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My enthusiasm for the upcoming season is tempered by the reality that 95% of teams have no chance of winning a state championship. I personally don't feel this is good for the long-term health of Florida high school football, but others may disagree. I don't want to rehash the Metro-Suburban argument, but I foresee a large number of blowouts in the playoffs this year. Here in northwest Florida, a great season is when several teams make it to a Region final game. In the current environment, the odds of a team from northwest Florida winning a state title are almost zero, maybe once in 10 years if the stars align perfectly. So it is a matter of adjusting expectations and enjoying the spirit of high school football where it exists. Yes, there are a handful of transfers in these parts, but generally there is a "community" feel to the competition. Here, attendance is generally very good, rivalries are intense, the bands are robust, and the players play hard, even if they are not the most talented. I will be rooting for some underdogs across the state to make a run this year, but the reality is the usual suspects will likely dominate again. Good luck to each of your teams! One month until kickoff... -
You right and I think coaching plays a part as well. You see Teddy Bridgewater is back at his high school Northwestern and they've gotten tons of transfers in -
By Perspective · Posted
So, let's break this down. Schools cannot control what their fans do, but schools can be punished if certain of their fans break the rules. Is this fair? I don't know. But it is the way the rules are written. If you start sending out text messages to kids suggesting they 'come play for Venice,' and you are not a representative of Venice's athletic interests, no one gets into trouble. Although you may lose a few friends in Lakeland. Can a kid who receives multiple text messages decide to selectively turn in certain teams, but not others? Yes. Does that happen? Not in my experience. To the contrary, kids/parents that have been a part of the shady underworld of high school recruiting/transferring tend to do whatever they can to stay quiet and under the radar for fear of getting caught in the punishment net. As I have said many times (not necessarily on this site), most kids who get contacted by other schools take it as a compliment. It makes them (and their parents) feel good. "Dang, look at all these other schools/coaches that want me/my son to come play for them. That's pretty cool. They're nice guys; why should I turn them in?" And if the kid or his parents are the ones reaching out to other schools to gauge any interest that other schools might have, well, those are going to be the last kids/parents to want to turn anyone in. With all due respect, it appears to me that you are trying to make the argument that the existing rules need to be changed. That may be true. But, as you have seen with NIL, once the camel gets his nose in the tent, the rest of the body is sure to follow. Or you can go with the Pandora's Box analogy. Either way, it'll get crazy. -
By Longtime Observer · Posted
The rules can be clear, but the individual situations not as clear. "Plausible deniability" is a beast. How can a school or coach possibly police the private messaging of one of their fans? It's not possible for John Peacock to peer into the private inboxes of every single person on the planet who may cheer for Venice and may want to send a hotshot recruit a message saying "come play for Venice!". Not to mention rogue actors. I've rooted against Venice in the state title game the last couple of years. What's to stop me from messaging a top recruit and saying "You should play for Venice" in hopes of getting the message reported and Venice in trouble? (I don't message kids or their parents as I personally find it creepy). There are just myriad scenarios where any reasonable person can tell what's going on without having much confidence it can hold up under investigation, in court etc. The other aspect is kids/parents who may receive such messages from a dozen other schools. Do they get to be selective and turn one or two in and ignore the rest? If a Lakeland fan contacts a kid from, say, Bloomingdale and encourages them to play for Lakeland, but the kid goes and plays for Armwood instead (and someone from Armwood had reached out in much the same way as the Lakeland fan), who's guilty? What if the same kid also heard from Sumner and Tampa Bay Tech and ten other schools? It's all a mess. *Every* school is trying to attract as many good players- be it incoming 9th graders or transfers- as possible. Oftentimes, style of play and depth chart are significant factors, and those require conversations of some sort to clarify.
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