Perspective

I agree.  Peacock doesn't.  

I agree.  Peacock doesn't.  

I'm not saying that anything in this post is inaccurate, but it appears we're at the point where we're just casually talking about high schools recruiting when, as far as I know, recruiting is still illegal.  Oh, well. 

I agree.  Peacock doesn't.  

And the coach is looking for a new job. 

All kidding aside (if that can even be described as "kidding"), here's the problem that high school coaches face:  if their team has had a successful run, and then they have a "down year," there's a good chance all the good players who would otherwise be returning and/or beginning their high school career at that school will jump ship and transfer.   One down year leads to two or three and next thing you know, you're one of the "have nots" and you're trying to rebuild your program all over again. 

I agree.  Peacock doesn't.  

it bugs me that teams can't get players from their own student population.  So you will have a down year, so what?  That's how it is supposed to work.  You aren't supposed to be good every year.

Just as I suspected. I found at least 46 teams from 2010 who no longer play 11 man football 
 

Landmark Christian 
Village Academy 
Highlands Christian 
Florida Air 
Ridgewood
Choice Learning Academy St John Lutheran 
Barrington Christian
Potters House 
Woods Haven Prep 
Agape Christian 
Calvary Ormond 
Peniel Baptist 
Seacoast Christian 
Hernando Christian 
Eastland Christian
Posnack Day 
FL Deaf 
Ocala Christian 
S Florida Heat 
Lighthouse Deland 
MacArthur North 
Vanguard Lake Wales 
Merritt Island Christian 
Temple Christian 
Faith Baptist 
Shorecrest 
Admiral Farragut 
Summitt Christian
Sheridan Hills Christian 
C Florida Prep 
S FL Prep Christian 
Zion Lutheran 
Princeton Christian
Upperroom Christian 
Coral Springs Christian
Victory Prep
FL Christian Institute 
Champagnat 
Arlington Country Day
Hillel
Premier Academy 
East Gadsden 
West Gadsden 
Curley 
Prep Learning 

Just out of curiosity, does anyone have any idea what the total high school student population was during all of those years mentioned?   Or even the total number of high schools?  Just wondering if the number of classes has increased because the number of schools has increased because the student population has increased. 

Yet again, Venice has ventured up into Tampa Bay and convinced a quarterback to transfer down to Venice.   This time, rising senior QB Jayce Nixon is leaving Gaither and reportedly has enrolled at Venice, where he will play his senior year.   What's the deal?  Can't Venice grow and develop its own QB's? 

Specially Fit Academy... some teams dropped them after concerns. But playing 4 games in 14 days is ridiculous and unhealthy especially if the games were not affected by weather.

Those kids must have been "eSpecially fit."       

Those kids must have been "eSpecially fit."       

Good point.  So, if the process continues to play out, some of the kids that in the past received scholarships may now have to walk-on and hope that when a teammate hits the portal that will free up a scholarship for them.  Not an ideal arrangement for kids that can't afford that first year of college in hopes of earning the free ride. 
That said, if the process indeed plays out this way, one good thing will result:  there will be more of those videos of walk-ons getting surprised with a scholarship.   Some people may think they're a little sappy, but I don't ever get tired of watching 'walk-ons getting a scholarship' and 'military folks coming home and surprising their family' videos. 

Thank you for revisiting this issue, which should be of interest to those concerned about the welfare of HS athletes.  As to who/what to blame for this situation at the college level, go back to rule #1 - follow the money.  So, take money, greed, and self-interest; add in college athletic departments, TV networks, bigwig donors, and highly paid coaches; and you get the picture.  The transfer portal is just a tool to win sooner (theoretically), and while the 4* and 5* athletes are taken care of, the trickle-down effect is obvious.  In my area, I have seen athletes who in the past would have at least picked up low-D1 or D2 offers now get nothing.  I'm sure that is true throughout Florida.  Perhaps some of these deserving HS athletes will get offers in the February signing period. 
At the high school level in Florida, the "school choice" genie is out of the bottle.  And while one can hypothesize about promotion/relegation, transfer multipliers, separate divisions for recruiters/"cheaters", etc., the reality is nothing is likely to change given the current structure of the FHSAA and state laws.  Unless schools opt out of the FHSAA in mass, we are stuck with the current system, with dwindling interest, dwindling attendance, and a widening gulf between the "haves" and "have-nots".    

If they weight 1,000 pounds each 

Cocoa might have an opinion on this whole "home dominance" thing.    

Keem, would you prefer "podunk" instead of "rural?"  

I lost all respect for the University of STA when I saw and heard their coaches at a 7 on 7 tournament openly recruiting the QB from my son's team to come play at STA.  They had no shame.   If this is what they were doing openly, I had to wonder what else was going on behind closed doors. 
So, yes, they are good.   They are good because they have bigger and better athletes than most every other team in the state . . . athletes that likely would not be able to attend or would not choose to attend that school were it not for football. 
OK, someone give me a hand off my soapbox so I don't fall and break my hip like Kareem Abdul Jabbar. 

The FHSAA is dealing with a political system that they should never have to deal with and yes that is a major problem, but there is little we, as high school sports fans/coaches/administrators, can do. While the promotion relegation might see some teams yo-yo up and down, I don't think it would be as much as you think as it is based on 4 years of data and not just one good year.

As for good teams becoming bottom feeders in the next, no I would expect a good 2A team to be good in 3A immediately, they increased the level of their competition. At the same time, those same teams will have years where their coaches move on, a new school opens, and a couple of 3* kids graduate. So maybe that team that got promoted from 2A has gotten some stability as they move up to 3A, but there are still going to be a couple of teams struggling.

I don't know, I just understand why a Chaminade, STA, Venice, Lakeland would want to play in the easy class when they can play in the tough class. Why do they think that 80% of the teams they face in their classification don't want to play them. My problem with an open division playoff, is that occasionally you have a special team that is 2-3 years in the making. You knew it when you watched them that they were going to be good in a couple of years. Now, that teams goes 10-0 and is ready to compete for the first time for a state championship and gets put into the open division playoff despite never being "that" team. I would rather the "open" division be something that you earn over an extended period of time.

I lost all respect for the University of STA when I saw and heard their coaches at a 7 on 7 tournament openly recruiting the QB from my son's team to come play at STA.  They had no shame.   If this is what they were doing openly, I had to wonder what else was going on behind closed doors. 
So, yes, they are good.   They are good because they have bigger and better athletes than most every other team in the state . . . athletes that likely would not be able to attend or would not choose to attend that school were it not for football. 
OK, someone give me a hand off my soapbox so I don't fall and break my hip like Kareem Abdul Jabbar. 

4. 10 years of high school coaching experience. Took a perennial 0-10,1-9,2-10 program and rebuilt it from the ground up.  I bring stability to the program.  I don’t move around. Coming from coaching in a community that has almost no youth football. Being able to teach the game and how to play it safely to the first year player as well as the seasoned player. 
 
5. I know a lot of coaches from being in the high school game for many years.  I have built relationships with a lot of coaches at every level.  I understand what it takes to coach a football team effectively. How to mix personalities and coaching assets for the betterment of the program.  I would interview the past coaching staff to see what they could bring to the table.  What they thought about the previous administration.  Good and bad and what they thought could be done to improve it. I would also research the program from the outside. See what others thought of it. Its strengths and weaknesses. On and off the field.  All of those would be a factor in the staff I would hire. 
 
6. we work 4 days a week in the offseason. I encourage players to participate in other sports.  The advantages of being a multi sport athlete help with recruiting as well as work the body in different ways.  Not all schools can have 4 day a week workouts because of player culture and outside influences.  Would have to study that and see if it could be changed.  But no matter what we would still work out physically and mentally with the kids who could participate. And hope that a little peer pressure and raising expectations can increase attendance.  
 
7. fundraising.  That totally depends on the schools culture and whether there is a booster club or not.  In some schools raising 50k a season is easy.  In others raising 5k is an issue.  There are so many avenues to fundraising it would be a studied decision based on the aforementioned factors.  But we would set lofty goals and strive to achieve them.  While trying to always give something back to the players from their efforts in fundraising (cloth etc)
 
8. 10 years of coaching contacts at the next level.  I have built relationships with numerous programs.  Not trying to oversell an athlete to a higher program that they can be successful at.   In my 9 years at my last school EVERY player who was looking to play at the next lever received an offer.  Not necessarily the d1 offer they thought they deserved.  But a good fit academically, athletically and financially.  
 
there is more that that even. But that’s a quick synopsis of my answers.  

I have moved on.  That being said. When you put 9 years of your life into something you kinda become attached to it. I’ll still be working there.  Have to see it and live it daily.  If you truly can’t understand that.  It was more than just a job.  

Cocoa might have an opinion on this whole "home dominance" thing.