Sports executive Brian Woods, founder of the latest version of the USFL and the Spring League, will launch his Prep Super League in 2024.
The Prep Super League, running from April 19 to May 24, is an 11-on-11, Name-Image-Likeness-friendly, independent high school football league that will run six weeks and follow NCAA rules.
Woods joined SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about his latest venture.
"I really feel like I'm entrepreneurial in nature and have always been a risk taker. That's just the way I am. I like creating. After I launched the USFL, I don't want to say I became bored very quickly, but certainly I was looking for my next challenge. I'm all about opportunity, finding voids in the current sports landscape."
The Upper Saddle River, New Jersey resident grew up in the football-crazy world of Florida. His resume has set him up nicely to become a top sports executive and now founder and CEO of the Prep Super League. Woods was a walk-on safety at Ole Miss, spent time as a graduate assistant coach at Iowa State, interned for the New York Jets working on salary cap matters, spent five years as an agent with HS International and got his law degrees from West Virginia University.
Woods says the Prep Super League will help players navigate the NIL landscape at a time when not all states and high school associations are open to the idea. The executive says there's still misunderstandings about what NIL actually means.
"First and foremost, it's really your personal brand. One of the companies I speak to on a fairly regular basis goes around the county and educates college students. They conducted a recent poll and over 80 percent of respondents said that likeness was how much you were actually liked by other people. So even the athletes themselves don't fully comprehend what NIL is. What I can tell you is that NIL is about your how you're seen in terms of marketing image and branding. One thing about the Prep Super League that's really unique is that players can take part in the league in states that currently don't allow NIL for high school athletes. You could be looking at an eligibility issue with their own state association but a player that's coming in and taking compensation for their Name-Image-Likeness has made a decision. They're saying my state doesn't currently allow it, but I'm going to participate in this league because they do allow it, and I can also be able to participate with no restrictions."
The league's locations include New Jersey, Miami, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Tampa.
Woods admits not all high school coaches are on board with the idea of having star players participate in the Prep Super League.
"For the most part when we announced the league back in June, there was definitely some ambivalence in the football world. For the players and parents, people were excited because here was another opportunity being presented. To the star players, NIL deals are certainly going to be more fruitful by taking part on the Prep Super League. In terms of the responses we got or responses we at least saw in the media from various coaches around the country, I believe that some of the coaches that responded, did so without getting all the information about our league first. I think the ones who were a little smarter said they needed a little more information because I can make a decision. I think immediately there was concern that we would be taking their players from them. First of all, there's only a handful of states that have spring football. More importantly, we think this can be supplemental to traditional high school football. We've also had some well-seasoned coaches reach out to us and offer their assistance including taking part in the coaching staff. Overall it's been very positive."
How does it compare to 7-on-7 games?
"7-on-7 should be viewed no more than a drill. It's something that players can get good at but it should be viewed as nothing more than that. What I mean by it is that ultimately there's missing some very valuable when you play 7-on-7, mainly the offensive and defensive lineman. But more importantly, the quarterbacks don't see a live pass rush. The wide receivers catch the ball knowing no ones going to hit them. Linebackers take zone drops that you would never see them take in a real contest. I think that having 11-on-11 football, especially at the time of year when all Division One programs are recruiting and making scholarship offers to promising student athletes, there should be something supplemental in nature out there. The football world has become so diluted in terms of 7-on-7. It used to be a very prestigious thing to participate in one of those. Now every state, every college and university, has some form of 7-on-7."
Woods also stresses his league has also addressed concerns that more football means the possibility of more injuries to high school athletes.
"We are going to exist from mid April to late May, it's a six-week season. Our practices are going to resemble NFL regular season practices. We want to have enough contact so that it's valuable for the offensive and defensive linemen and give good instructional work, but we really don't want players being injured in practice. We want to keep injuries to a minimum. We going to play NCAA rules football, but we've also looked into the possibility of deviating from the rules by modifying the kickoff and doing some other things to make the game safer, including potentially adding a running clock. More importantly, people thought these games that these are going to be additional games that these players take part in. My position is that we will have players that come to us this year, some of the top juniors that have committed to schools by December of their junior year and entered into the early signing period, who will decide they will make the Prep Super League their senior season."
You can SEE my entire SportsJam interview with Brian Woods here.
