Joby Branion

Joby Branion is a veteran sports agent, founder, and CEO of Vanguard Sports Group, a full-service athlete representation and advisory firm that works with professional talent across the NFL, NBA, and MLB. With more than 25 years in the industry, Branion brings experience as both a former collegiate and professional athlete and a seasoned agent, having negotiated over $1 billion in contracts throughout his career. Branion holds degrees from Duke University and both a J.D. and MBA from UCLA, and he began his agent career in 1996. After co-founding Athletes First, where he helped build one of the leading football agencies, he launched Vanguard Sports Group in 2014 with a philosophy focused on empowering and protecting clients holistically — emphasizing career strategy, financial education, brand development, and long-term success beyond contracts. As an NBPA and NFLPA-certified contract advisor, Branion is known for negotiating record-setting deals — including one of the largest contracts ever for an NFL defensive player — and for his commitment to comprehensive athlete support, blending legal insight with strategic representation across multiple sports.