HornetFan

Plus the argument is that this 15-18 year old has the RIGHT to make the choice that is best for him. How many in that age group really make good decisions for themselves. My 18 year old grandson just graduated from his local high school here in Central Florida. He was a starting DE and his team's leader in sacks with 15 this past season. He had the opportunity to play football at several D2 schools and he loves playing football, but he wanted to continue his education at the University of Florida. He said he'll train over the Fall and Winter and try to walk-on next Spring. His attitude is that he would love to play football at UF, but if he doesn't , he'll attend the games and get his undergraduate and law degrees at UF. I couldn't be more proud of his decision.

I'm a fossil too; I'll be 77 in November. My experiences regarding education were similar to yours, and if you went to public school, there was no such thing as transferring for athletics. You went to the public HS for which you were zoned or you attended a private high school. Sports were a part of high school, but they weren't the end all that we now see at so many schools. I want every kid to succeed in life and education is a major component in that success. Even NFL superstars need a quality education.

I think his shock came at Dr Phillips when it became apparent that he would more than likely lose his starting QB position. Going from an 8A traditional power to a glorified Pop Warner team surprises me too. He is transferring late and this may have been what he and his parents perceived as his best opportunity to play his senior year. The move allows him to stay in Orlando and probably put up some big numbers, but it doesn't enhance his D1 prospects. To his credit, he wants to play and as a senior, this is probably his last chance.

I wish politicians would stop throwing the race card into every issue and let's concentrate on what is best for the kids' future. We need to educate and encourage all kids, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, etc, to be the best they can. And that's not just the best athlete. We need well rounded kids coming out of our high schools and colleges so they will be well prepared for what they will face in life over the next 40 years.

I think you mean West Oaks, not West Orange. West Oaks is a small private school in Orlando. They play a schedule against similar small teams and as best I know, they are an independent. They already have a QB, but he hasn't seen the level of competition that Patti has at Dr Phillips. This is probably a good move for Patti because he should be able to excel at this level.

Just adding to your post. The kid that succeeds academically has the power to change the future for his/her family for generations.

We want these kids to do better, especially those that are disadvantaged. Your comment is spot on. The time to get these kids, and especially those that have disadvantages, is in high school. I'm all for kids pursuing their athletic dreams, but it can't be at the expense of their academic education.

I'm not surprised after the Spring Jamboree. He should do well at West Oaks where expectations are not as high as at Dr Phillips.

Well stated. Even the most athletically talented kids are one injury away from an end to their athletic career. Kids from every race and ethnicity have to be encouraged to strive to excel in academics. Even if they are talented and fortunate enough to have a successful career in professional football, a strong academic background will serve them well as they go through life. Our schools should be graduating well rounded students that are capable of being successful in the adult world.

the "equity" monsters would fight it vigorously. They would definitely fight it, if only for political purposes. What too many people are unwilling to acknowledge is that football will only get "a very talented, and lucky few" security for the rest of their lives. The "life span" in the NFL is somewhere less than 3 years. The kids that don't get lifetime security from an NFL career need an education to fall back on after football.

"Just once I would like to see a couple of these kids say that they are transferring to another school due to the other school having a better academic rating" I hope that you're not holding your breath waiting for that to happen. I would love to see the FHSAA put an academic requirement on all transfers wanting to participate in athletics at the new school; say a 3.0 or a 3.5 cumulative GPA verified by the former school, or in lieu of that, a waiver by the previous school allowing the transferring student to play immediately. The only exceptions would be either (1) the student transferring as a result of his/her family physically moving to the new school's zone and the family establishing permanent residency there, (2) transferring from a private high school to his/her new school's zone where the family has established permanent residency, or (3) transferring to a private high school with eligibility based upon meeting the GPA requirement listed above.

I'll leave it to others that actually deal with the FHSAA to evaluate their competence. As for schedules, the individual schools should be responsible for posting their updated schedules on their Twitter and Facebook pages if they want to keep their fans informed.

MaxPreps has that game scheduled for October 1st, not the KOC.

"because when you lose or win in the KOC your rankings either go up or down" If the KOC was intended to have an effect on a team's ranking, they should be playing the game as a regular season game. Some teams will not risk injury to key players in a game that does not count in the standings; this makes perfect sense, especially if the kid(s) are coming off an injury. Some coaches play the game for what it is; an exhibition game to get the team and also the fans ready for the new season. Also to give as many kids as possible an opportunity to get in the game.

I personally would rather have the 11th game instead of the KOC. You already have Spring games and Spring Jamborees that don't count, so do you really need a KOC where coaches can empty the benches and you possibly get a few minutes or maybe a quarter to see your starters play. If the game doesn't count, why risk injury to your starters? Spring is the time for jamborees, play to win in the Fall.

West Orange @ Winter Park

I'm not a fan of pre-season rankings How can any HS football fan put any credence in preseason rankings, especially with the number of transfers that are drastically altering the talent levels of many of the HS football teams here in Florida?

I live in the Orlando area now, but lived in Clearwater (Countryside) back in late 80s and early 90s. The high schools in Pinellas County are smaller than the schools here in Orlando. Pinellas has little open space for a large expansion in population and it is one of the older counties as far as age of its population is concerned; that limits the availability of kids for each school. Pinellas had some good teams when I lived there; Lakewood was always strong, Largo and Seminole (Pinellas) also were pretty good back then. I believe Pinellas only has two 8A schools; East Lake and Palm Harbor, the last areas of Pinellas to really develop. Sarasota and Manatee counties had strong teams. The Tampa Bay area plays good football, just in smaller classifications.

I follow Central Florida HS football, so my opinion will not include other areas of the state where it seems very few schools are settled as for who will be attending what school. In Central Florida, it should be an interesting season in 8A. Seminole (Sanford) is loaded with talent and has depth at almost all the skill positions, including QB where transfer Luke Rucker may not end up being the starting QB; they have a very talented rising sophomore QB. I expect they'll be the best team in Central Florida this year. Apopka always has talented players and they are always very disciplined. I think their biggest question is at QB, where Andrew McClain transferred over from Seminole. Andrew is a better runner than passer, but that shouldn't hinder Apopka with their heavy reliance on the run and short shuttle passes. Apopka may be the 2nd best 8A team in Central Florida. West Orange and Osceola both have very good teams are in the same district with Dr Phillips, a team that should be good, but didn't show it in the Spring Jamboree . In my opinion, other 8A teams to watch in Central Florida will be Winter Park and Boone. Terrance Gibbs, one of the best RB's in the country, will lead WP's ground game; he is a beast running and catching the ball and should be in top form after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. He'll share running the ball with Amaris Shaw, a very talented rising junior RB. Boone has been steadily improving the past two seasons and has a senior QB that can move the ball down the field. It should be a great season of HS football in Central Florida.

It happens quite frequently with the latest transfer rules that the state legislature enacted. It was done under the guise of improving education opportunities, but was a poorly veiled effort that was actually directed at athletic transfers. That's why it's so gratifying on the rare occasion when the kid who has put in the time at his zoned high school beats out the kid transferring purely for athletic purposes. Can you imagine any coach agreeing to this? Yes, it's being done all too often and the legislation allowing it gives the coaches an out to clear their conscience.

https://floridahsfootball.com/2021/03/15/fhsaa-releases-new-football-classifications-for-2021-season/#.YPBVyehKg2w

The statement about SF and Jax was made with the intent of inserting a little humor into the conversation. I wasn't taking a dump on your thread; just trying to keep some discussions on HS football alive during this very slow period before the Fall season.

I believe the name of this topic is "2021 Transfer Thread" and the discussion between Ray Icaza and myself has been around a kid transferring from Lyman HS to Dr Phillips HS. I didn't realize that you only intended this thread for the purpose of announcing transfers. I know that earlier in this thread that posters have taken liberties in discussing Lee HS and their propensity for attracting transfers. I thought we were allowed to digress from just the announcements to discuss the ramifications of such transfers. I would hate to think that you took offense to my comment regarding transfers in South Florida and Jax. My sincere apologies.

I actually took the time to review my earlier posts from tonight, couldn't find anything saying he made a mistake leaving Lyman. I did say that he should have done it sooner and that Apopka would have been a better destination than DP.

Me too! Can't wait.