Most talented in-state football programs?
I'm not meaning this to turn into a chance to brag about your high school back in the day, but what school(s) have been the best producers of football talent over the years?
Michigan just offered Kris Jenkins, Jr. from Olney (MD) Good Counsel, but his dad went to Belleville before going to Maryland and then the NFL. Belleville also produced Ian Gold, Devontae Dobbs, Julian Barnett, and a bunch of current (and former) big-time prospects (Andre Seldon, Damon Payne, etc.).
I know Cass Tech, King, Novi Catholic Central, and Farmington Hills Harrison have all produced a ton of talent, but what other schools would you put in the discussion?
Yep have the talent but not coached very well.
was going to mention them as well; since Bellamy was hired they definitely are better. outside of one year when they had a player go to MSU in 2001 / 2002 time frame, they historically were terrible
Not sure how accurate this stuff is but here's a list:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/high_schools.cgi?hs_state=MI
As an aside, the state's been a top 10 NFL talent producer historically, but in terms of active players seems to be slipping a bit. MI has half the number of active NFL players that OH produces, and 1/3 or less than what FL/CA/TX/GA produce.
Is that per capita? Given the number of families who left the state over the last 10 years, it wouldnt surprise me if the net numbers are down.
no on their site it was just raw numbers. And yes I'm sure declining populations in state have changed that, but Michigan (10M) still has a similar population numbers to OH (11.5M) and GA (10.5M). Obviously FL, CA, and TX are near the in part based on sheer volume.
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/schools/high_schools.cgi
#recruitOhio
Surprised to see U-D Jesuit so high. Only Ron Rice and Connor Barwin sprang immediately to mind.
Go Cubs!
Wow. Someone from Tawas City is in the NFL
Do you want most talent or best coached teams?
Add Clarkston in best coached teams. Along with Rockford and Canton(even with new coach). Yes they have talent but not as much as Belleville and West Bloomfield but usually outperform them.
The way that Clarkston can dominate in football and basketball without pulling a bunch of athletes from around the tri-County area is insanely impressive. They have a strong youth program that when kids reach high school they know the program and the system.
Well lets not go to far there they recruit like the rest.
OLSM has produced a lot of talent, they have suffered a bit while West Bloomfield has stepped up. Brother Rice has produced a lot of talent. I wouldn’t put CC up there, Tom Mach the old coach, told me back around 2012 he has had the top program in the state for 35 years and has only produced 3 D1 players. I won’t get into the specifics of why he believed this was the case.
OLSM was my first thought. Morgan Trent, Dion Sims, Allen Robinson, Robert Bolden, James & Josh Ross, KJ Hamler was there for 3 years before going to IMG, Justin Siller, Taurian Washington, Dionte Allen.
Many of these guys were there late 2000's but those are the names that I remember as I followed CHSL football closer at that time.
chris mclaurin michigan, jermaine Gonzalez Michigan, and Maclcom Arrington Northwestern are a few more off the top of my head.
Yeah agreed they benefited big time from WBHS being garbage for so long, they basically got all of the top talent in that area. I always had a teacher who said if all kids in west bloomfield went to and played for WBHS then they would be pretty good. Guess he was right
Yes, they also lost a lot of kids to Harrison
I'd have to imagine it was the system he was running. 3 yards and a cloud of dust is great when you're playing high school teams, but it doesn't really have the tendency to produce players of any value to colleges. It had very high and not lenient academic standards as well.
I’d be curious to get a cliff note version as a CC alum. I always thought Coach Mach was stubborn about his system and that didn’t always translate well with potential D1 guys that may have otherwise ended up at CC.
There is the story of Drew Henson’s dad saying Drew would come to CC if Mach tailored the offense to Drew (way more passing). Mach told him to piss off and Drew stayed at Brighton.
It was a 50/50 split between System bias, he felt his system had nothing to do with some of his lineman and defensive players getting a shot. The second part of it was he felt like some D1 coaches turned the other way after looking at a “bunch of white Boys” playing good football, he felt some of his better players should of got a D1 shot but a lot of them ended up D2.
CC has produced only 3 D1 players in 35 years? That’s absurd. Mach was at CC for 40 years and had to put over 100 kids in D1. I can think of 4 Shamrocks that went to Michigan under Mach:
Mark Messner
Mike Martin
Matt Godin
Eric Knuth
This convo happened before Godin and the RB Michigan got from them
Basically, the schools that are either private or school of choice and can therefore essentially recruit talent. Harrison closed, btw.
Oak Park is another up-and-comer. Last I checked, they had something like 6 guys with D1 offers, including D'Wan Mathis (MSU commit, then OSU commit, then Georgia signee), Maliq Carr (Michigan recruit), and Justin Rogers (Kentucky commit).
Saint Joseph High School sent a player to WMU a few years back. Then there was Corey Malone-Hatcher two years later. Still a majority of players go and play at small colleges.
(Also to note that current baseball player Jordan Brewer played football here too.)
I hate the cocky, arrogant assholes but Traverse City St. Francis has produced their fair share of D1 talent. TC West has had a few as well. Other than that, football in northern Michigan is pretty shit.
As a graduate of TCSF, I I guess I'm one of those "arrogant assholes". I've never understood the hate from other schools in northern Michigan toward St. Francis. They built a great program well before I was a school aged kid and it's the same program today. Kids learn plays in 7th grade that they run their senior years and that consistency is what has made them so successful. If that makes a program arrogant assholes, I think most schools would enjoy being labeled as such.
And as far as the "private school" takes go, I understand it, but St. Francis does not get great athletes coming to school to play sports the way private schools down state do. I was a part of 2 football state championships while at SF and I celebrated those victories with the same kids that I played with in the parking lot during recess in 2nd grade.
I wouldn’t expect someone from within to view themselves as such, I’m sure I’d be the same way.
But like you said, if every school in northern Michigan thinks the same, then maybe it is partially true? Some of it may be jealousy, but I can think of a couple reasons why people think about them how they do. St Francis does have an amazing program with amazing support. They definitely have earned their success.
TCSF has some structural advantages over other Northern Michigan schools, sure. A tradition of success, private school, good feeder programs, et cetera.
But, they're also located in Traverse City, of course. They really have no options besides their current league with a bunch of D5-D8 public schools.
That's their league. And they generally win it, with more than a few lopsided scores along the way. And that engenders bitterness.
That may be viewed as "unfair", but it is what it is. If TCSF was located in Clarkston, they could play in the Catholic League. But they aren't. The rest of Northern Michigan just has to deal with it.
(on a side note - Jim Delaney, I'm sure, would appreciate the fact that TCSF's football league, the Northern Michigan Football League, has named their divisions "Leaders", "Legends" and "Legacy.")
Oh I’m quite aware. I went to a public school that regularly played St. Francis, and I had my share of butt kickings, but we also upset the Glads a few times. I have no problem with their on field success, they work their asses off and have built a great program. They play a tougher non conference to make up for their conference schedule and I have no problem with any of that. It’s their fickle, pompous attitude that rubs me the wrong way.
I appreciate your response and agree that it may be difficult for me to understand since I graduated from SF. I'm interested in knowing what those reasons are for people not liking St. Francis if not just for jealousy. Please feel free to be honest. I went to school there but by no means am I so loyal to the school that I'd get upset by hearing another person's honest opinion about it. Always interesting to hear an outsiders opinion and compare it to my own.
I’ll provide some background, I went to a public school that played St. Francis regularly in various sports. I had my share of butt kickings by them, but I also upset TCSF a few times too. Every time we beat them, the opposing coach never gave any credit to us and our game plan to beat them. One time it was even regarded as a fluke and we were “still an inferior program” (which was probably true but still). Another instance was when I worked for a furniture and flooring company and delivered to a house of SF parent, I was carrying a piece of furniture and walked backwards into a wall or something like that and they proceeded to say “that’s why they are in a public school”. I assume the asshole recognized me from basketball or baseball when we played them and decided to make that snark comment. I’m sure there are very nice TCSF grads (you sound like one yourself) but the ones that stick out in my head are the two instances that occurred above.
UP has Menominee, Iron Mountain, Kingsford, Ishpeming, Negaunee are consistently good.
Not a lot of D1 players coming out of there though...
all the schools in the UP that I listed are very small schools. Small schools don't produce much D1 talent but those are the schools that represent the UP in the playoffs more times than not
Cooley. Been around since the turn of the 20th century. How this even be a question?!?
/sarcasmOff (My 85 year old father was a serious track star at Cooley.)
My high school was poop. So... not my high school. Best I can do.
When I attend Atherton High School, now called Burton-Atherton, we might have won one game a year. Thanks, Flint-Hamady.
It definitely isn't Atherton.
EAST:
DCC
CASS TECH
BROTHER RICE
WEST MICHIGAN:
ROCKFORD
GRANDVILLE
GRC
GR CATHOLIC
MUSKEGON
WEST OMISSION
MONA SHORES
FIFY
Grandville? Still? Thought they fell off relatively hard of late.
East Kentwood has been solid recently, but not in history so much.
Muskegon Big Reds
Harrison and Coach Harrington benefited a lot from Harrington’s wife owning an apartment complex in their district
I graduated from Harrison in 1985 but never knew that! Interesting morsel of info, for sure.
EAST:
DCC
CASS TECH
BROTHER RICE
WEST MICHIGAN:
ROCKFORD
GRANDVILLE
GRC
GR CATHOLIC
MUSKEGON
Michigan, hands down!
Want to give some of the kids in the "mid-Michigan sticks" (my original neck of the woods) the credit they deserve. In farm country, the Ithaca Yellowjackets crank out some great football teams year over year. Five Division 6 state titles since 2010, and almost always dominant, year over year.
No recruiting local talent up in Ithaca, like the Cass Techs of the state...
The OP wasnt asking who's local teams win all the time. It was what schools in the start turn out the most talent at the next levels.
Traverse City St. Francis is a dark horse! They have produced some pretty good D1 talent despite being 4 hours from most civilization! Even though most have gone to EL.
Fuck Lowell! Hypocrites!
Anywhere Greg Carter goes has to be in the discussion.
Detroit St. Martin de Porres used to be a powerhouse in the Catholic League. He produced Devin Gardner at Inkster. And look at what he's doing at Oak Park.
Greg Carter played, then coached, under local legend Ron Thompson. If anyone remembers coach "Thomp", then they know Carter had a great mentor.
De Porres, good call. Sad they shut down. When I played, they had a 265lb MLB. Couldn’t move him.
I’m blanking in the name but in 99 the qb went to IU. So fast, like chasing a jack rabbit in the open field
As a CC alum, I would say St. Mary’s is another program to add (didn’t scroll done to see if someone mentioned). We are a great program but it’s not based on having D1 talent every year.