Wide Left is a newsletter covering the NFL, college football and the politics inside and outside of football.
Our writers have backgrounds in data analysis, film study, politics, debate and decades of experience covering the NFL and college football.
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The vision for Wide Left is to produce high-quality sports and culture writing that educates readers about the game in a way they can’t get anywhere else. The newsletter has been split into three written content verticals: Lead Dive for NFL content, Two Gap for college- and draft-related content and Outside Zone for cultural and political commentary.
In your account settings, you can scroll down to the settings specific to Wide Left and opt into or out of specific verticals to better match which emails you’d prefer to receive.
Our writers and staff:
Arif Hasan, CEO and Chief Writer
Arif Hasan left a job doing direct advocacy and political lobbying to write about football. And, much to his surprise, he was able to go from covering occasional practices at training camp to covering the Super Bowl.
Without a college degree or a background in journalism, he got a crash course in sportswriting — both the highs and the lows. Nevertheless, his ability to combine traditional reporting with analytical insights drawn from a background in debate and willingness to experiment with spreadsheets has resonated with readers enough that they’ve followed him from through his journey.
He’s previously written for the Daily Norseman, Zone Coverage, the Athletic and Pro Football Network and his writing has appeared in the LA Times, Business Insider, the Star Tribune and more.
Alex Katson, COO and Writer
Before being named COO in May 2025, Alex Katson wrote two freelance pieces for Wide Left - The Loneliness of the Left-Footed Kicker and What's Wrong With Pro Day Reporting? Those pieces came on the heels of Katson's introduction to a broader national audience with a December 2024 analysis of the on-field reasons for former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker's precipitous decline, published on SB Nation. Katson also covers the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Huskies for USA Today.
A compulsive list-maker since childhood, Katson is best known for his collection of football-related spreadsheets, which cover a wide variety of topics from the college football transfer portal, NFL pro day results, and NFL Draft declarations. Considered the premier authority for football information on the internet, Katson's spreadsheets - housed on his personal Patreon - have been used by multiple NFL teams, college football programs, and major agencies and media outlets.
Devin Jackson, Chief of Content and Writer
Devin joins Wide Left as an established journalist who has been in the business since 2019. While his specialty is covering the NFL Draft, having done so since 2020, he’s worked in television and print, first as a digital content editor and multimedia journalist, a sports digital editor for Nola.com, covering sports betting for the Philadelphia Inquirer before getting promoted to sports editor. He has a passion for storytelling and college football as a former player, and has covered predraft events since the 2023 draft cycle.
Dante Collinelli, Editor
Dante began his career covering the NFL Draft for Blue Chip Scouting in 2019 while attending Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. There, he earned a journalism degree and spent four years covering the Temple Football team, which somehow included covering four different head coaches.
For the past three years, Dante served as the Deputy Editor for The 33rd Team, working with former players, coaches, and general managers, while building a team of NFL writers. He also covers the Miami Dolphins for Dolphins on SI.
Luke Braun, Writer
Luke Braun has been writing about the Vikings in at least a semi-professional sense since 2016. In 2018, he started as the host of the Locked On Vikings podcast. Luke Braun's Film Room has been a part of Wide Left since 2023.
Luke's writing focuses mostly on film study draped in annoyingly tortured metaphors. Is this an act of sabotage? Who knows. Some of his work here includes The Unbearable Lightness of Quarterbacking and The End Of All Things, which are both film study pieces, if you can believe it.
Ben Glassmire, Writer
Ben began his football writing career at 16 years old with any website that would allow him a platform. After stumbling across Draft Twitter, Ben began his descent into the world of scouting and established himself as an analyst focused on film-driven breakdowns of players entering the NFL Draft.
His previous experience includes time at USA Today covering the Dallas Cowboys and later covering his alma mater, the Washington Huskies for UW Huskies Wire. Additionally, Ben has consulted for multiple NFL agencies, working to identify undervalued players from former PAC-12 and Mountain West schools.
James Foster, Writer
James Foster is an NFL writer who creates film-based analysis of the NFL and NFL Draft. He blends tape study and analytics to help fans understand the game and is particularly passionate about highlighting under-appreciated positions and players. He began his career on YouTube and has produced video and written content for The 33rd Team and A to Z Sports. He also writes about the Titans for Paul Kuharsky.
