The NFL has not had a true development league for its roster of officials since the NFL Europe league folded in 2007. Until now.
Football Zebras has learned that the NFL has sent four of its officials to work in the UFL to get extra grass time. Vice president of officiating Ramon George, finishing his first year working in the league office, is setting into motion plans to work with officials in their first five seasons that need additional training and improved performance.
The four officials George has selected to work the UFL this spring are:
| U | 11 | Scott Walker | 1 | Vinovich | Florida A&M | insurance agent |
| DJ | 112 | Brian Sakowski | 2 | Novak | Gannon | quality engineer |
| LJ | 97 | Brian Perry | 1 | Martin | Texas | mutual funds |
| FJ | 60 | Jeff Shears | 3 | Wrolstad | Denver | professor |
Sakowski and Shears were not assigned for the 2024 postseason, either on-field or alternate. Walker and Perry were in their first season, so they were not qualified for the playoffs.
All four officials will be assigned to the same crew, which presumably gives NFL position coaches the ability to work with these officials in a game setting. The crew will work five games this season.
The NFL had a cross-border development program with the Canadian Football League to send about four officials north to get extra snaps, some of whom were underperforming in the NFL. That program was halted due to the 2020 pandemic and never resumed.
In 2019, the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL and the officials union included a provision that there should be a vice-president-level executive overseeing development of officials in their first three seasons. Previously, underperforming officials were jogged around to different crews to pair them up with a top official, such as sideline or cross-field mentorships and the referee-umpire tandems. While that’s still an effective tool, the recently reconfigured officiating department is finally placing an emphasis on coaching.
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