-service athlete management firm that has been representing elite NFL players since its inception in 2001. Based in Southern California with satellite offices in New York City NY Gainesville FL and Atlanta GA. Athletes First is a staple in the sports representation business. Over the years weve created a culture built around the two key components of our industry: exude extreme power while remaining intimately personal. Our mission is simple: Do the right things with the right people for the right reasons.

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Football Operations Manager to support our VP Football Recruiting and our football agencys player acquisition and recruiting pipeline. This mid-level role serves as a critical link between our agents prospects and schools managing the administrative and strategic elements of our recruiting operations.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

Recruiting Intake & Pop-Up Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for incoming prospect inquiries managing the intake process and escalating candidates to senior leadership as appropriate.

• Oversee the coordination and assignment of prospects to agents in collaboration with internal departments.

• Collect and analyze recruiting data to support departmental goal-setting and operational efficiency.

Recruiting List Administration

• Oversee and maintain the agencys Master Recruiting List ensuring data accuracy and up-to-date status on all prospects.

• Develop and implement organizational systems for prospect tracking across high school college and transfer portal pipeline.

• Collaborate with the Collegiate Representation Department to evaluate and categorize prospects on the Master Recruiting List based on established internal criteria with oversight from the Sr. Director of Recruiting.

• Assist Collegiate Representation Department in the establishment of prospect lead funnels including organizing and assigning names received.

• Monitor junior agent pipelines and provide guidance on prioritization and re-balancing based on positions active leads closed leads and recruitment hit rates.

• Support prospect pipeline management through organization and assignment of incoming leads.

Prospect Identification

• Proactively identify top emerging prospects at the high school and early-college levels before they reach broader market awareness.

• Monitor national recruiting rankings combine results and film evaluation sources to surface high-priority targets.

• Build and maintain relationships with coaches scouts and other industry contacts to gain early intelligence on prospects.

• Leverage network of college contacts to cultivate prospect targets market data and projections on transfer portal targets informing the agencys recruiting and execution strategy.

Transfer Portal Assistance

• Assist and manage the agencys transfer portal strategy monitoring portal activity across all positions and conferences in conjunction with Collegiate Representation Department.

• Source and cultivate school-level contacts (coaches athletic staff advisors) to obtain early and accurate portal intelligence.

• Maintain a centralized real-time resource to track collegiate movement and opportunities based on intelligence gathered from internal departments and industry contacts; assist clients in identifying potential transfer destinations.

• Evaluate collegiate prospects for fit and surface high-value targets to the agent team.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in college recruiting scouting or a related field.

• Deep knowledge of the college football landscape recruiting process commitment process and transfer portal processes.

• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to build relationships with coaches players and families.

• Ability to consolidate and present data in manners that drive actionable results and decision-making for the Collegiate Representation Department.

• High level of discretion and professionalism when handling sensitive prospect information.

What We Offer

• Medical Dental Vision & Life Insurance

• 401k Retirement Plan

• Cell Phone Reimbursement

• Unlimited PTO - we trust you to get the job done and take the time you need

• Exposure to the highest levels of professional sports and a front-row seat working alongside elite NFL athletes coaches and front office executives