The Big Lead

Exclusive: Sixteen-year MLB veteran launches agency with NIL focus

Jerry Hairston Jr. is making big moves.

By J.P. Hoornstra

May 26, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils outfielder Devin Obee (13) celebrates a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Florida State Seminoles during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field.
May 26, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils outfielder Devin Obee (13) celebrates a grand slam in the sixth inning against the Florida State Seminoles during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field. / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
facebooktwitter

Devin Obee isn't a household name. The Georgia senior might never become one. A vast gulf separates the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament MVP award that he won in May from an at-bat in the big leagues.

If his representatives at the newly formed Sports + Image (S+I) agency are right, Obee will at least be a pioneer.

Obee capped a strong junior season (.309/.399/.599) at Duke by doing two untraditional things for a player in his position. First, he returned to college, rather than declare for the Major League Baseball draft. Second, he transferred to Georgia for his senior season, one of the nearly 3,000 baseball players who entered the NCAA transfer portal this year.

The NIL world made Obee's senior season possible, said Jerry Hairston Jr., the 16-year major league veteran who owns the S+I agency. Hairston's cousin, Charles Hairston, is a registered player agent with the MLB Players' Association and the primary representative for the agency's baseball clientele.

Obee "opted to stay in college to continue his education," Hairston told The Big Lead. "NIL money allows him to do that. Instead of going out to pro ball, these kids can continue to further their education as a college athlete. They don’t feel the need to be rushed as to be professional athletes."

The NIL world is frequently portrayed as the "Wild Wild West." Oversight and regulation of NIL contracts is scant. Recruiting of athletes is fierce. Opponents fear the system will promote greed and corruption; proponents argue it will empower athletes by giving them their long-overdue share of the financial pie.

Seldom heard is the argument that the NIL system can benefit an athlete's educational journey. But this is essential to S+I's pitch to its amateur clients.

Baseball players in particular are effectively limited to partial scholarships. The upshot for even the most talented baseball players: the cost of an education restricts who can attend which schools, and for how long. It's a powerful incentive to chase the money that comes with being a high-round draft pick.

MLB also grants scholarships to high school draft picks (through its College Scholarship Plan) who forgo college to sign after they're drafted, provided they enroll within a certain timeframe. The NIL system allows players to get their education first, at least in theory.

Hairston is motivated to put the idea into practice.

"I’ve told clients it’s in their best interest to go to college rather than sign professionally," he said. "We want all our kids to thrive in the years they’re playing and in the years they’re done playing — to look at their careers, plural, in a variety of ways."

S+I will also provide representation for clients in the NFL, NBA, entertainment and sports executive fields. Through the NIL market, S+I already possesses baseball, football and basketball clients enrolled in Power 5 schools.

Home/MLB