http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/02/04/sec.recruiting/index.html Pretty good article. I my self don't put to much stock into the class rankings, but there is some "proof in the pudding" you could say. :LSU231::milesmic::tigereye::geauxtige:crystal::crystal::crystal:
This argument is so weak. This guy acts like the top high school athletes up north have to go in -20 degree temperature, and chop wood like Sly Stallone in Rocky 4. Call me crazy, but aren't weight rooms (where the majority of training takes place) heated indoor facilities. A better example as to why southern schools recruit better is because way back when a talented kid had to go to a Big 10 school if he wanted television exposure. Nowadays, with so many games on televsion, that same talented kid can pretty much to any major school he wants and be on TV half a dozen times a year.
Yeah, but when those kids are starting out (early teens or so), they can go out and get a game going (in pretty much any sport not called Hockey) any time of year.
Good article, thanks for the post. I'm not sure why it comes out the way it does, maybe the warm weather does have something to do with it. I think the high school coaching may be more aggressive in the south, not really sure. Over here in Tx. they seem to take their high school coaches seriously.
I think the main reason is because football is taken more seriously down South than anywhere else in the country. It's almost apart of the southern culture. All the way down to pee wee and up through middle school and highs chool. It's a passion in the South. It's a passion for the coaches that coach down here on the pee wee, middle school and high school level. That passion gets ingrained into the kids and how they play the game.
Thanks for posting this excerpt. I am going to look for this book. Should be a great read based on what's in the OP post. So what if it appears to focus on Ole Miss. The Blind Side: The Evolution of the Game spent half its focus on Ole Miss' Michael Oher (high school personal foul penalty recipient for "excessive blocking" on a block thrown entirely before the whistle stopped th play) and it was a GREAT book.
The two main reasons for southern football dominance: 1. The south has more football-playing high schools. Many areas of the country don't have the number of football-playing schools as the south. Weather is a factor and competition with hockey for the big strong guys, but small school size in the great plains and west and urban basketball-only schools are bigger factors. 2. The south has more black folks, who are passionate sports participants.
and physiologically are just built to be better athletes....most of the time (NOT ALL THE TIME) they are simply bigger, stronger and faster ....its an awesome sight watching Keiland Williams, Charles Scott, Richard Murphy, or esp. Trindon Holliday break away on a run...having their their speed is something I've only dreamed about!
