A pair of potential first-round picks from the Univ. of Washington highlight Excel Sports Management’s first draft class since the agency acquired Rep 1 Football and launched its football division.
The CFP runner up Huskies’ WR Rome Odunze and OL Troy Fautanu are among the nine clients signed by Excel Football for both on-field and marketing representation. Two others are signed for marketing only.
“I think it’s a group that does very well in the draft,” said Ryan Tollner, who cofounded Rep 1 Sports and stayed on post-acquisition as co-head of Excel Football. “Probably more importantly, it’s loaded with team captains and guys who are going to do great things in the community. That’s something we’re proud of."
The full roster includes Odunze, Fautanu, Texas WR Jordan Whittington, Washington OL Roger Rosengarten, Utah OL Sataoa Laumea, Washington LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Notre Dame LB JD Bertrand, Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott, Washington TE/H Jack Westover. Two others are on board for marketing representation only: North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Texas WR AD Mitchell.
In November, Excel acquired Rep 1 Football, creating Excel Football by combining Tollner’s agency with Excel’s existing talent marketing division led by partner Alan Zucker, which already represented Peyton and Eli Manning, Joe Montana and current NFLers Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence, among others. Because the transaction was so late in the football recruitment cycle, the deal had a limited effect on this year’s draft roster, Tollner said, but he expects the NIL and talent marketing capabilities to appeal to possible clients in the future.
