Growth of high school football in the state.

#1
HoptownVol

HoptownVol

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#1
Mods can feel free to move this but since its a dead period I thought it might be worthwhile to
talk about the status of HS football in the Volunteer state.

Tennessee players signing with D1 programs:

2015:

SEC - 26 (52% increase over 2014)
ACC - 4
Pac 12 - 3
Big 10 - 3

Total Big 5 - 36 (44%)

Service Academies - 12 (Air Force and Navy)
MTSU, UTC, and Memphis State signed 17 total.

2014:

SEC - 17
ACC - 4
Pac 12 - 1
Big 10 - 2
Big 12 - 1

Total Big 5 - 25

Academies - 3 (Navy)
Middle, UTC, MSU - 9

Big 5 schools also signed 25 in 2013, with 21 going to SEC schools, and 30/20 in 2012. I should
make an adjustment for the Vandys, Kentuckys, and the Wake Forrests but I'll leave that alone for
now. So far 24 players have Big 5 offers for 2016, and with camps and football season around the
corner that is likely to change dramatically.

We all know that there was a lame excuse for certain coaches losing their recruiting edge was
because "there's no D1 talent in the state"....nobody can make that argument anymore. So my
question for those that live in the state and follow HS football, was 2015 an anomaly, or do you
expect the talent base to continue to expand beyond that?
 
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#2
#2
HoptownVol said:
Mods can feel free to move this but since its a dead period I thought it might be worthwhile to
talk about the status of HS football in the Volunteer state.

Tennessee players signing with D1 programs:

2015:

SEC - 26 (52% increase over 2014)
ACC - 4
Pac 12 - 3
Big 10 - 3

Total Big 5 - 36 (44%)

Service Academies - 12 (Air Force and Navy)
MTSU, UTC, and Memphis State signed 17 total.

2014:

SEC - 17
ACC - 4
Pac 12 - 1
Big 10 - 2
Big 12 - 1

Total Big 5 - 25

Academies - 3 (Navy)
Middle, UTC, MSU - 9

Big 5 schools also signed 25 in 2013, with 21 going to SEC schools, and 30/20 in 2012. I should
make an adjustment for the Vandys, Kentuckys, and the Wake Forrests but I'll leave that alone for
now. So far 24 players have Big 5 offers for 2016, and with camps and football season around the
corner that is likely to change dramatically.

We all know that there was a lame excuse for certain coaches losing their recruiting edge was
because "there's no D1 talent in the state"....nobody can make that argument anymore. So my
question for those that live in the state and follow HS football, was 2015 an anomaly, or do you
expect the talent base to continue to expand beyond that?
Click to expand...
was a huge fan of TN high school football before leaving the state for LA in the mid 90s. Just my observations but I believe the talent was always in TN. The entire state roughly had the population of LA county for example and LA was and still is a hot bed of talent. What has changed (yes I know most of you thought your old coach was the best, but chances are he wasn't) is the quality of coaching in TN. Thanks mostly to private schools that took winning on the gridiron seriously in the state, many public programs began taking it more seriously and bringing in better coaching talent and have caught up. One thing the private system taught the public guys was kids that were not that great in the classroom somehow did OK, got scholarships, and graduated with degrees if they got some tutoring and help. Now you don't see too many public coaches shrug their shoulders and don't care if a potential D1 kid struggles in the classroom. I have seen that occur on more than one occasion back in the day. So overall it is my view the quality of coaching in the state has a lot to do with TN kids doing better.
 
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#4
#4
Remy said:
was a huge fan of TN high school football before leaving the state for LA in the mid 90s. Just my observations but I believe the talent was always in TN. The entire state roughly had the population of LA county for example and LA was and still is a hot bed of talent. What has changed (yes I know most of you thought your old coach was the best, but chances are he wasn't) is the quality of coaching in TN. Thanks mostly to private schools that took winning on the gridiron seriously in the state, many public programs began taking it more seriously and bringing in better coaching talent and have caught up. One thing the private system taught the public guys was kids that were not that great in the classroom somehow did OK, got scholarships, and graduated with degrees if they got some tutoring and help. Now you don't see too many public coaches shrug their shoulders and don't care if a potential D1 kid struggles in the classroom. I have seen that occur on more than one occasion back in the day. So overall it is my view the quality of coaching in the state has a lot to do with TN kids doing better.
Click to expand...

I agree the talent has always been there. Back in the heyday of "there ain't no dang talent" argument,
Tennessee was #11 in active roster players in the league, so we had a pretty good base, they were
just going to other schools, or smaller schools.

Also agree on the quality of coaching, and Butch raves about these coaches and I dont think he's
pandering. Anyway, 2015 represented a major uptick in D1 and overall signees, I'm sort of anxious to
see if we can maintain that same pace next February.
 
#9
#9
Oh wait, I get it....Groupies! If thats the case we should be seeing a huge spike in 2017. Woohoo!!!
 
#10
#10
There has always been talent in Tenn! It's really about your recruiting needs. If you have a better player that wants to come from out of state, you take him. Only so many spots on the roster so it boils down to who the coaches want versus just taking player from the state.
 
#11
#11
HoptownVol said:
I'm sorry, how exactly are the Titans to credit for whats going on across the state?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I was talking about the word "influx" and how it was used correctly!

As for the Titans being responsible for the influx of talent? I'd say they may have a hand in it, particularly in middle Tennessee. Nashville and Murfreesboro have blown up in population in the past 15 years. That may or may not be due to having an NFL team though.
 
#12
#12
G0 BIG 0RANGE said:
Sorry, I was talking about the word "influx" and how it was used correctly!

As for the Titans being responsible for the influx of talent? I'd say they may have a hand in it, particularly in middle Tennessee. Nashville and Murfreesboro have blown up in population in the past 15 years. That may or may not be due to having an NFL team though.
Click to expand...

The Nashville metropolitan area is absolutely booming in population, but it has almost nothing to do with that football team that plays there.
 
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#13
#13
Many businesses have moved their headquarters to the Middle Tn area in the past few years. Professional sports such as football and hockey do make some difference when you look at the families of the players, coaches, etc. Also a significant number of former players make this area their permanent home after leaving the game. The talent level in middle Tennessee has increased dramatically due to this, in my opinion. Auburn and Alabama caught on early in their recruiting. Finally, UT is now making a difference again.
 
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#14
#14
Crew said:
You can thank the Titans for the influx of talent.
Click to expand...

I hear people say this quite a bit and I dont get. I have yet to hear someone connect a fact to that statement too.
Vanderbilt and Tennessee do FAR MORE for HS programs than the Titans. Butch Jones I think has 2 huge coaching clinics and visits HS staffs across the state on a regular basis. As much as WE hate the man James Franklin was very good to Nashville coaching staffs and even youth football he also held some free coaching clinics.

The number one reason is the population boom in Nashville and surrounding counties.
 
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#15
#15
velovol said:
I hear people say this quite a bit and I dont get. I have yet to hear someone connect a fact to that statement too.
Vanderbilt and Tennessee do FAR MORE for HS programs than the Titans. Butch Jones I think has 2 huge coaching clinics and visits HS staffs across the state on a regular basis. As much as WE hate the man James Franklin was very good to Nashville coaching staffs and even youth football he also held some free coaching clinics.

The number one reason is the population boom in Nashville and surrounding counties.
Click to expand...

Coaching clinics with Franklin were only available to those coaches who had hot wives.....
 
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#17
#17
Tumbleweedvol said:
There has always been talent in Tenn! It's really about your recruiting needs. If you have a better player that wants to come from out of state, you take him. Only so many spots on the roster so it boils down to who the coaches want versus just taking player from the state.
Click to expand...

OY!
 
#18
#18
High school football is better in Tennessee for several reasons. There is better coaching than ever at the high school level for one thing. But you as so have more specialization of players now. Kids decide to focus on one sport and not try to be a 3 sport star as much as happened in the past. Therefor they can focus on what makes them better during the off season, attending camps and working out.

The Titans discussion has some merit. Being seen as a major sports town does carry some clout in corporate relocation's. But I think their main influence has been because of their own kids. The NFL guys expect good coaching for their kids and so it has trickled down; so that now the coaching has improved here in the Mid-state. Plus some of the retired NFL guys help coach in this area.

but the single biggest reason for the improvement is that the population has increased throughout the state, and especially here in the Nashville area. More people means more players with the potential to be elite players.

JMO
 
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#19
#19
JohnMarxism said:
The Nashville metropolitan area is absolutely booming in population, but it has almost nothing to do with that football team that plays there.
Click to expand...

Like I said, it may or may not have much of an influence. Having professional athletes and former players and coaches popping up as coaches in the Nashville metro area doesn't hurt. I'd say us having a relatively low cost of living and no state income tax has encouraged many people and businesses to relocate here. Probably one of many factors of our population boom and greater talent pool.
 
#21
#21
BTW, going back to 2011, only 22 kids signed with D1 teams, 13 to SEC schools.

In 2010 it was 21/12.
 
#22
#22
It is a year round sport these days kids train year round where in the old days kids went from one sport to another, plus there is a lot more jobs in Tennessee we got people moving to the state to work instead of leaving the state to work, the state is grown a lot since the 70s and 80s, the talent level will increase for years to come and that means top football recruits for our beloved VOLS, we are TENNESSEE what do you expect but the best.:clapping:
 
#23
#23
I think for sure Titans have some influence on youth football here in Middle TN. Titans hold coaches clinics for all age groups. A number players will hold camps here. Former players coach some teams. It certainly isn't "the" reason that Middle TN is becoming the hotbed of talent, but certainly one of the factors.
 
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#24
#24
Maybe this is correlation and not causation, but I remember far fewer of the training/speed/agility/lifting places around middle Tennessee before the Titans came. When I was in high school, we'd have summer camps at D1 in Franklin (not sure if they're still open or not) and I remember usually seeing a few guys working out there who training to try out for the Titans.

I think the Titans talk has some merit (though it probably is a little overstated). But as a direct result of the Titans coming to Nashville, TN can claim Van Jefferson and Bryce Matthews as recruits. The Titans have brought a lot of current and former players, coaches, and staff to the area. Isn't Kevin Dyson the AD at some school like Independence now? In what world would an ex-NFL player be a high school AD in Tennessee if he hadn't settled here to play football first?
 
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#25
#25
Darth_Shiveman said:
Maybe this is correlation and not causation, but I remember far fewer of the training/speed/agility/lifting places around middle Tennessee before the Titans came. When I was in high school, we'd have summer camps at D1 in Franklin (not sure if they're still open or not) and I remember usually seeing a few guys working out there who training to try out for the Titans.

I think the Titans talk has some merit (though it probably is a little overstated). But as a direct result of the Titans coming to Nashville, TN can claim Van Jefferson and Bryce Matthews as recruits. The Titans have brought a lot of current and former players, coaches, and staff to the area. Isn't Kevin Dyson the AD at some school like Independence now? In what world would an ex-NFL player be a high school AD in Tennessee if he hadn't settled here to play football first?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think we've shown its a variety of things that have converged to the benefit of more
competitive play. Its not just population growth because the trend is outpacing the % of growth.

2012 was a mild spike, 2015 was a major spike from what had been essentially a flat trend. If we
can maintain that pace then we'll move ahead of Alabama pretty soon in overall talent base.
BTW, we currently rank #5 in D1 talent among SEC states, ahead of Miss, SC, Missouri, and Arkansas.
Kentucky has not been part of this study.

Oh yeah, one thing I noticed was that Iowa signed a ton of 2 star players from Alabama, Mississippi,
and Tennessee hoping to strike it rich with off the radar talent.
 
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