Ayaz Hafeez -- Co-Founder/CEO
Ayaz, originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, is a seasoned professional with a rich background in law and collegiate athletics. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from the University of New Orleans in 2005, followed by a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of New Orleans Law School in 2009.
Ayaz began his career in legal roles at Verizon Wireless and Flow-Tek before transitioning to collegiate athletics in 2013, where he worked in athletic compliance at Texas Southern University and Eastern Michigan University. In 2016, he was hired as the Director of Compliance at the University of California, Davis, where he oversaw NCAA compliance, educating coaches, athletes, and staff on regulations and managing compliance areas such as recruiting, financial aid, and eligibility.
From 2017 to 2022, Ayaz served as Assistant Director of Enforcement for the NCAA, handling investigations into potential rule violations, including major cases like the 2017-18 men's basketball corruption scandal and the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. He played a pivotal role in NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) investigations, working closely with institutions, student-athletes, and NIL agents.
In addition to his experience with the NCAA, Ayaz is a licensed FIFA agent and has served as a NIL consultant for a student-athlete representation company. He also sits on the advisory board of #travelball4all, a nonprofit dedicated to providing competitive baseball opportunities to underserved youth.
From Intern to Innovator
Following his internship, Hafeez served as the director of compliance at UC Davis for a year before returning to the NCAA in a contract role with the Eligibility Center. Now, as a full-time assistant director in enforcement, Hafeez handles and processes Level I and Level II cases for all three NCAA divisions. He credits his internship for providing valuable familiarity with enforcement colleagues, protocols, and department directives, noting, “My internship helped me get familiar with enforcement colleagues, protocols and department directives. I processed Level III cases as part of the secondary/Level III team and also helped other assistant directors on Level I and II casework, which included attending case hearings as an intern.”
Hafeez emphasizes the importance of relationship-building during his internship, which continues to support him in his role today. “The internship is more than just working hard and being productive,” Hafeez says. “The relationships you build within your intern class and in all departments at the NCAA will last a lifetime. I still have relationships that help me in my current position.”
Before becoming a postgraduate intern, Hafeez turned down a job offer to be the head of compliance at a Division I institution—a decision he believes was crucial to his career. “The postgraduate internship has propelled my athletics career,” he states. “I truly feel like it was one of the best decisions I have made in my career and I know that I wouldn’t be where I am in my current position without being a postgraduate intern.”
(Inside the NCAA -- 2018)
