The Big Televen's Dilemma

[Stallion]

Florida High School With More Division 1A Prospects Than the State of Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers football: Comparing Florida and Wisconsin recruiting
By TOM MULHERN
1/27/2009 Wisconsin State Journal


Here's one comparison between high school football in Wisconsin and Florida.

Talking to St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) football coach George Smith this week, he told me he had 10 players from his team who already had given oral commitments to colleges and a couple more expected before the Feb. 4 signing day.

The news that Homestead linebacker Ben Gardner had committed to Stanford now makes 12 players in the entire state of Wisconsin who have committed to Football Bowls Subdivision schools (not counting walk-ons).

That's right, when it's all said and done, one team from Florida could have about the same number of FBS recruits as all of Wisconsin.

Granted, St. Thomas is not your average high school football team. It finished the season 15-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today. The Raiders have won 24 straight games, opening the season with a 35-24 win over Ohio power Elder (Cincinnati).

Aquinas outscored opponents 695-117 and allowed just two opponents to score more than 10 points against it. It wrapped up a perfect season with a 56-7 victory in the Orlando Citrus Bowl over then-No. 6 (nationally) Lakeland in the Florida 5A championship game. Aquinas jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and the game ended with a running clock.

The loss was the first ever by Lakeland in a state championship game, having gone 6-0 prior to that, including three straight wins over Aquinas from 2004-06.

The Badgers now have two commitments from Aquinas players, linebacker Conor O'Neill and safety Dezmen Southward.

Of the 12 players in the state of Wisconsin known to have committed to FBS schools, five are headed to UW: Hartford defensive tackle Tyler Dippel; Big Foot offensive lineman Travis Frederick; Middleton offensive lineman Ryan Groy, Homestead defensive end Shelby Haris and Waupun defensive tackle Jordan Kohout.

Only three other state recruits are going to Bowl Championship Series conference teams: Gardner (Stanford), Arrowhead kicker Jeff Budzien (Northwestern) and Kimberly linebacker A.J. Klein (Iowa State).

The other commitments are to Mid-American Conference schools.

I'm not sure of how the Aquinas commitments break down, but it's not like the 10-plus seniors are the only top players on the team. Smith mentioned two running backs and three defensive backs who are juniors and are all expected to be "national recruits" next season. That wasn't an exhaustive list, those are just the players he mentioned in passing.

The opinion of UW fans seems mixed on the Badgers' recruiting emphasis in Florida. The commitment this week of Southward gives the Badgers three players from Florida. Defensive end David Gilbert is a four-star (Rivals) recruit from Northeast High School in Oakland Park, Fla.

Whatever you think of the Badgers' Florida recruiting efforts, there's no denying, that's where the players are.

[George S. Patton]

Really, the best states for the Big 10 to recruit in are Ohio and Pennsylvania. Michigan is OK. But the key that the programs have to get the top players out of their state.

If you look at Minnesota's recruiting, they've been coming to Texas, Florida and the South more because of Brewster. However, his class is going to look pretty average because they've hit a dry spot since December.

But like Minnesota, a lot of the Big 10 schools have tried to go across the country more.