Number of Recruits by FL Geography-Panhandle Gets Dissed

[OldSchoolLion]

Below are the number of 3-star and up recruits from each part of the state.  So, there is as more high-tier talent in Duval or Orange County than the entire Panhandle/Big Bend area?  It appears to me that the recruiting services focus on highly populated areas, ie 72% of all rated players come from one of 7 counties in FL.  There are only 8 players ranked 3-star and up west of Tallahassee. 

SE FL-120 players (Dade-57, Broward-48, Palm Beach-15)

West Central FL-64 players (Hillsborough-25, Pinellas-14, IMG-10)

East Central-37 players (Orange-17)

NE FL-29 players (Duval-17)

NW FL-16 players

SW FL-5

[gatorman-uf]

Perhaps it is because the Panhandle doesn't produce the talent that it once did....

 

Since 1999:

1. 1999: Lincoln (Tallahassee) 6A (largest classification)
2. 2000: Pine Forest (Pensacola) 4A
3. 2000: North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 1A (smallest classification)
4. 2001: Lincoln (Tallahassee) 4A 
5. 2001: Madison County 2A
6. 2001: North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 1A (smallest classification)
7. 2005: Port St Joe 1A
8. 2006: FAMU High 1B
9. 2007: Madison County 2A
10. 2009: Pensacola 3A
11. 2010: Lincoln 4A
12. 2011: North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 2A
13. 2011: Jefferson County *1A-Rural
14. 2012: Godby (Tallahassee) 5A
15. 2012: Northview (Bratt) 1A-Rural
16. 2014: Port St. Joe 1A-Rural
17. 2017: Madison County 1A-Rural
18. 2017: North Florida Christian - 2A
19. 2018: Madison County 1A-Rural

In the last 20 seasons the "panhandle" has won 19 state championships, only 7 of them coming in a classification above the bottom two classifications with 27 runner-ups. Again most of the runner-ups are coming in smaller classifications. So out of 300 potential slots, the panhandle has gotten less than 15% of them. They haven't won anything above 2A since 2012. Perhaps we just start acknowledging that the Panhandle isn't what it once was in terms of individual or team talent. 

1. 1999: Rutherford 5A
2. 1999: Escambia 4A
3. 1999: Suwannee 3A
4. 2000: Marianna 2A
5. 2002: Crestview 3A
6. 2003: Madison County 2A
7. 2004: Madison County 2A
8. 2004: Pensacola Catholic 2B
9. 2005: Graceville 1B
10. 2006: Pine Forest (Pensacola) 3A
11. 2006: North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 1A
12. 2007: North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 1A
13. 2007: FAMU High 1B
14. 2008: Lincoln (Tallahassee) 4A
15. 2008: Godby (Tallahassee) 3A
16. 2009: Niceville 4A
17. 2011: Wakulla (Crawfordville) 5A
18. 2011: Chipley 1A-Rural
19. 2012: Lincoln 7A
20. 2012: Madison County 3A
21. 2013: Niceville 7A
22. 2013: Blountstown 1A-Rural
23. 2014: Godby 5A
24. 2015: Wakulla (Crawfordville) 5A
25. 2016: Baker 1A-Rural
26. 2017: Blountstown 1A-Rural
27. 2018: Baker 1A-Rural
     

[OldSchoolLion]

for what it's worth, Alabama and Auburn have the following Panhandle players on their rosters.  

**Alex Leatherwood/OG-Alabama-Pensacola Washington

**Eli Stove/WR-Auburn-Niceville

Marquis McClain/WR-Auburn-Crestview

**Nick Brahms/OC-Auburn-Navarre

**starter in 2018

 

Hard for me to believe there is only one "real" 4-star senior-to-be (Keyshawn Greene/LB-Wakulla) in the entire Panhandle region...and only 2 of the future Top 150 seniors in FL are from the Panhandle.  But that's what some of the "experts" are claiming now. 

[OldSchoolLion]

In 2017, 39% of "rated" players in the state came from Dade and Broward counties.  For this upcoming season, these 2 counties are at 38%.  It's uncanny.  Just as going to a certain hs seems to boost "star power" of certain athletes, I sometimes wonder if playing in Dade or Broward somehow makes a kid magic in the eyes of some.  That's not taking anything away from south FL, which is loaded with talent.  Just an observation.