GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida football scholar-athletes don't have much time in-season to contemplate off-the-field career paths. However, over spring break, 12 Gators got the opportunity to explore the possibilities in Los Angeles through GatorMade.
The seven-day trip consisted of professional development visits to the Showroom LA, Rodeo Drive, NFL Network, the Los Angeles Lakers, Activision Blizzard, Google, Paramount Picture Studios and a meeting with the Southern California Gator Club.
The City of Angels is an unfamiliar place to most Gators, many of whom are from Florida or the South.
"The trips create exposure more than anything," said
Savannah Bailey, the senior director of player relations and GatorMade.
"It was cool," said running back
Ja'Kobi Jackson. "LA was way different from Pensacola where I'm from."
Jackson has an interest to remain in the game after his playing days are done.
"I still want to be in sports, but I want to be an agent,'' he said.
Jackson was drawn in by the NFL Network and Los Angeles Lakers as the group of Gators visited the city.
What he saw behind the scenes opened his eyes.
"[It's] not just people talking," said Jackson. "Everybody in the back that's not on television, they're really putting in a lot of work. So many desks and laptops around the building."
Tight end
Hayden Hansen was part of the trip to LA, as well as a trip to New York City over spring break in 2023.
He wants to take full advantage of the resources GatorMade offers and the connections the program can help him make in the future.
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"We visited [the] NFL in New York, but that was the business side," Hansen explained. "We visited NFL Network's place over in LA, that was the media side. It's like night and day, same company though."
He was fascinated by the tour of the NFL Network's studio in LA.
"We went to the exact setups. If you were watching the NFL Network for that time, we were on TV. We walked behind Maurice Jones-Drew while he was talking,'' Hansen said. " Even behind the camera, there's stuff I found interesting, too."
When asked about career plans before he was exposed to GatorMade, the "holistic development program" Gators coach
Billy Napier installed when he took over, the redshirt-sophomore Hansen admits that he "really didn't think about it, most of us don't."
Hansen understands "the chance of making it to the league and how low it is," but believes that he has "a shot at it." However, Hansen is busy exploring other paths while he has the resources located in the same building as his locker.
"I'm still trying to find my passion, but GatorMade is definitely helping me see all styles of it."
One field that interests Hansen is sales.
"[The Lakers] showed me a bunch of the sales part," Hansen said. "The biggest thing they talked to us about was getting people in for the G-League games with the South Bay Lakers."
Hansen also learned about sales by speaking with a Florida alumnus during the SoCal Gator Club networking event.
"He was walking me through the steps," said Hansen. "He walked in as a sales rep and worked his way up to the executive wing as director of sales."
Hansen was told that due to the competitive nature of sales, "they like former athletes."
"That's why I like sales so much," Hansen said. "GatorMade has helped me find so many connections in that space."
Gators running back Ja'Kobi Jackson has interest in becoming a sports agent once he is done playing. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
In addition to learning about minor league promotions with the Lakers, the players also got to meet with Tim Harris, president of business operations.
Jackson recalled that Harris recommended that "it is best to get a head start."
Jackson is already making an off-the-field move.
"I'm looking to put an internship application in with the Lakers,'' he said.
Tight end Hayden Hansen has some fun during a stop at Paramount Studios. (Photo: Jordan Herald/UAA Communications)
Along with being a sports agent, the redshirt junior is interested in exploring coaching.
College football players can have difficulty serving a typical college internship. Their summers are spent training for the upcoming season.
To solve this issue, Bailey and GatorMade have developed the micro-internship program.
Bailey explained a micro-internship as a "way to functionally provide experience, exposure and hands on work that is meaningful for both our students and for the companies."
They are 7– to 10-day opportunities in which players can meet with different positions within an organization and demonstrate their applied leadership.
Through GatorMade, football scholar-athletes also witness the reach of Gator Nation.
"They're everywhere," says Hansen. "You never really process it until you go to two different coasts and they're all there."
