IMG To field a High School Football team

[Big Sky]

WOW! I heard this was coming but I still am a little shocked! Hows everyone else feel?

[50defense]

It is very early on and I don't know much about IMG but it sounds like yet another private school sports factory.
Wenke has no team coaching experience but will surely have great talent to work with.

http://www.maxpreps.com/blogs/maxwir...am-in-2013.htm

[eaglesinsider]

Not even a private school sports factory. This is a sports academy that started as a football training facility holding camps and 7-on-7s.

Anyone who doesn't get why I oppose non-scholastic 7-on-7, it's partly because this is the next logical step. The trainers skip the middle man (high school coaches) and form their own all-star teams.

If IMG succeeds, than others will follow. There will be "academy" rankings and high school rankings just like in basketball. Kids will be leaving their high schools to join the academy teams. Other training groups will look to make the jump to starting their own teams.

This is exactly what I was talking about when I said I don't want HS football going the way of HS basketball. IMG will try to be in football what Oak Hill is in basketball.

[GREYHOUND ALUM]

Not even a private school sports factory. This is a sports academy that started as a football training facility holding camps and 7-on-7s.

Anyone who doesn't get why I oppose non-scholastic 7-on-7, it's partly because this is the next logical step. The trainers skip the middle man (high school coaches) and form their own all-star teams.

If IMG succeeds, than others will follow. There will be "academy" rankings and high school rankings just like in basketball. Kids will be leaving their high schools to join the academy teams. Other training groups will look to make the jump to starting their own teams.

This is exactly what I was talking about when I said I don't want HS football going the way of HS basketball. IMG will try to be in football what Oak Hill is in basketball.

What I wonder is who are they going to play. I hope this doesn't catch on. IMG basketball isn't actually killing it right now.

[Big Sky]

What I wonder is who are they going to play. I hope this doesn't catch on. IMG basketball isn't actually killing it right now.

Football and Basketball as well as Baseball are different Sports.My point is it is great to play a great Basketball or Baseball team to get ready for your league play. I feel Football is a different story. If the players are all bigger stronger and faster, Which IMG will be eventually, due to the year round professional training, Then you start taking a greater risk of injury's to your players. Will not be easy for them to get games in the long run. Secondly most of the (beast's)lol cannot afford IMG. IMG is where the Rich both domestic and foreign sends their kids to train. So IMG will have to Scholarship 22 players at the minimum maybe more. Add paying some high profile coaches, the price tag on this will be 7 figures. Then they will also have to pay schools to travel or IMG to travel this is a loosing venture for a for profit company. If they had half of a brain they would of turned it into a Prep school where the D1 elite teams paid to send their freshman to train and get ready for college ball without losing a year of eligibility. They could have played other top Prep schools and made a profit doing it. Or If they were dead set on high school. Formed or recruited other Schools around the US and Canada to form a Super league.

[Jeebus]

At $65k+ per year ($47k for football academy, $17k for school tuition) it may take a while to fill a class.

They'll probably fund scholarships for enough studs to attract "borderline" prospects whose parents have more cash than sense.

[harcohorns]

As we discussed earlier Calvert Hall is playing one of these type programs from Canada. Niagra Academy of Sports http://www.niagaraacademy.ca/footballacademy.html . . It will be interesting to see that team .. as it has at least 6 5th year transfers from the US... I assume IMG will also be an attractive place for 5th year transfers... Deion Sanders also has something like it in Dallas .. Prime Prep.. although I think Prime Prep is more like the ECA blended model..

[gc06]

This is absurd. what happened to being a student-athlete? Schools like ECA bother me to they shouldn't be allowed to play anyone in MD. I'm mad GC is even scrimmaging them

[92 Card]

This is absurd. what happened to being a student-athlete? Schools like ECA bother me to they shouldn't be allowed to play anyone in MD. I'm mad GC is even scrimmaging them

Watch out.... Your words might be ammo for an accusation of ducking ECA. LOL. I think the difference on the field between these types of schools and ECA is team continuity. IMG, Niagra, or other schools with 5th year players like Kiski Prep, Blair Academy, Wyoming Seminary, Fork Union Prep (Fafaul from Loyola played QB for them last year) and the other Prep Schools scattered across the Northeast have 5th year players for academic purposes or to increase their value as a college player. Some of the players may be physically advanced, but are all relatively new to their schools and the system in which they will be playing. Whereas ECA has a dozen or more NCAA Division 1 players who have been playing together as a whole longer than any high school team in the country I can think of. That's huge on any level, let alone high school.

[Big Sky]

This is absurd. what happened to being a student-athlete? Schools like ECA bother me to they shouldn't be allowed to play anyone in MD. I'm mad GC is even scrimmaging them

Gc is using ECA so they can be prepared for Gorman. I feel in a straight up game ECA would beat GC this year.

[92 Card]

Gc is using ECA so they can be prepared for Gorman. I feel in a straight up game ECA would beat GC this year.

ECA is going to be tough. This is the 3rd season in a row with most of their starting lineup intact, and they are loaded all over the place. IMO, they have more continuity than any team in the nation. It's going to be very difficult for ANYONE to beat ECA this season.

[GREYHOUND ALUM]

ECA is going to be tough. This is the 3rd season in a row with most of their starting lineup intact, and they are loaded all over the place. IMO, they have more continuity than any team in the nation. It's going to be very difficult for ANYONE to beat ECA this season.

I'm not going to say that ECA would be tough for anyone to beat because I don't believe they are as stacked on the field as a lot of you believe. But you are right on with what you are saying about everything else you said here and your above post. Personally I believe an ECA type of school is much more dangerous than a IMG sort of school. I called them a full time "football academy" on the Rivals board and Harco kind of took offense at it. But the truth is, that's almost what they are. They bide by no governing body or rules and because of this can do basically as they please. They can practice 7 on 7 as they like, they can workout daily as a team year round. They have A HUGE advantage like you said, over EVERY school in the nation.

IMO, if this team isn't hype, no way should they lose a game this year! With close to 20 D1 recruits and the advantages that I mentioned above, they should run thru people. Personally I believe that they will beat teams that they play early because of this advantage. But by the end of the year, teams will expose them and beat them. Now this is without me seeing their schedule. Of course it all depends on who they are playing.

[Big Sky]

ECA is going to be tough. This is the 3rd season in a row with most of they're starting lineup intact, and they are loaded all over the place. IMO, they have more continuity than any team in the nation. It's going to be very difficult for ANYONE to beat ECA this season.

I agree.They play more 7on7 than any other team in the nation. They train together more than any team in the nation. They practice their offense more than any team in the nation.
Since they are in no league they have no rules to follow. To think you can add a training business with a different name and not call it practice is like letting your varsity players play the JV game and call them JV because they wear a JV jersey. These kids eat, sleep, study, workout, practice,take classes and play year round, It is a HUGE advantage.Period, What they have yet to prove is can they win,Dominate,or go undefeated. Until that happens their model is not proved to be successful. I think this year That could change things. When you look at players, one thing you look at is are they winners. 5-5 records do not qualify you as a group of Football winners.

[GREYHOUND ALUM]

I agree.They play more 7on7 than any other team in the nation. They train together more than any team in the nation. They practice their offense more than any team in the nation.
Since they are in no league they have no rules to follow. To think you can add a training business with a different name and not call it practice is like letting your varsity players play the JV game and call them JV because they wear a JV jersey. These kids eat, sleep, study, workout, practice,take classes and play year round, It is a HUGE advantage.Period, What they have yet to prove is can they win,Dominate,or go undefeated. Until that happens their model is not proved to be successful. I think this year That could change things. When you look at players, one thing you look at is are they winners. 5-5 records do not qualify you as a group of Football winners.

I could not have said it better. No matter how you slice it, they are a Fulltime football school.

[BmoreCounty99]

I could not have said it better. No matter how you slice it, they are a Fulltime football school.

Dont they have to abide by some sort of rulemaking such as in the MIAA or the MPSSAA. Who do they answer to? How is that fair for the teams they play?

[GREYHOUND ALUM]

Dont they have to abide by some sort of rulemaking such as in the MIAA or the MPSSAA. Who do they answer to? How is that fair for the teams they play?

No they don't. They aren't apart of any association. I think this is a reason why they have had a hard time this year finding games.

[BmoreCounty99]

No they don't. They aren't apart of any association. I think this is a reason why they have had a hard time this year finding games.

Are they trying to become a part of one?

[GREYHOUND ALUM]

Are they trying to become a part of one?

Yes. I am pretty sure they will try to join the MIAA(if it's still around). But they will have to change many things for this to happen. Pretty sure the training year round at the head coaches training facility would have to stop. Like Sky said, this is basically practice. Also the school will have to have other sports. I think you also have to have a JV as well. They have an uphill battle.

[BmoreCounty99]

Yes. I am pretty sure they will try to join the MIAA(if it's still around). But they will have to change many things for this to happen. Pretty sure the training year round at the head coaches training facility would have to stop. Like Sky said, this is basically practice. Also the school will have to have other sports. I think you also have to have a JV as well. They have an uphill battle.

I agree. I dont see ECA being around much after Sills is gone.

[Big Sky]

I could not have said it better. No matter how you slice it, they are a Fulltime football school.

Actually you did. I thought you might of had a a spy camera on my screen. Mine would of posted before yours if I didn't have that 1 finger typing style.LOL