OHIO alumnus turns passion for football into career as NFL scout

鈥淚鈥檓 about to find out鈥攄o I really love football?鈥� Jaylen Bannerman-Oden BSM '19 thought to himself as he arrived back at his 花季传媒 dorm at 4 a.m. after a tough weeknight loss at Bowling Green State University.

Bannerman-Oden was working as a student assistant for the OHIO football team. It was only his freshman year and he knew he still had to make it to class that same morning鈥攂ut even then, he knew the answer was yes.

Today, Bannerman-Oden brings that same passion and love for the game of football to his role as an . In addition to his impressive work ethic, he credits his time at 花季传媒 as a major force in shaping his career.

Very few people have what it takes to be a scout in the National Football League (NFL). From traveling to universities across the country and identifying potential talent that could elevate a franchise, to uncovering weaknesses in an opponent鈥檚 gameplan, NFL scouts are the eyes and ears of a team.

Bannerman-Oden was drawn to working in the realm of NFL scouting early on. At only 10 years old, he was watching the NFL combine from start to finish. He didn鈥檛 know how, but he knew that he wanted to be involved with the game of football. Through his time at OHIO, he would come to realize that working in personnel was his calling.

As an area scout, Bannerman-Oden currently covers collegiate scouting operations for the Chargers in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Although his focus is currently working with college athletes, he says he is fortunate to have already had experience with pro scouting and opponent scouting as well. With covering such a large territory, he鈥檚 constantly traveling and doing everything he can to help his team find the best up-and-coming talent鈥攚hich can be quite a whirlwind.

鈥淚t鈥檚 365 days. It鈥檚 a grind,鈥� Bannerman-Oden said. 鈥淚 was living in LA and scouting Alabama and Mississippi, then flying back there, then flying to Cleveland to scout the Cleveland Browns, then going to Utah and scouting BYU, then going to New Mexico, then getting back home. Then I have to scout Vegas but they鈥檙e playing in New Orleans, so I have to fly down to New Orleans instead of Vegas and then come back on two hours of sleep to talk with the coaching staff.鈥�

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Along with all that travel, scouts like Bannerman-Oden must also have a knack for identifying standout players with very little error. NFL scouts assess players' physical abilities like speed, agility, strength and power through extensive research and observation. They not only look at the 鈥渘ow鈥� but also project what a player鈥檚 full potential may be at the professional level with their skills honed.

鈥淚t's like a funnel. Ninety-nine percent of these guys won't be on our team,鈥� Bannerman-Oden explained. 鈥淵ou go through all of these evaluations鈥� you want to make sure that you're getting the right guys.鈥�

Beyond possessing unyielding dedication, a deep understanding of the game and a keen eye for talent, Bannerman-Oden says that scouts must also be a good judge of character.

鈥淵ou evaluate the talent, the player, but you鈥檙e also evaluating the person and their character. That鈥檚 a big part of the job,鈥� explained Bannerman-Oden. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not only bringing in a player, you鈥檙e bringing that person into your organization which is essentially your family. It's a lot of boxes to check, but they have to be checked because the worst thing that can happen is you bring someone in and something bad comes up that you didn鈥檛 know when it was your job to figure that out.鈥�

Scouting can clearly be a lot of hard work, but for those who are passionate about football it鈥檚 a labor of love. On top of discovering talented, young athletes, scouts must also convince the rest of the team that players are worth drafting. For Bannerman-Oden there鈥檚 no feeling like advocating for a player who joins the team and immediately makes an impact.

鈥淚n college [scouting] you鈥檒l have guys that you really fight for, and advocate for,鈥� Bannerman-Oden said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been fortunate that some of the guys that I really have fought for we have ended up drafting in the last few years. And then when they come in and they make plays, that鈥檚 a great feeling.鈥�

Every time a rookie who he鈥檚 scouted gets playing time and scores a touchdown or is named a captain, Bannerman-Oden takes that as a big point of pride.

鈥淎ll of this work, a lot of it goes on behind the scenes,鈥� Bannerman-Oden said. 鈥淜nowing that you鈥檝e contributed to winning鈥� feeling like you鈥檝e done your part to help the team get better, that鈥檚 been pretty gratifying for me.鈥�

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As a John Newton Templeton Scholar, Bannerman-Oden made sure to take advantage of every opportunity he came across during his time at 花季传媒. Whether it was in classes as a sport management major, on the field as a student assistant with the football team, at a event or up town with friends, Bannerman-Oden made sure to soak it all in.

鈥淓verything lined up for me, and 花季传媒 ended up being the best place for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 became very well-rounded person there. OHIO taught me how to make new friends and be my own person.鈥�

Academically, Bannerman-Oden said the sport management program exposed him to the business side of sports which is crucial to understand for anyone interested in working in the industry. He was impressed with the amount of hands-on learning that took place and felt that the classes and internship requirements pushed him to succeed and gave him vital experience.

鈥淚 worked for the Southern Ohio Copperheads one summer, and it taught me a lot,鈥� Bannerman-Oden explained. 鈥淵ou end up involved in every single part of putting on a sporting event there. Later during my first internship with the Chargers, I was doing scouting, but I also had to help in the operations department and I had done all those things before with the Copperheads.鈥�

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Having access to the extensive network of other successful OHIO sport management alumni also didn鈥檛 hurt.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 realize how big the network was,鈥� said Bannerman-Oden. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people who have come through OHIO, the Cardinals鈥� general manager, the Titans鈥� president, personnel on the Giants and so many agents. It鈥檚 a good network and having a good, strong network is a big part of working in personnel.鈥�

Another huge part of Bannerman-Oden鈥檚 花季传媒 experience was working in almost every role imaginable with the team. Being mentored by the late Ron Collins, a former OHIO defensive coordinator, Bannerman-Oden said he was taught so much about football that he still carries with him to this day.

鈥淭hat was probably the most formative part of my college experience,鈥� he emphasized. 鈥淏y the end I was basically part of the staff, and I had similar responsibilities to a graduate assistant. I would go to practice, help the coaches, scout opponents, signal plays on gameday, run the scout team offense, help with recruiting and I also made some really good friends doing it.鈥�