Question: Do colleges recruit much from 1A high schools ?

dixiefried · October 1st, 2009, 08:07 AM

I have a question that some of you may be able to help me with.. My son is in middle school.. He is a very talented lineman. Even in rec. ball other teams were trying to recruit him.. Any way here is my question. The high school that he will go to in a couple of years is a 1A program here in northwest GA. He is really hoping to get a scholarship some day. Would his chances be better at a larger high school ? I know in the local paper the larger schools always get more coverage. We've got a couple of years to make a decision but planing never hurts.

Airborne Tider · October 1st, 2009, 08:38 AM

	Quote:	dixiefried
	I have a question that some of you may be able to help me with.. My son is in middle school.. He is a very talented lineman. Even in rec. ball other teams were trying to recruit him.. Any way here is my question. The high school that he will go to in a couple of years is a 1A program here in northwest GA. He is really hoping to get a scholarship some day. Would his chances be better at a larger high school ? I know in the local paper the larger schools always get more coverage. We've got a couple of years to make a decision but planing never hurts.

The quick answer is yes because of higher level of competition. But if your son plays well in games and goes to as many camps and combines as he can then he can still get the exposure needed to get a scholarship.

crimsonkelly · October 1st, 2009, 10:51 AM

What school are you talking about going to? Some of the smaller schools are recruited because they have strong programs with excellent coaches. In Georgia, obviously around Atlanta and further North, the higher the classification, they better the competition. There are some great smaller schools like Buford, ECI, Wesleyan, Lincoln County, Calhoun, Fitgerald, Cook County, Charlton, etc. All of these are great programs and are AA or A programs. While some are in South Georgia, I was mentioning them simply because they are very competitive.

BlakeSmash · October 1st, 2009, 11:51 AM

Calhoun County in SC has produced numerous D1 prospects and is a 1A school. Like some others echoed here, combines and camps will help raise his stocks.

J.E.B. Stuart · October 1st, 2009, 01:18 PM

	Quote:	dixiefried
	I have a question that some of you may be able to help me with.. My son is in middle school.. He is a very talented lineman. Even in rec. ball other teams were trying to recruit him.. Any way here is my question. The high school that he will go to in a couple of years is a 1A program here in northwest GA. He is really hoping to get a scholarship some day. Would his chances be better at a larger high school ? I know in the local paper the larger schools always get more coverage. We've got a couple of years to make a decision but planing never hurts.

I guess you remember Brodie Croyle? He didn't exactly play for Hoover or Prattville and he has made it to the KC Chiefs. So, if he plays well, goes to the camps, I'd think someone will notice. Maybe not Bama, Barn or FSU, but even if he goes to a Div 1AA school, he plays and gets a college degree too boot all paid for. Good luck. Tell him to study hard and make good grades. That is important also. You can be the greatest player in the world, but be as dumb as a box of rock and not get in at all.

JPT4Bama · October 1st, 2009, 01:28 PM

J.E.B. I dig your avatar! It's nice to see .223 available again, is it not?

And I agree with your post. Playing for a bigger classification school is not always necessary in regards to attracting scholarship offers.

I realize he was an exception but Herschel Walker played at small school and did OK.

dixiefried · October 1st, 2009, 03:19 PM

Thanks for all the advise
If he stays were he's at he will go to Gordon Lee High School. They are sitting at 0-4 so far this year but have been playing 3A schools so far. The other choices are Lafayette Ramblers and Ridgeland Panthers. That Boman kid that signed with Bama went to Ridgeland. Lafayette has a new coach his name is Perry Swindall. He coached in Alabama and turned 2 losing programs around and won state with one of them. Last year in his 1st season he turned Lafayette around. Gordon Lee redone their bleachers this year. THey had the old concrete ones. The new ones are bigger and very nice.It looks like they are trying to turn their program around but alot of kids jumped ship and went to Lafayette and Ridgeland this year. I just want what's best for my son. He loves football and that's what keeps him motivated to do good in school.

h2o · October 1st, 2009, 03:22 PM

Most high school athletes are evalutated at camps these days. Coaches have realized they can't just look at stats from a high school game. Who knows what kind of competition they were facing? The most important advice is to get your son's name out there and get some exposure.

CullmanTide · October 1st, 2009, 06:42 PM

Getting your son in a program that has good coaching is more important than classification. Here in Cullman we are lucky to have one of the best staffs in the state. They care about the kids education and overall development as people.

time_4_the_TIDE · October 1st, 2009, 10:50 PM

	Quote:	dixiefried
	Thanks for all the advise If he stays were he's at he will go to Gordon Lee High School. They are sitting at 0-4 so far this year but have been playing 3A schools so far. The other choices are Lafayette Ramblers and Ridgeland Panthers. That Boman kid that signed with Bama went to Ridgeland. Lafayette has a new coach his name is Perry Swindall. He coached in Alabama and turned 2 losing programs around and won state with one of them. Last year in his 1st season he turned Lafayette around. Gordon Lee redone their bleachers this year. THey had the old concrete ones. The new ones are bigger and very nice.It looks like they are trying to turn their program around but alot of kids jumped ship and went to Lafayette and Ridgeland this year. I just want what's best for my son. He loves football and that's what keeps him motivated to do good in school.

How far are you from Dade County High?? Dade County(3a I think may be 4a but I think 3a) has a wonderful coach and they are a powerhouse pretty much every yr. Dade Co beat Fyffe, AL earlier this yr and beating Fyffe isn't easy. I know they are only 2a but they have been to the AL st playoffs for right around 30 years in a row.

time_4_the_TIDE · October 1st, 2009, 11:06 PM

Are better yet forget Dade Co...How about Armuchee?? Right outside Rome,GA.

GrandBayTider · October 1st, 2009, 11:10 PM

There are big programs that do a poor job of helping their players get scholarship so the size isn't the issue. As others have said it is a matter of visibility. Going to camps helps to get his name known by college coaches. Also the H.S. coach can really make a difference in landing a scholarship to somewhere. The Julio Jones and Trent Richardson don't really need the coach, thier talent is apperant to anyone that watches them play. However there are a ton of kids going to smaller programs that end up with that scholarship because thier H.S. coach sent out film and worked the phones to help the kid out. The SEC is great but a paid tuition to any decent school is a great deal.

gamersfuel · October 2nd, 2009, 12:28 AM

to answer the original question, yes it's less likely for major programs to come calling at a lower class. but that does not mean it cant happen. there can be more to recruiting than the scouts coming to a game. have several game tapes to send to schools.