Virginia Tech football players work to avoid being distracted by agents

Social media outlets have also become a new way for agents to target players. Carmichael said he frequently gets Facebook friend requests from girls, and upon accepting them, will receive a message saying they represent a certain agent.

He said runners were ever-present throughout his four years in Blacksburg, but he first noticed them this year after Virginia Tech defeated Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium in a nationally televised game in early November. As he walked to his car in the parking lot afterward, multiple strangers approached him pitching certain agents' services.

"The craziest thing is they know exactly who you are," Carmichael said. "I'm just walking, but they will plan to try to bump into you or just stop you so they can try to talk to you real quick."

Carmichael said he was never offered money or gifts before, and nobody on Virginia Tech ever mentioned receiving improper benefits from a runner or agent. "But I wouldn't doubt it," he added.

This, it seems, is the real danger with agent contact during bowl season. Last year, the NCAA investigated whether former Florida offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey, then a junior, received $100,000 from an agent between the 2009 SEC championship game and the 2010 Sugar Bowl. Nothing came of the probe, however, and Pouncey now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"You never know what you're getting yourself into or who to trust or who to believe," said senior tight end Andre Smith, a potential late-round draft pick who is also waiting until after the Orange Bowl to begin selecting an agent. "In an industry like this, you can't really trust anybody."

Earlier this year, the spotlight focused on the agent industry when North Carolina became embroiled in a scandal surrounding some of its players and coaches potentially receiving improper benefits from agent Gary Wichard. Then, in a recent Sports Illustrated article, former NFL agent and Wichard runner Josh Luchs alleged he paid more than 30 college players during his career.

The NFL Players Association subsequently suspended Wichard's license for a year. Heitner said these revelations have made agents more careful in the short term, but the only way to initiate real change in the industry will involve the full enforcement of state and federal laws concerning agents.

As of January 2011, 41 states have something similar to the Uniform Athlete Agent Act (Virginia is not one of them) on the books, and there's also an additional federal regulation, the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act (SPARTA), that requires all agents to be registered in those states. Runners, however, cannot be prosecuted under these statutes.

"Certain states, their secretary of state, their attorney general have stated that they will go to the full extent of enforcing their laws," Heitner said. "Will it actually happen? That remains to be seen. It's funny because the sports agent profession is glorified in some ways, and in other ways, we're seen as a bunch of slimeballs. But everyone wants to be an agent, so it's an interesting disparity."

Heitner said his biggest piece of advice to college players looking for representation is to take advantage of having so many suitors. He says players should ask questions about the best contract an agent has ever negotiated, how many deals have they been a part of or whether they have a legal background.

Virginia Tech's formal position is to educate their student-athletes about the pitfalls that could come from illegal contact with agents. Locklin said the compliance office instructs players to "be careful of people who are trying to get close to you based on your athletic ability."

Carmichael took a slightly different approach than what the athletic department recommends. Unlike some of his teammates, he has already begun the process of selecting an agent with the help of his mother over the past month.

He's been getting calls and correspondence from agents ever since last season's Chick-fil-A Bowl, but he said anybody who disrespected his wishes or made him uncomfortable throughout the past year was eliminated from consideration immediately.

"Some guys understand I ignored a couple calls and they'll be like: 'We understand you wanna work on the season, so we're gonna leave you alone. We'll call you after the season.' So the guys who have done that, done it the right way, we're just talking to them now. I just want to get through this process the right way."