Where do Power Five recruits come from, and why does it matter?

[huskymedic]

Decent read. Normally I'd just drop this into the Recruiting Forum but there has been much speculation in this forum on the subject recently:

Is it really important to dominate college football recruiting in your own state? It depends...

 

[UConnDan97]

Every time I look at these stats, I am dumbfounded as to why New York is so low. They have ~20 million people in the state. Almost twice as many as Ohio and Pennsylvania; other northern cold-weather football states. Yet they produce less than 1/3 of the recruits of PA and less than 1/4 of the recruits of Ohio. Absolutely mind-boggling...

 

[whaler11]

Every time I look at these stats, I am dumbfounded as to why New York is so low. They have ~20 million people in the state. Almost twice as many as Ohio and Pennsylvania; other northern cold-weather football states. Yet they produce less than 1/3 of the recruits of PA and less than 1/4 of the recruits of Ohio. Absolutely mind-boggling...

Sport isn’t played in the population centers.

It barely exists at this point on the island.

Straight culture.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Every time I look at these stats, I am dumbfounded as to why New York is so low. They have ~20 million people in the state. Almost twice as many as Ohio and Pennsylvania; other northern cold-weather football states. Yet they produce less than 1/3 of the recruits of PA and less than 1/4 of the recruits of Ohio. Absolutely mind-boggling...

I think New York, especially in and around the city, basketball is more popular so there isn't as much interest in football as a state like Ohio or PA

 

[whaler11]

The high school games in Georgia are jarring.

I went down to the first Georgia Tech game and was watching a local high school wrapup show on Friday night.

I was still officiating games here and it was like watching another sport.

 

[Exit 4]

The high school games in Georgia are jarring.

I went down to the first Georgia Tech game and was watching a local high school wrapup show on Friday night.

I was still officiating games here and it was like watching another sport.

I feel like the Georgia kids I have seen this year have the most skill and fewest offers (highest skill to offer ratio). Needless to say, Texas and FL are right up there in terms of quality - of course.

Slightly OT - its pretty clear at this point that RE 2.0 has reasserted PA and MD as prime hunting ground and dropped all efforts in IL and virtually all efforts in OH.

 

[John]

I feel like the Georgia kids I have seen this year have the most skill and fewest offers (highest skill to offer ratio). Needless to say, Texas and FL are right up there in terms of quality - of course.

Slightly OT - its pretty clear at this point that RE 2.0 has reasserted PA and MD as prime hunting ground and dropped all efforts in IL and virtually all efforts in OH.

RE 1.0 was primarily PA, NJ and FL correct?

 

[Exit 4]

RE 1.0 was primarily PA, NJ and FL correct?

Yes and Maryland.

 

[SubbaBub]

We are already in most of those states. Not at the front, but there.

We should move into Mississippi and Louisiana more. Make Tulane earn its keep as a partner.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Every time I look at these stats, I am dumbfounded as to why New York is so low. They have ~20 million people in the state. Almost twice as many as Ohio and Pennsylvania; other northern cold-weather football states. Yet they produce less than 1/3 of the recruits of PA and less than 1/4 of the recruits of Ohio. Absolutely mind-boggling...

Lacrosse and basketball are kings in the Empire State.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Yes and Maryland.

RE 1.0 was primarily PA, NJ and FL correct?

And Canada

 

[UConnDan97]

Lacrosse and basketball are kings in the Empire State.

Okay, so let's say that accounts for about 10 million. Where are the other 10 million???

 

[John]

Okay, so let's say that accounts for about 10 million. Where are the other 10 million???

In godforesaken dumps like Syracuse.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Okay, so let's say that accounts for about 10 million. Where are the other 10 million???

I don’t think a lot manhattanites are raised to play football.

 

[UConnDan97]

I don’t think a lot manhattanites are raised to play football.

Okay, the other 5 million (more than the state of CT)?

That's the crazy thing about this game. New York has twice as many people as Greece. How the hell are they only producing about 150 D-1 recruits??

 

[huskymedic]

Erasmus Hall in Brooklyn pumping out some talent:

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

I think New York, especially in and around the city, basketball is more popular so there isn't as much interest in football as a state like Ohio or PA

As a youth coach I had a game in Brooklyn once a few years back and we asked their coaches about this. The Brooklyn guys all basically said the same thing. They have a tough time talking any athletes into playing football. They're mostly just interested in hoops year round.

 

[DoctorWho85]

As a youth coach I had a game in Brooklyn once a few years back and we asked their coaches about this. The Brooklyn guys all basically said the same thing. They have a tough time talking any athletes into playing football. They're mostly just interested in hoops year round.

I think it' just more easily accessible for w kid in the city. There's not a lot of large open fields to play football

 

[TheDrifter75]

Okay, the other 5 million (more than the state of CT)?

That's the crazy thing about this game. New York has twice as many people as Greece. How the hell are they only producing about 150 D-1 recruits??

How many does Greece produce?

 

[UConnDan97]

How many does Greece produce?

A lot of futbol players...

(I think they call it podosfairo or something, but then the pun doesn't work)

 

[TheDrifter75]

A lot of futbol players...

(I think they call it podosfairo or something, but then the pun doesn't work)

Touche

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Sport isn’t played in the population centers.

It barely exists at this point on the island.

Straight culture.

Don't disagree. In fact quite the opposite, but leave it to the Northeast to be different from the rest of the country. LA doesn't seem to stifle USC recruiting and most of the rest of the PAC-12. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin don't seem to "limit" the talent in football. Detroit for Mich & Mich St. Philly, Pitt and Harrisburg don't seem to slow down Penn State. In Florida, Miami produces a ton of talent in football as do the other large population centers - and they also produce their fair share of basketball talent too (so it can't be just be a phenomena of big urban areas to produce hoop stars but not football too).So while I agree with what you have pointed out, it is peculiar that only in the Northeast does it detract from football.

 

[ruthetiger]

Brooklyn football is actually making a huge comeback. There's a lot of untapped talent in the psal football, you just have to look.

A lot of it is because there are more youth football leagues in the city, more so than you'll find on Long Island. LI is pri.e Lcrosse country. The football there is not that great. In BK, a lot of players know that they have better shots at getting th scholarships. That's why you see more and more offers coming out of there. But look to see more Brooklyn, Staten Island, players getting offers.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Don't disagree. In fact quite the opposite, but leave it to the Northeast to be different from the rest of the country. LA doesn't seem to stifle USC recruiting and most of the rest of the PAC-12. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin don't seem to "limit" the talent in football. Detroit for Mich & Mich St. Philly, Pitt and Harrisburg don't seem to slow down Penn State. In Florida, Miami produces a ton of talent in football as do the other large population centers - and they also produce their fair share of basketball talent too (so it can't be just be a phenomena of big urban areas to produce hoop stars but not football too).So while I agree with what you have pointed out, it is peculiar that only in the Northeast does it detract from football.

There are actually a list of reasons but if you were to compare population density in NYC with LA the answer to the first part of your post would be apparent. LA sits on ~475 sq miles of land while NYC sits on~ 300 while housing more than twice the population (8.2 million vs 3.9 million). There is quite a bit more grass land, etc to play football on, especially in what qualifies as inner-city.

 

[weyuo]

• Down South they can play football almost 12 months a year. There is more tradition in football down there than in basketball. More meaningful, legendary wins.
• Ohio & Pennsylvania have Ohio St and Penn St who have both made their mark over time in the college football world. National Championships, memorable bowl wins, All American athletes, Hall of Famers. That gives kids in those states something to look at, admire and dream of.
• NY has Syracuse but their National Championship was in 1959. Besides, rich L I parents don't want to see their kids being hauled off the field in stretchers. It seems that the higher the per capita income the less emphasis on football.
• NJ has Rutgers who claims the very first Intercollegiate football game back in 1869 and the title of "birth place of college football". So I guess football in that state is inbred.