Congrats to the Seniors who signed today

[561_Fan]

Pahokee had 6 kids that signed and about 4 more are upcoming. 
Glades Central had 9 kids that signed today also.

[Jesse]

51 minutes ago, 561_Fan said:

Pahokee had 6 kids that signed and about 4 more are upcoming. 
Glades Central had 9 kids that signed today also.

Oh no yall need them to keep 81 hawthorne to 12 pahokee from happening again lol

[561_Fan]

12 minutes ago, Jesse said:

Oh no yall need them to keep 81 hawthorne to 12 pahokee from happening again lol

Didn’t know Pahokee and Hawthorne played this year. Thanks for the heads up.

[muckboy561]

16 hours ago, 561_Fan said:

Pahokee had 6 kids that signed and about 4 more are upcoming. 
Glades Central had 9 kids that signed today also.

But they want to fired the Head Coach..  Ditto

[FBGUY1989]

Congratulations to all and a bright and healthy future 

[Ray Icaza]

Unfortunately, from recent articles expressing HS coaches views the transfer portal in college is making those scholarship opportunities more difficult to secure.   Looks like unless that is addressed in some fashion to put some restraints on football players switching allegiance so easily, securing these scholarships for HS kids will get more difficult.   As is the case when change takes place to make things better, the unintended consequences jump up to bite you.

[Perspective]

55 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

Unfortunately, from recent articles expressing HS coaches views the transfer portal in college is making those scholarship opportunities more difficult to secure.   Looks like unless that is addressed in some fashion to put some restraints on football players switching allegiance so easily, securing these scholarships for HS kids will get more difficult.   As is the case when change takes place to make things better, the unintended consequences jump up to bite you.

Ray, I can easily see where the transfer portal would affect the timing of scholarship offers to high school kids, but I'm trying to figure out how it would affect availability.   Once the Covid super seniors have finally departed, there should be just as many open spots available each year that need to be filled by incoming high school players.   What am I missing? 

[561_Fan]

2 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

Unfortunately, from recent articles expressing HS coaches views the transfer portal in college is making those scholarship opportunities more difficult to secure.   Looks like unless that is addressed in some fashion to put some restraints on football players switching allegiance so easily, securing these scholarships for HS kids will get more difficult.   As is the case when change takes place to make things better, the unintended consequences jump up to bite you.

The portal is hurting the fringe of star/mid-major kids. Bama A&M only took 10 high school kids. FSU took like 32 high school kids the last 2 cycles combined 

[Ray Icaza]

1 hour ago, Perspective said:

Ray, I can easily see where the transfer portal would affect the timing of scholarship offers to high school kids, but I'm trying to figure out how it would affect availability.   Once the Covid super seniors have finally departed, there should be just as many open spots available each year that need to be filled by incoming high school players.   What am I missing? 

D1 schools have 85 scholarships available and the number goes down for D2, etc.  They are giving a percentage that used to go to HS kids to college kids in the portal as they have a competitive advantage with film vs college competition.   Case in point, one of the top ranked QB's in our state from Cocoa is having trouble getting a D1 offer when he had several prior and those schools backed off; same for our kid Mascoe who also had several offers that backed off and he committed to Campbell University.  There is an actual interview of the Wydmer kid with Brian Smith (SI recruiting analyst) discussing this very issue.  Not sure what you are missing, maybe it's me.

[Ray Icaza]

1 minute ago, Ray Icaza said:

D1 schools have 85 scholarships available and the number goes down for D2, etc.  They are giving a percentage that used to go to HS kids to college kids in the portal as they have a competitive advantage with film vs college competition.   Case in point, one of the top ranked QB's in our state from Cocoa is having trouble getting a D1 offer when he had several prior and those schools backed off; same for our kid Mascoe who also had several offers that backed off and he committed to Campbell University.  There is an actual interview of the Wydmer kid with Brian Smith (SI recruiting analyst) discussing this very issue.  Not sure what you are missing, maybe it's me.

On average, D1 schools recruiting classes average about 20 kids.  They are holding back offers to 6-8 kids in that group while they scour the portal.

[Ray Icaza]

49 minutes ago, 561_Fan said:

The portal is hurting the fringe of star/mid-major kids. Bama A&M only took 10 high school kids. FSU took like 32 high school kids the last 2 cycles combined 

I agree with that analysis, as the 4*-5* kids are obviously getting scooped up.

[Perspective]

So it's just like musical chairs.   Taking the Covid-plus years out of the equation, there are just as many chairs as there used to be for just as many kids as there have always been.   The only difference is that D1 coaches, knowing the value of a scholarship and how much it can hurt a program when a few recruits don't pan out, are more inclined to take a chance on a portal kid who already has a year or two of development under his belt.  That, in turn, should create more opportunities at the schools where kids are leaving from. 

It's just going to end up looking like a big funnel, with the top D1 schools at the narrow end, scooping up the top portal players. 

I don't really like the portal, but it's probably here to stay.  But I think a lot of the problem has to do with the backlog created by giving kids an extra season or two because of Covid.   Because of that, fewer kids have moved through the system on a regular schedule, which created fewer open spots.   The high school kids in the last couple of graduating classes have suffered because of this decision.   In theory, that problem should resolve itself in the next year or two.  Then, the game of musical chairs will continue with an equal number of kids leaving college football and coming into college football every year.  The kids in the portal will just give the top teams more options, but if those kids are leaving smaller/lesser programs for the chance to play with a top team, that should create more openings at the big end of the funnel. 

Just my two cents. 

[Ray Icaza]

45 minutes ago, Perspective said:

So it's just like musical chairs.   Taking the Covid-plus years out of the equation, there are just as many chairs as there used to be for just as many kids as there have always been.   The only difference is that D1 coaches, knowing the value of a scholarship and how much it can hurt a program when a few recruits don't pan out, are more inclined to take a chance on a portal kid who already has a year or two of development under his belt.  That, in turn, should create more opportunities at the schools where kids are leaving from. 

It's just going to end up looking like a big funnel, with the top D1 schools at the narrow end, scooping up the top portal players. 

I don't really like the portal, but it's probably here to stay.  But I think a lot of the problem has to do with the backlog created by giving kids an extra season or two because of Covid.   Because of that, fewer kids have moved through the system on a regular schedule, which created fewer open spots.   The high school kids in the last couple of graduating classes have suffered because of this decision.   In theory, that problem should resolve itself in the next year or two.  Then, the game of musical chairs will continue with an equal number of kids leaving college football and coming into college football every year.  The kids in the portal will just give the top teams more options, but if those kids are leaving smaller/lesser programs for the chance to play with a top team, that should create more openings at the big end of the funnel. 

Just my two cents. 

Not necessarily as many of these smaller colleges (Division II) have only 36 scholarships to give and you obviously can't run a program with 36 kids.  So non-scholarship kids on those teams are the mostly likely receipts in the scenario you describe, not HS kids.  My one cent.

[Perspective]

8 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

Not necessarily as many of these smaller colleges have only 36 scholarships to give and you obviously can't run a program with 36 kids.  So non-scholarship kids on those teams are the mostly likely receipts in the scenario you describe, not HS kids.  My one cent.

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. 

[Ray Icaza]

2 minutes ago, Perspective said:

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. 

The other interesting aspect as I understand it, kids can do the transfer portal one time no questions asked.  So top D1 schools will grab a kid with 2-3 years of eligibility left knowing they most likely won't leave, whereas a HS kid they invest 2 years in preparation might and the time/monetary investment gets them no return.  So, yeah will have to see how all this shakes out. 

[Ray Icaza]

For clarification, I am not against the transfer portal but for that undiscovered HS kid that flies under the radar every year getting an opportunity at the next level.  There are hundreds of examples of that happening even before the portal as kids get overlooked.  I am not a NFL fan and have not watched a single game this year, but my oldest son is and seems very knowledgeable with regards to players.  He mentioned one to me yesterday while we were out boating who I never heard of --- Cooper Kupp, who he thinks is the best receiver in the league.  In researching him, I discovered he had ZERO offers coming out of High School before finally getting a SINGULAR one from Eastern Washington.  If we lose more of these "Opportunities" for these kids trying so hard to make it before they get that one chance, I for one believe in them getting it.

[Ray Icaza]

On 2/6/2022 at 11:39 AM, Ray Icaza said:

Unfortunately, from recent articles expressing HS coaches views the transfer portal in college is making those scholarship opportunities more difficult to secure.   Looks like unless that is addressed in some fashion to put some restraints on football players switching allegiance so easily, securing these scholarships for HS kids will get more difficult.   As is the case when change takes place to make things better, the unintended consequences jump up to bite you.

This article appeared in the Orlando Sentinel today talking about the effect of the transfer portal on HS recruits.  Written by Chris Hayes and titled:

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS CHOOSE EARLY, GET AHEAD OF THE TRANSFER PORTAL. 

Oh how the times have changed. It used to be that high school players would wait until the February’s National Signing Day to make a big splash announcing their college choice. Flash forward to 2022 and many college prospects are enrolled in their school of choice by January.

There are a number of reasons the expedited recruiting plan has picked up steam. The early National Signing Day option in December; the earlier availability to take official college recruiting visits; and then there is the NCAA transfer portal.

[ Orlando area football teams land 19 players on all-state 1st teams ]

The open transfer portal was somewhat brought on by the COVID pandemic. Students could suddenly transfer to another school immediately without penalty of having to sit out a transfer year. That aspect of the transfer changed the landscape of college football and basketball immensely, and it was open to all sports. It created a frenzy with players clogging the on-ramp like a big-city traffic jam.

Last year, thousands of student athletes hit the portal, declaring their intention to transfer. Once officially in the portal, the recruiting process can start all over again, at least for those worthy. Some players wind up sitting in the portal for months and months, even up to a year. It’s not for everyone.

 

Osceola's Derrick LeBlanc (Oklahoma), Ja'Keem Jackson (Florida) and John Walker (UCF) all committed last month. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)

With the portal opening, however, there was a sudden backlash on high school players trying to find a college destination. Coaches started recruiting the portal more heavily than the high school ranks, and who could blame them? Getting an experienced college player instead of a wide-eyed freshman out of high school was a no-brainer.

[ Jones High receiver Jabari Smith commits to FAU ]

There was a lack of scholarships to offer the high school players and many waited too late to make a decision. Those players wound up at the Football Championship Subdivision level or were left out entirely. Quarterbacks were the main victims. In the past, schools preferred getting their quarterback recruiting done early.

A good example is Chad Mascoe, who guided Kissimmee Osceola to the state championship game in which the Kowboys lost to Seminole in 2020. He was once committed to FSU, but that didn’t work out so he waited to choose from his other offers. That list dwindled as signing day approached and schools were snagging their next quarterback out of the portal.

The process was already bogged down by the extra year of eligibility granted to players due to the COVID pandemic. That impact is felt less and less now as the players finish their careers, but for Mascoe it was small consolation.

 

He had four remaining Football Bowl Subdivision offers, but none was committable. He ended up at FCS Campbell, where he’s sure to be the star of the show. That’s not FBS, however, the highest level which is on every high schooler’s wishlist.

[ Boone receiver Aidan Mizell commits to Florida Gators ]

Things have changed this year. It’s been a record-setting offseason for recruiting in Central Florida, with 33 players in the Sentinel’s 2023 Super60 committing to their school of choice before August even arrived. Nine players committed in the final week of July.

Sentinel Sports Final

Weekdays

---

Every morning, get the late sports scores and stories from the night before.

>

Antonio Ferguson of Apopka, an East Carolina defensive end commit, thinks the portal is a big reason for all of the summer activity.

“I think the transfer portal definitely has an influence on people committing earlier than usual,” he said. “Because now, half of the spots are going to people in the transfer portal and the other half is going to high school recruits.

“People are just trying to make sure to get their spots on the team and it’s making people commit faster.”

[ Osceola 4-star DL John Walker becomes highest-ranked commit to UCF football ]

Finally the recruits are wising up, listening to their coaches and taking advantage of opportunities. It often makes for a quick decision, but most players are going to be better off for it.

But what if they’re not?

Well, there is always the transfer portal.

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays covers high school football, college football recruiting, the NFL and the Orlando Magic for the Sentinel. He can be reached at CHays@orlandosentinel.com.

 

It pretty much reflects my opinion from back in February.

 

•  
• •  

[Ray Icaza]

8 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

This article appeared in the Orlando Sentinel today talking about the effect of the transfer portal on HS recruits.  Written by Chris Hayes and titled:

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS CHOOSE EARLY, GET AHEAD OF THE TRANSFER PORTAL. 

Oh how the times have changed. It used to be that high school players would wait until the February’s National Signing Day to make a big splash announcing their college choice. Flash forward to 2022 and many college prospects are enrolled in their school of choice by January.

There are a number of reasons the expedited recruiting plan has picked up steam. The early National Signing Day option in December; the earlier availability to take official college recruiting visits; and then there is the NCAA transfer portal.

[ Orlando area football teams land 19 players on all-state 1st teams ]

The open transfer portal was somewhat brought on by the COVID pandemic. Students could suddenly transfer to another school immediately without penalty of having to sit out a transfer year. That aspect of the transfer changed the landscape of college football and basketball immensely, and it was open to all sports. It created a frenzy with players clogging the on-ramp like a big-city traffic jam.

Last year, thousands of student athletes hit the portal, declaring their intention to transfer. Once officially in the portal, the recruiting process can start all over again, at least for those worthy. Some players wind up sitting in the portal for months and months, even up to a year. It’s not for everyone.

 

Osceola's Derrick LeBlanc (Oklahoma), Ja'Keem Jackson (Florida) and John Walker (UCF) all committed last month. (Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel)

With the portal opening, however, there was a sudden backlash on high school players trying to find a college destination. Coaches started recruiting the portal more heavily than the high school ranks, and who could blame them? Getting an experienced college player instead of a wide-eyed freshman out of high school was a no-brainer.

[ Jones High receiver Jabari Smith commits to FAU ]

There was a lack of scholarships to offer the high school players and many waited too late to make a decision. Those players wound up at the Football Championship Subdivision level or were left out entirely. Quarterbacks were the main victims. In the past, schools preferred getting their quarterback recruiting done early.

A good example is Chad Mascoe, who guided Kissimmee Osceola to the state championship game in which the Kowboys lost to Seminole in 2020. He was once committed to FSU, but that didn’t work out so he waited to choose from his other offers. That list dwindled as signing day approached and schools were snagging their next quarterback out of the portal.

The process was already bogged down by the extra year of eligibility granted to players due to the COVID pandemic. That impact is felt less and less now as the players finish their careers, but for Mascoe it was small consolation.

 

He had four remaining Football Bowl Subdivision offers, but none was committable. He ended up at FCS Campbell, where he’s sure to be the star of the show. That’s not FBS, however, the highest level which is on every high schooler’s wishlist.

[ Boone receiver Aidan Mizell commits to Florida Gators ]

Things have changed this year. It’s been a record-setting offseason for recruiting in Central Florida, with 33 players in the Sentinel’s 2023 Super60 committing to their school of choice before August even arrived. Nine players committed in the final week of July.

Sentinel Sports Final

Weekdays

---

Every morning, get the late sports scores and stories from the night before.

>

Antonio Ferguson of Apopka, an East Carolina defensive end commit, thinks the portal is a big reason for all of the summer activity.

“I think the transfer portal definitely has an influence on people committing earlier than usual,” he said. “Because now, half of the spots are going to people in the transfer portal and the other half is going to high school recruits.

“People are just trying to make sure to get their spots on the team and it’s making people commit faster.”

[ Osceola 4-star DL John Walker becomes highest-ranked commit to UCF football ]

Finally the recruits are wising up, listening to their coaches and taking advantage of opportunities. It often makes for a quick decision, but most players are going to be better off for it.

But what if they’re not?

Well, there is always the transfer portal.

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays covers high school football, college football recruiting, the NFL and the Orlando Magic for the Sentinel. He can be reached at CHays@orlandosentinel.com.

 

It pretty much reflects my opinion from back in February.

 

 

•  
• •  

Using our former QB Chad Mascoe as an example, if he has a big year at Campbell Univ. as projected he could enter the transfer portal and get picked up by a D1 school taking an available scholarship away from a HS kid in the class of 2023.   This article also emphasized that this new development affects quarterbacks the most.   

 

[PinellasFB]

On 2/6/2022 at 2:46 PM, Ray Icaza said:

On average, D1 schools recruiting classes average about 20 kids.  They are holding back offers to 6-8 kids in that group while they scour the portal.

I think for most schools the portal kind of balances itself out where transfers in = transfers out.  I'm sure a few choice schools get more transfers in than out but for the most part, it's a zero sum game.  

[KeemD321]

2 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

Using our former QB Chad Mascoe as an example, if he has a big year at Campbell Univ. as projected he could enter the transfer portal and get picked up by a D1 school taking an available scholarship away from a HS kid in the class of 2023.   This article also emphasized that this new development affects quarterbacks the most.   

 

That's definitely gonna be the case. Davin Wydner from Cocoa ended up switching his PWO from UCF to Ole Miss which was a major loss for UCF in my opinion. But as far as transfer portal goes for players already at the school for a year or 2.....from what I saw just up til this past week, Cocoa and Rockledge had 6 players enter the transfer portal majority transferred to other major programs with a couple transferring to lower level programs.

[Ray Icaza]

3 hours ago, KeemD321 said:

That's definitely gonna be the case. Davin Wydner from Cocoa ended up switching his PWO from UCF to Ole Miss which was a major loss for UCF in my opinion. But as far as transfer portal goes for players already at the school for a year or 2.....from what I saw just up til this past week, Cocoa and Rockledge had 6 players enter the transfer portal majority transferred to other major programs with a couple transferring to lower level programs.

I think I had mentioned him earlier in this thread as he also seemed to be highly recruited and then the offers started disappearing where in previous years that would not have been the case. 

[Ray Icaza]

3 hours ago, PinellasFB said:

I think for most schools the portal kind of balances itself out where transfers in = transfers out.  I'm sure a few choice schools get more transfers in than out but for the most part, it's a zero sum game.  

It may balance itself out in the future as the portal limits the number of times you can use it to transfer, so the practice may diminish.   Yes, for some schools it may balance itself out though not for all.  But currently, it is definitely affecting the number of scholarships available to HS kids.  It is not a zero-sum game.

[PinellasFB]

13 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

It may balance itself out in the future as the portal limits the number of times you can use it to transfer, so the practice may diminish.   Yes, for some schools it may balance itself out though not for all.  But currently, it is definitely affecting the number of scholarships available to HS kids.  It is not a zero-sum game.

I think what is hurting them currently is actually the extra year of eligibility granted to all players in 2020 due to covid.  Until those guys all finally graduate, there are just not enough scholarships available and classes will be small.

[Ray Icaza]

Thought it would be appropriate to resurrect this thread from the archive regarding the transfer portal with this latest recruiting cycle wrapping up.  Any thoughts this monstrosity would get better or that it was exasperated due to Covid or any other justification can now be clearly seen in the rear view mirror as not a plus for our HS athletes.  They suffer the consequences unless they have a 4* or 5* next to their name and HS coaches throughout the country are clearly frustrated as it has gotten worse in the past year and a half with no light at the end of the tunnel.  This "OPEN TRANSFER" concept at both the college level and HS level is a travesty with coaches at both levels declaring it the "WILD WEST" with little doubt NIL money is not limited to just colleges.  Wondering who we can blame for this nightmare?

[Dr. D]

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".