UCF senior-to-be safety Richie Grant spent three days in Indianapolis last weekend participating in the NCAA Elite Student-Athlete Symposium.
The annual event, sponsored by the NCAA since 2017 on NFL Combine weekend, brought together 21 standout football student-athletes, all of whom are likely to pursue football careers after college, for a series of educational programs designed to provide pathways to success at the professional level.
The delegation included student-athletes from UCF, Ohio State, LSU, Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, Clemson, USC, Auburn, Florida State and USF.
Among topics covered included presentations on life skills, leadership, agents, social media, financial awareness, life after football and many more.
Presenters included:
--NCAA director of enforcement Chris Howard
--Luke Fedlam of Anomaly Sports on "Decision Making and Protecting Your Athletics Eligibility"
--Carrie Cecil of Social Media Sports Management on "The X's-and-O's of Digital Citizenship" --Former NFL executive Guy Troupe on "Athlete Development Strategies"
--Former NFL general manager Ray Farmer leading a discussion on NFL scouting
--Insurance specialist David Brookbank on "Athlete Disability Insurance"
--NFLPA director Lester Archambeau leading a discussion on player agents
--A panel of current/former NFL players on "Life During and After Sports"
--Arthur Hightower of the Los Angeles Chargers on "NFL Player Engagement"
--NCAA football enforcement staff leading a mock NFL Combine interview session
--Keynote speaker Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations
Grant qualified as one of only two participating student-athletes invited from outside the traditional Power 5 conferences. Joining him in Indianapolis was Steve Smith, director of development for the UCF football program.
A Fort Walton Beach, Florida, product, Grant ranks as the top returning tackler for the Knights for 2020 after making 78 stops to go with eight pass breakups and four tackles for loss a year ago. A first-team all-American Athletic Conference pick in 2019, he has made 25 career starts.