Adrian Wojnarowski talks NIL, athlete development and why he left ESPN to return to his alma mater

Adrian Wojnarowski seemingly had it all. A multi-year, multi-million dollar a year contract at ESPN, a spot on the biggest platform in sports media and a reputation as the best NBA insider and news breaker in the business. But Woj was burnt out and decided to take a massive pay cut to return to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, as GM of the men’s basketball program.

Why leave one of the best jobs in sports? Woj had already achieved tremendous success and now he wanted to give back. Helping a mid-major program in upstate New York in the NIL era is no easy task, but Woj has jumped in with both feet and has already made a tremendous difference.

Woj recently sat down with Greg Olsen on the Youth Inc. podcast. Watch the full episode here and subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss any future episodes.

Key Takeaways

·      Not everything in college sports needs to be transactional. “When I get on the phone with a player, parent or an agent and the first thing they say to me is what can you pay in NIL, it’s probably going to be a quick conversation,” said Woj. “The way I approach it is let’s try and figure out the fit first. Let’s talk about what’s important for you then when we feel like there’s a fit then let’s figure out the money. The problems are when you start with the money and then figure out the fit.”

·      Character matters. Woj uses his reporting skills to find out as much information as he can about a player before the school extends an offer. “So much of it now is are you willing to fight through adversity,” said Woj. "It’s easy now to jump when things aren’t easy.”

·      Put in the work. One thing is certain in today’s ever-changing youth sports world: hard work and skill development matters. It’s easy to get caught up with travel and club teams and playing in tournaments across the country. Spend less time worrying about that and more time in the gym and you’ll have better chance of being successful.

Lessons for Athletes: Go somewhere where you can be productive and play. Don’t be too caught up with the big name schools. It’s much easier these days to transfer up a level than it is to transfer down. Players should think about the best fit for them at all levels. You don’t want to go somewhere just to sit on the bench.