The Hudl Futures Forum, presented by Chase, is shaking things up in the high school football recruiting world. They’re giving top prospects some much-needed education on managing their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) income, media skills, brand strategy, brain safety, and film-based scouting literacy.
This three-day event, held March 27-29 in Lincoln, Nebraska, aims to prepare athletes for the maze of high-profile commitments and NIL partnerships. It’s all about equipping young athletes with the know-how to handle financial and branding opportunities—before they even toss their graduation caps.
Why Hudl and Chase Are Leading the Way in NIL Education
The Hudl Futures Forum isn’t your run-of-the-mill high school football event. Instead of the usual showcases where scouts watch for speed and strength, this forum digs into what happens off the field.
NIL eligibility has made financial and brand management must-have skills for young athletes. This year’s group features 33 high school football prospects from 16 states, covering all sorts of positions on both sides of the ball.
Financial Health and NIL Income Management
Financial health sits at the heart of the forum’s agenda, with Chase leading the way. As the U.S. consumer and commercial banking arm of JPMorgan Chase and Co., they’re no strangers to big numbers—serving over 86 million consumers and 7.4 million small businesses.
Chase’s role here highlights how seriously institutions are starting to take young athletes as they begin earning real income. Their sessions focus on managing NIL income and long-term financial planning, giving these teens a crash course in smart money moves.
Media Training for High-Profile Commitments
Media training is also a big deal at the forum. As athletes get more attention through high-profile commitments and NIL deals, knowing how to handle themselves in front of a camera becomes part of their personal brand.
These sessions cover interview skills and recruiting narratives, so athletes can handle the spotlight—even if it’s a little blinding at first.
Brand Strategy with Opendorse
Building a digital identity is crucial for catching the eye of recruiters and sponsors. The brand strategy sessions, run with Opendorse, show athletes how to use their profiles on purpose, not just by accident.
Opendorse has been a big name in the NIL marketplace since college athletes got the green light in 2021. Now, they’re moving into high school sports, and this partnership is a sign that NIL is trickling down to younger athletes.
The Importance of Athlete Safety
Q30 Innovations, the maker of the Q-Collar, covers athlete safety at the forum. Since 2012, Q30 has run over 25 studies on the device, which aims to protect the brain from repetitive head impacts.
Including brain health education here shows that safety isn’t just for the pros anymore—it’s becoming a baseline for high school prep, too.
Film-Based Scouting Literacy
The last pillar of the forum is all about scouting and analysis. Athletes learn how to use film and data to figure out where they’re headed in the recruitment process.
For those already using Hudl, this connects the dots between capturing performance and advocating for themselves with recruiters. Hudl serves more than 300,000 teams worldwide, from high school to the pros, and its recruiting tools are baked into college programs’ workflows.
Many recruits first get noticed through Hudl’s highlight platform, so this training isn’t just theory—it’s practical stuff they’ll actually use.
The Broader Implications for Youth Sports
The Hudl Futures Forum isn’t huge—just 33 athletes. But the format, pairing a tech platform with financial and wellness sponsors to deliver real education to top youth athletes, feels both repeatable and scalable.
For those running youth and high school sports, it proves that NIL education isn’t just a college thing anymore. Brands are now building relationships with young athletes through education, not just old-school sponsorships.
The Role of Financial Institutions and Health-Tech Companies
The sponsors here show a trend: financial institutions and health-tech companies are connecting directly with pre-college athletes. Chase’s presence stands out—it’s not every day you see consumer banking products at high school recruiting events.
By being part of the Futures Forum, Chase gets to reach a very specific group at a key financial moment. These athletes are just starting to earn income and need the right banking tools to manage it.
Opendorse and the NIL Marketplace
Opendorse’s move into high school programming matches the way NIL activity is sliding down into prep sports. More states now let high school athletes earn NIL income before college, and that number’s only set to rise.
It’s pretty clear that NIL education is going to matter more and more for young athletes and their families in the coming years.
Hudl’s Strategic Position
Hudl hosting the Futures Forum tightens its bond with the very athletes its recruiting tools are built for. Athletes who learn how to use film and data for recruitment are way more likely to see Hudl as a tool they can actually use, not just a place to store highlights.
“The recruiting process has evolved dramatically, and the decisions facing young athletes are more complex than ever,” said Adam Gouttierre at Hudl. “By partnering with Chase to host the Futures Forum, we’re making sure these athletes aren’t just ready to play at the next level, but are prepared to handle the life-changing opportunities that come with it.”
A Model Worth Watching
The second annual run of the Hudl Futures Forum suggests the model held up after its first year.
Will other platforms or organizations try to build something similar? It’s tough to say if this will stay exclusive to football or branch out into other high-value recruiting sports.
For more detailed insights, visit the Youth Sports Business Report.
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