Even though former SIU quarterback Stone Labanowitz may not have earned the starting role this year for the Salukis, he has started to make a name for himself in other areas. Following the news he wouldn’t be the starter this year, Labanowitz has been making strides in the sports media field throughout many different types of work.

Labanowitz is working four different jobs right now for different sports companies, including a part-time gig with the Miami Dolphins organization, being a behind-the-scenes crew member for various ESPN daytime shows, partnering with EnterPRIZE Sports and taking part in  the Sports Gambling podcast.

Labanowitz spent his college years majoring as a radio, television, and digital media student, minoring in electronic sports media, and of course spent a lot of time as a quarterback for Advanced Software Analysis Junior College, the University of Mississippi, and ultimately SIU for two seasons.

During his time at SIU, Labanowitz led the Salukis to their first playoff win since 2009 in the 2021 spring season, which caused there to be some debate as to who should be the starter the following season. Ultimately, teammate Nic Baker won the starting job and Labanowitz left the program and ultimately his playing career.

Labanowitz said it wasn’t the move he wanted, but he had other opportunities lined up professionally.

“This is something that was always planned for me and I didn’t have any time to waste. I had to go get it now if I wanted to be successful right away. If I waited a bit, who knows what would have happened, so it was kinda cool to see it all happen as fast as it did,” Labanowitz said.

So fast, in fact, it could have been easy to become overwhelmed with so many new things on his plate. Instead, he said, the experiences brought out the best in him. EnterPRIZE Sports founder, Dan Seravalli said Stone’s transition into working for them has gone as smooth as it could.

“The first thing he did for us, he was by himself and we expected him to make some content for us, but he made so much content for us that we didn’t even use it all. It was great that he went above and beyond, so the transition was phenomenal for him and it was as good as it gets,” Seravalli said.

The team at EnterPRIZE Sports has an Instagram page where it posts various types of content involved in college sports, and even more specifically, college football. Some of this content includes sending a team member out to a college on gameday and getting different types of interviews done as well as interacting with the students and fraternities across campus.

Seravalli said he’s sent Labanowitz out to some of these colleges on gameday because of his relatability to these college students.

“Absolutely. I’m 25, and he’s younger so he’s just removed from college. He knows what the ins and outs are of college and definitely can relate to those kids a little better than us,” Seravalli said.

Labanowitz’s enthusiasm for all things sports media isn’t new. Saluki offensive coordinator Blake Rolan said Labanowitz’s love for the social media world was evident from the start.

“You could tell early on that he had a gift for gab and could talk about all different types of stuff and was really involved with social media and was a great personality on top of all of that. I could see him bringing something unique to any organization or company,” Rolan said.

Rolan was a huge influence on Labanowitz during his time at SIU. Labanowitz said Rolan helped him in a lot of different ways that weren’t even related to his play.

“He really shook my life right away and I don’t think he knew it. He knew how I thought and knew the right way to coach me and that was monumental to me. I think he helped me make my decisions later on in my SIU career and he was almost smiling on my way out in a good way. I owe him a lot no doubt,” Labanowitz said.

Labanowitz spent most of his life so far as a quarterback for teams from high school all the way to last season with SIU. However, he said he probably enjoys his life more now than he did before.

“I’m around football 24/7 now. So at times I feel like I’m still in it. Of course I’m not dropping back in the pocket, but it’s still very much a part of me and always will be. I’m just a lover of sports. I’m more excited about the life side of things right now compared to playing football,” Labanowitz said.

Seravalli said Labanowitz’s time as a college athlete gives him a much easier time when talking to current college students whenever he’s on assignment for EnterPRIZE.

“He played college football, so he relates really well to what we’re doing with college football. He has the same humor and the talent to interview people so I think it’s a really good mesh of things. He’s a great person to work with. He’s open to trying anything for us and works really well with us,” Seravalli said.

Rolan also lauds Labanowitz’s gift at making connections. He said it was always evident.

“The ability to connect and the desire to reach out and know all different types of people was definitely a strength of his. He could really connect with coaches and all different types of players and always seemed interested in other people’s lives and experiences,” Rolan said.

Rolan also noted Labanowitz’ was his ability to get beyond anything that might get thrown in his way.

“He’s certainly an overcomer. He overcame some injuries and didn’t necessarily get the scholarship he wanted going out of high school. He was always ready when the time came and found a way to make it work even when it didn’t always look the greatest sometimes,” Rolan said.

Seravalli said it was a pretty quick decision to bring Labanowitz onto his team once he finally met and interviewed him

“We knew right away. It was a great fit for what we do and his personality matches what we do perfectly and I think it’s just the start to a lot of good things to come. I think the future is going to be bright not only for him, but for all of us here,” Seravalli said.

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at [email protected] or on twitter @Jojobernard2001. 

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