As the country shifts into full-fledged Draft Mode, the name “Chase Griffin” may not ring a bell. You won’t see the UCLA quarterback’s name appear in mock drafts. Griffin still has one year of eligibility and the former Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas hasn’t seen the field a ton.
However, his impact off the field has been substantial. The two-time “NIL Athlete of the Year” has shown all college athletes how to navigate this new wild west. Griffin is the first active college athlete to testify in front of Congress on NIL (Name, Image and Likeness), launched The Athlete’s Bureau on Substack and has arguably been the most public voice on the subject. (You can follow Griffin on X and IG.)
This is all strange new terrain for college sports with 19- and 20-year-olds jumping in and out of the transfer portral.
What does the future hold? Griffin helps us make sense of it all.
You can listen to the audio above or inside the Go Long Podcast feeds on Apple, Spotify and YouTube. Video is below.
Also, for more, check out this piece on Griffin at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, written by Carter Yates.
Thanks, all.
Miss Part I of our Mailbag this week?
We discuss Brandon Beane’s drafts, the Tom Clements Effect, the 1950 Browns, potential NFL rule changes and what other NFL teams will take from Super Bowl LVIII.
Right here for Go Long subscribers.
Chase Griffin and the growing power of the college athlete