National Scouting Combine Featured Sports Agent Jesse Heninger from Front Row Sports

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Jesse Heninger | Front Row Sports | Sports Agent 

Twitter: @FrontRowAgents | Instagram: @FrontRowSportsAgency

Q: How did you come to start Front Row Sports? What was your motivation?

A: That’s a great question. FrontRow Sports has certainly evolved since its initial conception in late 2020. Before launching our agency, I was the Director of Marketing, Operations, and Sales in professional arena football for the Richmond Roughriders, West Virginia Roughriders, and most recently with the Indoor Football League’s Massachusetts Pirates. I had received a call from my good friend, lawyer and former boss, Ciro Poppiti III mentioning he recently became a licensed NFLPA agent and wanted me to manage the agency while utilizing my experience in marketing and public relations in combination with his law background to create a sports agency that can not only negotiate well but also highlight & promote the athlete on a top tier level. The rest as they say is history. As far as my motivation, the opportunity to be able to grow and manage an NFL/CFL Sports agency is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The truth is I have a lot in common with all  the athletes that we work with, we are both in critical times in our careers and need each other to help accomplish our goals. 

 

Q: What would you consider to be your biggest accomplishment in your sports career?

A: I think the biggest accomplishment is to still be able to work professionally in sports. Most people watch sports on tv or bet on it on their phones. 

I am blessed to be able make a living while simultaneously helping athletes pursue their dreams. Beyond that I was happy to be part of a couple arena football championships in Richmond and West Virginia as well as receive various front office awards, most recently “Front Office of the Year” in 17′, 18′, and 19′. 

Q: What do you consider to be one of the more important things you learned during your career?

A: I hate to be the old school one of the group, but the old saying “honesty is the best policy” has rang very true for me over my career. Particularly as a sports agency, it’s not only important that you are honest with the athletes as far as what you can do for them but equally as important for the agency to be honest with themselves.  Working for an athlete and doing a good job can be a lot of work. It’s important that the agency is honest with themselves to understand how many athletes they can bring on, while truly being able to give every client the attention they deserve while at the same time signing enough clients to essentially pay the bills. Honesty really helps in all that. It really helps you monitor the situation, while also being able to sleep at night. 

“We look at athletes that separate themselves from the pack whether it be from combine numbers or their performance throughout the season, and then we begin to look deeper in regards to the intangibles and what else separates themselves from the others.”

Q: What has been your biggest challenge and how do you manage it?

A: I think our biggest challenge to date for FrontRow Sports is being the “new guys” in such a fraternal industry of professional sports. Our NFLPA Sports Agency was essentially born in Covid-19 in late 2020 and even as we attain our CFLPA certification and other licenses, it seems sometimes hard to compete with most other agencies that have had the chance to grow roots and personal relationships pre-covid in the NFL & CFL. How do we manage it? Keep working. Keep putting our agency in the best position to succeed. From annually attending college all-star games to partnering with the National Scouting Combine and now attending the event in Indianapolis for our second year in a row, we decided to overcome any initial shortcomings with honest, hard work. 

Q: What qualities do you look for when scouting athletes for representation?

A: These days pro teams have such a large talent pool to choose from. From football to baseball teams, these franchises are looking to narrow down the pool of choices in as many ways as they can to find an athlete that excels above the rest AND fits their scheme of what they are trying to do.  So FrontRow Sports does a bit of the same, first we look at athletes that separate themselves from the pack whether it be from combine numbers or their performance throughout the season, and then we begin to look deeper in regards to the intangibles and what else separates themselves from the others. There isn’t truly one thing that our team looks for in regards to representing an athlete, but a formula that we believe to equal success. 

 

Q: How can athletes learn more or get on your radar?

A:  The best way for athletes to be considered for representation is to reach out to us on our website (www.FrontRowReps.com) or reach out to us via email at info@FrontRowReps.com. 

We always ask players to send us a detailed player profile including the college they are currently attending or attended, the years they attended, the positions they played, quality film of the positions they played, any professional combine numbers they accrued, any professional experience they may have since college, and ofcourse quality film of their recent professional experience.  It’s literally as simple as that. Once we receive their information, I send that to our talent department who works with our agent and myself to make the best assessment of the individual athlete. 

 

Q: What can athletes do to prepare for opportunities at the next level?

A: To be honest, going to events like the National Scouting Combine. The best thing an athlete can do is invest in themselves. Professional teams around the country are hedging their bets and looking at “numbers first” these days. The best thing an athlete can do is find out how teams in their sport are recruiting athletes, and then find a way to seperate themselves from the pack. If you can prove your faster, stronger, and quicker, than the other guy/girl you are instantly creating an advantage for yourself in the recruiting process. It’s company’s like the National Scouting Combine that help you prove just that. 

 

Q: How important is an athlete’s background and do you look for anything specific?

A:  Having a clean background is always a plus. With such an immense amount of talent available to these professional teams, anything that can sway the team to not to choose you, you should avoid. If we are talking about someone’s background in a sport, that can sometimes be overlooked. Say if someone is 6″6′ and can really rush the quarterback, you tend to not worry about the years of football experience, but can you train him to succeed now. At FrontRow Sports we look for relentless individuals who are highly talented at their craft. We look for guys that know it’s a partnership, and know that we are riding on them as much as they are riding on us. 

Q: Who is or has been the most influential person in your life?

A: I can easily say the most influential person in my life has and will always be my mother. She taught me how to dream. She taught me how to pursue my own happiness & she taught me how to believe in myself. What came out of all that was a true belief that the ultimate dream can in fact come true. Maybe that is what drew me to helping others achieve their dreams. Maybe it’s the reason why I believe I connect so well with our athletes, is that both of our dreams are collectively both incomplete. We have worked so hard our whole lives and are still waiting for a payout we feel we so wholeheartedly deserve.  I am blessed to be able to help people. Blessed to be able to pursue the collective dream. 

 

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National Scouting Combine Posts

“I would like to start this message by thanking you and everyone involved who made this opportunity possible. I am truly grateful for the experience and atmosphere you’ve cultivated through the National Scouting Combine. My journey has not been an easy one by any means. Losing my mother in 2017 to cancer, losing the house my brothers and I called home before attending this very event in 2018, and completely bombing the event left me completely shot mentally. This event that just took place gave me the motivation and hope for better days. That is exactly what has been provided to me. Opportunities I never considered have presented themselves to me with each passing day. WWE contract offers, Rugby offers, and NFL scout inquiries about what kind of man Jarrod Cann is, are just the first of many opportunities that were made real through my participation in your event! Thank you for allowing me to tell my story on such a platform and allowing me to save lives with my story.”
Jarrod Cann
Jarrod CannRB, Central Connecticut State
“The National Scouting Combine was a great opportunity for me to get official test numbers and get my information out to teams and scouts to gain necessary exposure. It is always a big challenge for athletes to get official verified numbers but the National Scouting Combine gave me this opportunity. The entire staff works with the players to put them into the best position to succeed. They give players opportunities to promote themselves on and off the field. They have a setup to do all combine tests and to perform official position drills. The event also allows for players to gain useful contacts with teams and National Scouting Combine staff members to further promote themselves. The National Scouting Combine provided me with a chance to showcase my abilities as a free agent and put myself in a good position to have success in my pursuit to play professional football. I want thank the National Scouting Combine staff for giving players this unique chance to demonstrate their skills.”
Chris Bury
Chris BuryTE, Notre Dame
“I had a great experience at the combine. The whole staff was extremely positive and really wanted the best for all of the players that attended. Being that I was a free agent and a season removed from NFL camps it was crucial for me to get new numbers to show I was still working hard. My only opportunity so far came from a scout who attended the combine. As players that’s why we attend these events, to be seen by the pro levels. I’m very greatful for the opportunity that was came from the combine. I’ll be recommending it to every player possible in the future who’s looking to go pro.”
Dillon Salva
Dillon SalvaTE, Merrimack
My experience at the National Scouting Combine was an extremely positive one. Coming from a small school (Bryant University – Division I AA), opportunities to showcase my athleticism and measurables to pro scouts were scarce. However, Jimmy and his team gave me that opportunity when they put together a first-class event, in an outstanding venue and invited hundreds of players that had been overlooked or just wanted the opportunity to showcase their abilities. The connections, advice and coaching I received at the 2018 National Scouting Combine were priceless, as many pro scouts and coaches began to get in contact with me during and immediately after the combine. Jimmy and his team did an outstanding job of incorporating new, cutting edge technologies into the combine, while inviting well-respected coaches, scouts and former professional players to run the drills and provide coaching. Jimmy provided me with a platform to chase my dream of playing professional football that I would not otherwise have had, and in turn is part of the reason why many CFL teams took interest in me, why I was invited to Rookie Minicamps with the Jets and Texans and why I have now signed with the Orlando Apollo’s of the new Alliance of American Football League. The invitation to the 2018 National Scouting Combine was a blessing to me and my career and I would recommend any and all small school or overlooked college football player to attend and take advantage of this combine that, with Jimmy leading it, will continue to get better every single year.
Matt Sewell
Matt SewellWR, Bryant University
“My testimonial would be because of COVID-19, it has hindered my ability to showcase my talents at pro days, workouts, and tryouts. But, because of the NSC I can still send official numbers and video to each team, while also gaining the opportunity to meet scouts in face and build a relationship with them. Lastly, the NSC is second only to the NFL combine which helps me have something else to hang my hat on as one of the top performers!”
Jamal Ware
Jamal WareLB, Maryville College
“Thank you for the support and helping with promoting me for the next level. I am most definitely interested and my experience at the national scouting combine was incredible. It was my first official opportunity and it was a professional combine. All verified, legitimate laser times and numbers are vital to have especially in the times we are facing today. All of the coaches and personnel involved were professional in every aspect. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to be apart of the national scouting combine and I can’t be more grateful to have verified numbers.”
Kyle Haines
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“First and foremost I would like to thank the NSC staff for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills in front of scouts and allow myself to get relevant combine numbers. This combine is by far the best Combine I have been to. The rooms were great and the food that was provided by NSC was great as well. You can feel that they had a passion for helping those who may not have had an NFL Combine invite and others who are just chasing that opportunity. They were extremely supportive and willing to market the players in every way possible. I was beyond impressed with the testing once we got going. Everything was very organized and professional just as it should be. When it came to the testing they had both hand time and laser time which makes your test times that much more official. The number of scouts that attended the Scouting Combine was even better. This staff truly knows how to put together a legit A+ combine experience and was by far the best combine experience I have been a part of.”
Nolan Saraceni
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“I was fortunate enough to be a participant in the 2020 BSN Scouting Combine as it was an experience that I will surely never forget. Not only did it open opportunities for me to play football at the professional level, but it also shed light on my path to a football dream as an underdog. Not many athletes get this sort of opportunity and I am just blessed to have been apart of it.”
Tyler Anderson
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Pursuing a career in professional football from a small school is a lonely path. A prospect may have the support of his peers, family, and teammates, but the process can be overwhelming and very confusing. Often times small school prospects don’t have access to the resources provided to prospects at football powerhouses. “How can I get myself in front of scouts? How can I prove to them that I can play at the next level?” These are only a few of the many questions that race through a potential prospects mind on a daily basis. The Beyond Sports Network National Combine helped simplify this process for many of the players that attended, including myself. Despite the combine being held for a few days, the information and services provided by the combine, as well as the sense of community between the staff members and prospects stood out to me. Every test that would be performed at the NFL combine was covered, every coach and staff member supported each prospect to an unbelievable extent, and the amount of scouts and agents in attendance and how interactive they were was impressive. The Beyond Sports Network National Scouting Combine was a critical step in attempting to take my talents to the next level. If you are a small school prospect with no clear path to the next level, the National Scouting Combine will certainly clear up the path for you.
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BSN gave me the platform I needed to be respected as a athlete. I came to there first Combine in 2010. I was pulled by every NFL, CFL scout. At that time there were a couple really good WRs including a SEC top WR who NFL scouts were coming to see. Once I put up good #s in my Testing Drills, we did one on ones. I showed my great covering skills to the point all the scouts herd the WRs talking and asking who was this guy. Then BSN promoted me and my numbers and I received workouts on all levels. I became a name in the business. Having legit numbers and respectable organization backing you is what you need. Everyone can say they can play and perform but coaches and scouts don’t believe you. BSN gives you the stage to perform and prove them wrong and get the opportunity you deserve. Because of BSN I was able to create a long professional career and when needed comeback to prove I could still play at a high level.
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