Mathematics alum blends data analysis, mentorship, and the NFL

Eric Eager is not only helping teams win on Sundays-he's helping build the next generation of football thinkers by proving that the most valuable work isn't always measured in points or yards, but in people.

Eric's professional trajectory has been anything but conventional. He attended Minnesota State Moorhead with the intention of playing football, but soon developed a deep love for mathematics. Encouraged by his professors and mentors, he went on to earn a Ph.D. and became a college professor, teaching math and statistics and consulting on the side.

It was this side consulting that gradually pulled Eric into the world of football analytics full time. He recalls how a casual writing gig for PFF quickly became a consulting role and eventually a leadership role at the company.

The transition from academia to the private sector came with challenges, but Eric says his academic training helped him navigate those changes successfully. Eric is currently the Vice President of Research and Development for the Carolina Panthers.

Two Approaches

From the outside, Eric Eager's role in the NFL appears glamorous. In many ways, it is. He travels internationally with the team, shares sideline space with Hall of Famers like Kurt Warner and veteran players like Adam Thielen, and has a front-row seat to one of the most popular sports in the world.

However, Eric is quick to highlight the more cerebral and demanding side of the job. His daily work involves solving complex problems with high stakes. It's a job that requires adaptability, foresight, and a deep understanding of both data and human behavior.

As Eric puts it, the job is well-suited for someone with "a mathematical habit of mind"– someone who can abstract ideas, recognize patterns, and apply knowledge from one domain to another. Every day presents a new set of questions rooted in football, but informed by mathematics, logic, and careful analysis.

Eric describes his work as falling into two broad categories: roster construction and game planning.

In roster construction, he evaluates how teams have been built historically, studying the composition of successful franchises and analyzing patterns in player value. He calls this examining the "topology" of football rosters-how talent is distributed and concentrated, how positions affect overall success, and how to build around key players. Some teams concentrate value heavily in a few positions (particularly quarterback), while others opt for a more balanced approach. Understanding these historical patterns helps inform decisions in the present.

Game planning focuses on maximizing performance in real time. Eric and his team analyze in-game situations-such as fourth downs, two-point conversions, and clock management-using advanced win probability models. These models simulate various outcomes and help identify the optimal decision based on expected value. It's a blend of mathematics, statistics, and intuition, with the goal of giving the team the best chance to win.

Much of this work stems from Eric's earlier time at Pro Football Focus (PFF), a company widely known for its data analytics in professional and collegiate football. As Vice President for Research and Development at PFF, Eric helped build many of the core models used across the sport today. These tools contributed to the new era of evidence-based strategy in football and positioned Eric as one of the foremost experts in the field.

His Greatest Accomplishment

Despite the technical brilliance of Eric's work, he believes his most significant professional accomplishment lies in mentorship. During his time at PFF, Eric hired and trained a group of interns, five of whom now work for NFL teams. One of them recently won a Super Bowl with the Eagles. Another works with the Lions, and the others are contributing to the Seahawks, Broncos, and Jets.

Eric speaks about these individuals with palpable pride, not just because of their accomplishments but because of what they represent: diverse, passionate, talented individuals who now have a seat at the table in a historically exclusive industry. One of his interns became the first female data scientist at PFF. Another is a leading voice for Indian American representation in football analytics. Their stories, Eric says, are the ones he is most proud to have helped write.

Eric continues to mentor through summer programs, internships, and day-to-day interactions with younger analysts. He affectionately refers to this as "grandparent teaching" – the ability to guide and inspire without the constant pressures of classroom instruction. In this way, Eric has managed to preserve one of the most meaningful aspects of his academic life: helping others grow and succeed.

An Excellent Education

Eric is quick to name Moorhead as one of the most formative experiences of his life. The university allowed him to fully explore his interests, from football to tutoring to student organizations. More importantly, it gave him a community of faculty and peers who believed in him and helped shape his intellect and character.

Moorhead's professors made a lasting impression on Eric – not just through the content of their classes, but through their willingness to invest time, attention, and care in their students. He recalls moments where faculty members encouraged him, affirmed his mathematical abilities, and modeled what it meant to lead with empathy and integrity.

Eric hasn't just helped shape the way NFL teams make decisions, he's done so while remaining committed to mentorship, empathy, and leadership. While there are many people who can do the math, what sets him apart is his willingness to connect with others and make space for them to thrive.