A professional athlete’s career is often lucrative, but also relatively short. As a sports agent, Dave Maryles urges athletes to consider the big picture before they’ve played their last game. “You can make a lot of money from the sport, but you’re going to retire young,” says Maryles ’04 Lib. “What are you going to do after? What I tell my clients is while you’re playing, you at least need to taste the flavors to figure out what you want to do.”

After building a client book of mostly current and former NFL players, Maryles and three former colleagues launched Rubicon Talent in 2017. He works closely with young NFL stars such as Jayden Daniels, DeVonta Smith, and Maxx Crosby and retired players including Bruce Smith and Brian Westbrook. Rubicon also represents broadcasters, former Olympians, and celebrity chefs, and it is expanding into basketball through a partnership with another agency.

As NIL changes marketing and branding opportunities for college athletes, Maryles is beginning to work with more athletes while they’re still in high school. “What we’re doing for our amateur clients is the same exact thing we’re doing for our professional athletes,” he says. “We’re working with the brands, working with media, new businesses, being that bridge to the talent in helping them. What’s different is that they’re just greener.”

Maryles, who studied crime, law, and justice at Penn State, reconsidered a career in law after spending a year as a legal assistant after graduation. He worked as an unpaid intern at a sports agency soon after and has turned his passion into a profession. He hopes to help his clients do the same. “We want to sign these kids and be with them all the way through their career,” he says.