Seems like a very weak class, if the P5 signee numbers are a good indication. There is less than 30 P5 signees in this class with no 5 stars and not many 4’s overall one of the weakest classes in the last ten years
NJ 2023 football class
- Thread starter jakeknight
- Start date
New Jersey kids are turning soft, well maybe it is their parents that are turning soft, would rather have their kids play soccer and lacrosse.
Weird opinion to have. But okay.
You've obviously never played lacrosse and likely have never watched it either.
You sound like wrestlers back in my day who would always argue their practices were the toughest. No sport takes a bigger toll on your body than football, sorry all you lacrosse players, just a fact.
Definition of internet tough guy
The fact is more and more parents are steering their kids away from football in fear of injuries, especially head injuries, towards other sports like soccer and lacrosse. That is happening across the country, and NJ is not immune to that trend. Sometimes I wonder about some of you guys.
Trust me, I’ve heard the story. But that’s not reality. Kids that are not playing because of risk of injury excuse were never going to play anyway. The parents and kids that want to play are going to play. We had one of the bigger freshman football team this year. Do you know what majority of the football kids play in the spring? Lacrosse
Dude, I did both. Football practice was a breeze compared to wrestling practice. Football is always 10 to 20 sec. burst then 30 sec. to 1 min. break. Wrestling was nonstop.
There you go, I knew that would get some wrestlers blood flowing this morning. Sorry, back in my day you hit in practice, I watched some wrestling practices, I didn’t see many people getting hit.
First off we see a reduction in youth sports numbers in general for 2 major reasons.
1. People are having less kids.
2. Kids are specializing in 1 sport year round.
3. Youth sports have created new models for kids to play in, and honestly many football leagues have not evolved from what they looked like 20 years ago (especially in regards to coaching).
3a. Poor coaching at youth levels have lead to terrible experiences, and injuries that have pushed kids away.
Many youth football leagues still go off of the Pop Warner model (weight classes, dad coaches with little to no requirements for being able to coach, and little to no accountability for coaches actions). Too many dads who think 5th grade football is their time to prove they can win vs actually preparing kids appropriately.
So if it takes less of a toll on your body than football the players are soft? I've got an old stick I can lend you so you can participate in a scrimmage and find out.
The idea that playing Lacrosse takes as big a toll on your body as football is laughable. You can play more than one game of Lacrosse in a week, try doing that with football, apples to oranges.
More reason "NJ connections" as a requirement are meaningless.
We signed 1 player (#9) in the Top 10.
What are the NJ connections at Texas A&M, Oklahoma, ND, OSU, Iowa, Florida, West Virginia and Illinois?
We signed 1 player (#9) in the Top 10.
What are the NJ connections at Texas A&M, Oklahoma, ND, OSU, Iowa, Florida, West Virginia and Illinois?
I didn't say as big a toll. But they have been reducing the number of midweek games over the last decade or so because of the toll it takes in leagues like the B1G, ACC and the Ivies.
The number 1 ranked kid this year visited a ton of times. In the end he and his family chose to get paid and play football. You can’t blame kids and families for that. A 6 figure payout landed the number one recruit in NJ. The previous 2 years that guy went to Rutgers. Please join the fundraising effort that matches every dollar we donate. Let’s have more than an opinion on how to fix it.
Lacrosse is a tough sport, it would be stupid to argue otherwise, but no organized sport takes the toll on the human body like football.
Then why? I think there is a consensus that the season starts too early. You could move it back 1 week for each additional weekday game. There is little TV coverage for those games as well, as there is plenty of college hoops to fill the time.
The “toll” I think in this case is more an academic one than physical one. Especially for two of the three conferences you mentioned in the previous post.
And I agree with you about a Spring sport starting in February.
What you suggested could work and still have MDW for the Final Four.
Additionally, we are seeing a large increase of Asian and Indian kids in NJ and of course, hispanic. As we know, the first two ethnic groups do not produce many athletes if at all. Hispanics tend to play soccer and baseball primarily. And, yes, we have some soft white people that see football as being too hard or concerns for injuries.
Not long ago, most white kids grew up in blue collar families, thus we had more white kids playing football.
Not long ago, most white kids grew up in blue collar families, thus we had more white kids playing football.
I'll say that as a "soft NJ parent" that 7yo isn't playing football.
No lacrosse either though.
I'm 5'10", wife is 5'0 and he's always been in 25th percentile for height.
No point in even going down the football path. Same with basketball
He's playing baseball and soccer.
we need him to go pro in a sport with money so he can buy us a house!!
No lacrosse either though.
I'm 5'10", wife is 5'0 and he's always been in 25th percentile for height.
No point in even going down the football path. Same with basketball
He's playing baseball and soccer.
we need him to go pro in a sport with money so he can buy us a house!!
Last edited:
And yet you sound angry that parents are looking out for the long term health of their sons.
Back to the original point: NJ kids still play football, but no one has answered the question off why the State produces so few (or no) 4 and 5 star players. I ask this of those posters here who claim that we need to retain more NJ recruits.
The low number this year is an outlier. New Jersey normally produces more 4/5 stars per capita than most states. Louisiana is the best per capita.
Used to be that NJ was thought to be a top 5 state for producing talent. Not the case any longer. While this was a "down" year for high school football talent, we also tend to over value NJ talent. We do have good high school football and coaching but we are not as strong as Ohio, Pa., Virginia, Florida, Cal, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, etc.
On a per capita basis NJ can compete with some of those states most years. I'd still say it's a Top 10 state.
"Soft" is such an idiotic term coming from one of board's biggest idiots.
People and children choose specific sports for a wide variety of reasons. Your reasons are excellent reasons for not having your kid play football or basketball. But the board idiot will call you and your kid soft. Stupid logic.
Lacrosse has grown in popularity, and that has taken kids who might otherwise play football. To call a sport like lacrosse, wrestling or hockey "soft" is idiotic. But that's the board idiot for you. He feels better about himself trotting out the "soft" trope.
I was referring to HS football, and the fact that parents are actively dissuading their children from participating in football at that level, not parents of 7 year old children, so grow up and actually read the posts you are bitching about.
Bottom line is we will never get to a mid tier status in the B1G if we can’t even recruit our home state.Yes 2023 was a below normal year for NJ Recruits. However there were 6 - 4 Star recruits in NJ and we got zero. Heck even West Virginia and Illinois got one 4 star each ( and BS to the NIL excuse on these).
We need to do much, much better than only getting one Top 10 NJ Recruit … let’s hope the 2024 class improves.
All true.
But can’t just be NJ anymore for some of the reasons already listed in the thread.
The CTE scare has taken a toll particularly in the NE and mid-Atlantic where parents are richer and more helicopter. Kids down south are a lot tougher.
Latest
-
01
The Knight Report
WAR ROOM: Latest Recruit Scoop and Team News on Rutgers Athletics
-
02
The Knight Report
Rutgers Football Fall Camp: Get 75% off The Knight Report - Final Day!
-
03
The Knight Report
Rutgers Football Top 10 Countdown: Dantae Chin
-
04
The Knight Report
2027 Rutgers Football Recruits Season Stat Tracker: Week 0 Edition
-
05
The Knight Report
Rutgers QB Dylan Lonergan's HS Coach Breaks Down His Game, Journey and Tape - TKR Pod