Our son plays for a disater of a HS team. Ranked dead last in state by Maxpreps. He is a WR, so his film relies heavily on a ton of factors and they run a run heavy offense.
He will be a junior next season.
If he transfers to a local private school with a top program, facilities, NFL alums, etc he cannot play varsity his jumior season. He can be on the team, get all the benefits from coaching, practice and play jv games. The senior season he can play.
Which is better for him to get recruited?
Truthfully, neither seem a great way to get recruited. We also live in a town that had a dismal program until a few years ago. Some good players, but horrible coaching that didn’t utilize them to their advantage. My observation is that the players from our school who went on to play in college joined (State)Elite Football, played in their tournaments, and went to camps to be seen.
How do the players for the private school that played JV do with recruitment? Can they show you outcomes? Also, do you have any non-biased coaches that can tell what kind of college program your son can realistically expect to be recruited for? At the lowest levels, it’s basically pay to play at this point, but at least his skills would be better once he got there if you went the private route.
Outside trainers have said he can definitely play football and or track at a mid level D1. Great speed, work ethic, good teammate but this coach only cares about 1. Suckups 2. Seniors 3. Catchphrases. They got worse as the season progressed, and I can see the kid getting his love of the game beaten out of him. As a stepparent and coach of 15 years I think I am pretty objective. I know what a leader looks like, I know what a good coach looks like. He gets neither. They get thievery unchecked in locker room, fights on field and in locker room, no repercussions AND the worst team in the state.
You’re a coach, so will have more insight, but I’ll just throw this out there.
If your kid loves the game, you can afford the private school, and the academics are as good or better than your public school, it seems like putting him in the private school will result in better character development if nothing else. Private schools also usually have athletic directors and college counselors with more “reach”.
If your kid has to attend camps to be seen by coaches, he’ll be better prepared coming from the school with better coaching, so if football is the goal, that seems like the better choice. But as that option isn’t free, you are going to want to make sure the academics are going to be a good fit for your student and that you are comfortable with that option financially.
One other option – not one of your two – is a boarding school with a good program. That might allow varsity play as a junior, good coaching, excellent academics, and dedicated college counselors. Many BS are quite generous with FA, so while you would still pay, it may not be the sticker price. I only mention this option as it sounds like neither of the two that are local fit your needs particularly well.
I want to second this. And it might even be worth exploring the re-class option to give more time to develop both academically and athletically. Also, depending on what path is chosen, i’d keep in ming the possibility of a PG year down the line.
Does your S have an opinion?
My mind went immediately to reclass. But its not my money.