Investing In Dawgs’ Futures
March 07, 2025 | Athletics, Joel Coleman
Mississippi State keeps setting its student-athletes up for long-term success.
STARKVILLE – In a new era of college sports, Mississippi State continues to be a trailblazer when it comes to setting its student-athletes up for success across the board.
MSU has long taken pride in caring for Bulldogs on all fronts whether that be in the classroom, managing their overall health or, of course, in competition. Now, given how individuals are able to capitalize off of name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities along with athletes soon being able to benefit from revenue sharing, State is making sure all Dawgs have the chance to set themselves on firm footing financially in the present and potentially well into the future.
At the end of February, Mississippi State welcomed representatives from Scout – an organization that prides itself on providing a financial infrastructure for athletes to seamlessly navigate their payments and earnings. The Scout team held group presentations and one-on-one sessions with MSU athletes from all sports over the course of several days, educating them on everything from taxes, stocks, bonds and investments, to setting up limited liability companies (LLCs) and other options to help with maximizing profits.
"If you put a plan in place, you can set yourself up for life," Scout CEO Michael Haddix Jr. told a room full of Bulldog student-athletes.
Those with maroon in their blood will surely recognize Haddix's name. His father was the legendary MSU running back and first-round NFL Draft pick that played at State from 1979 through 1982.
The younger Haddix's own athletic background took him to a different sport at a different place. He played college basketball at Siena a couple of decades ago before becoming the Columbia Business School-educated investment banker that founded Scout.
Haddix Jr.'s group works with schools all around the country, but make no mistake, he holds special regard for providing crucial support to Mississippi State athletes given his own family's history.
"My mom is from Starkville and my grandma lived down the street," Haddix Jr. said. "So, I spent my summers here until I was like 14 or 15 and I know this place really well.
"This is the first school we ever started working with and it's near and dear to my heart. I think it's special to see my pop and his impact here and also my uncle, Johnie Cooks, who played here as well. So, this is like family to me, and you always take care of family."
Part of a caring relationship is open and honest discussion and that's precisely what Scout brought to MSU. Haddix presented in simple terms how all athletes must prepare and save in order to pay taxes each year, then gave State student-athletes the opportunity for individualized coaching over the course of several days so the Bulldogs could learn how to make the most of their money.
Football's DeAgo Brumfield was among the many student-athletes that capitalized on Scout's visit to campus. Brumfield created his LLC and filed his taxes during his one-on-one with the Scout squad.
Women's basketball's Chandler Prater also filed her taxes. As a transfer, Prater had income from two different states, but Scout made things seamless for her.
"Scout made the process of doing my taxes way less stressful," Prater said. "They were kind and patient with me, and made sure all my bases were covered."
It was but two examples from a week in which so many Dawgs had their eyes opened to both the opportunities as well as the responsibilities that go along with increased income.
Greg Knox is the director of career and professional development for State's DAWG (Developing A Winning Game plan) program. Things like the Scout visit are crucial to Knox and company's mission of taking care of Bulldogs both when they are in uniform and long after they remove the Maroon and White jersey.
"It's all about investing in them for life," Knox explained. "And not just the moment they're in now, but the future. You know, that 40 or 50-year-old version of them is what we're investing in.
"We want to maximize this moment that they're in financially. [Many of our athletes] are making more money now than they may ever make again in their life. So, this is a very important window of opportunity. As a young person, you don't really think a lot about taxes and stocks and bonds and things like that. It's about helping everyone become more familiar with these things and learn how to navigate through that process."
There was appreciation across the board from State athletes for having the chance to meet with Scout. Bulldogs voiced how they were proud to play at and represent a place where their holistic care is prioritized.
"I came to Mississippi State from the [Mid-American Conference] where we had little to no NIL," transfer Cam Thompson said. "The whole thing with taxes, being young, you don't really always understand that during college, so having somebody who can guide you through all that is really good.
"To have things like our DAWG Program and Scout – people that really care about your well-being outside of sports – that is a really good feeling."
It isn't as visible as all of State's touchdowns, home runs, slam dunks and such, but opportunities like the Scout visit are invaluable to the lifelong success of Bulldogs. Haddix and MSU are hoping the Scout-State partnership is laying a foundation for all Dawgs for decades to come.
"We built this with the whole goal to say there's a short window for players to make a lot of money," Haddix Jr. said. "Unfortunately, statistics say that most players won't go pro. So now you're making more money than maybe you'll ever make in your life.
"Our whole goal is, can this be a head start for all these players? Can we get them on track [for financial success] or get them into real estate or [on a path to] have enough to take care of their families? If we do this thing right and help them understand the value of their current opportunities, then it'll rocket ship them to whatever they want to be."