Tulsa's Booker T. Washington vs IMG Academy

[Rabid Cougar]

Did Texas High School coaches decide not to schedule IMG? If so good for them. More state associations need to do that.


From the Tulsa newspaper:

"Booker T. Washington played a team based out of Bradenton, Florida, Saturday, known as IMG Academy. Not High School, Academy.

IMG starting quarterback Kellen Mond transferred there from San Antonio. Marcus Williamson, a cornerback who scored an IMG touchdown, transferred from Westerville, Ohio. He plays the secondary with Isaiah Pryor, who transferred from Lawrenceville, Georgia. Asa Martin, the IMG running back who also scored Saturday, transferred from Decatur, Alabama. Detect a pattern here?

IMG has been luring teenage tennis prodigies from all over the country for so long that we view it as standard practice. Is it too much to ask to keep the talent mill from infecting football as well?

There’s a growing discomfort among college football coaches that their sport is being tainted by AAU/summer league/prep school tendencies.

IMG, the No. 3-ranked team in USA Today’s national poll, symbolizes that sleaze.

BTW lost Saturday’s game, 49-7. Let’s make that an excuse to take a stand similar to the one taken by Texas high school coaches — no more scheduling games against IMG and its football factory ilk. That goes for Jenks, Union or anyone else willing to learn from BTW’s sad example.

The only thing the Hornets got out of playing IMG was dirty."

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/osusportsextra/guerin-teed-it-was-quite-a-week-extracting-victory-from/article_b668ea04-ae19-583e-a622-0f2cac5e1a78.html

[caleb_mccaig]

Have no problem with top prospects enjoying excellent facilities and playing with other top talents at a place like IMG. Dillon Moses is there and I think an Allen lineman off of the top of my head.

The NCAA, college football fans and recruiting sites have monetized this level of play so I won't blame young athletes for going somewhere that focuses on them preparing for the next level above anything else, even though I don't agree with it.

http://www.tampabay.com/resources/images/dti/rendered/2015/05/c3s_IMGcampus051715_15221719_8col.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/09/19/sports/19IMGweb-alt2/19IMGweb-alt2-superJumbo.jpg

http://cdn0.dailydot.com/cache/c6/5c/c65cdeb32c66a74e2c63905bcaab7ad1.jpg

[Rabid Cougar]

Have no problem with top prospects enjoying excellent facilities and playing with other top talents at a place like IMG. Dillon Moses is there and I think an Allen lineman off of the top of my head.

The NCAA, college football fans and recruiting sites have monetized this level of play so I won't blame young athletes for going somewhere that focuses on them preparing for the next level above anything else, even though I don't agree with it.

http://www.tampabay.com/resources/images/dti/rendered/2015/05/c3s_IMGcampus051715_15221719_8col.jpg

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/09/19/sports/19IMGweb-alt2/19IMGweb-alt2-superJumbo.jpg

http://cdn0.dailydot.com/cache/c6/5c/c65cdeb32c66a74e2c63905bcaab7ad1.jpg

Good. let them play against themselves.

$100K a year to go there. Where do these parents get the dough to do this?

[cookiemonster]

They need to put a stop to this fast! Not even close to what HS Athletics is about.

[BwdLion73]

Good. let them play against themselves.

$100K a year to go there. Where do these parents get the dough to do this?

Probably have investors who are betting on a future pro career in 4 to 6 years for an excellent return on their investment.

[Yoe_09]

They need to put a stop to this fast! Not even close to what HS Athletics is about.

I agree.

[waterboy]

They need to put a stop to this fast! Not even close to what HS Athletics is about.

+2

If you are allowed to recruit the best talent from around the country, how is that fair for the schools that do it the right way? If this continues, I think they should be forced to play ONLY those teams with the same advantages, not local high school teams.

[Macarthur]

I don't have a problem with them being allowed to do this but w two caveats.

If I were a HS coach, I would never schedule them.

And second, they should not be included in any HS poll or be allowed to be a national champion because they recruit.

[Rabid Cougar]

I don't have a problem with them being allowed to do this but w two caveats.

If I were a HS coach, I would never schedule them.

And second, they should not be included in any HS poll or be allowed to be a national champion because they recruit.

This^^^^^^^

Same for Private/Parochial Schools that recruit from across the country. (Bishop Gorman)

[waterboy]

I don't have a problem with them being allowed to do this but w two caveats.

If I were a HS coach, I would never schedule them.

And second, they should not be included in any HS poll or be allowed to be a national champion because they recruit.

Agreed on both points. If schools around the country would agree to not play schools that don't follow the same rules that apply to them, who would these mega dollar prep schools play? The only ones left to play them would be other prep schools.

And, the "polls" should separate the two types of schools because they are not equals.