OT: 2026 NJ HS Football Offseason…
- Thread starter tico brown
- Start date
More weird transfers occurring of kids who dont live where they are transferring too. Apparently a few south jersey schools have serious evidence on winslow theyre considering sharing with njsiaa
Theyre a private school so it really doesn't matter. The public schools giving kids fake addresses and loading up rosters with kids who dont live in district is the issue
Two things I wonder that somebody more in the loop can probably answer:
1. Hunterdon Central - Was there during the championship years late 90's early 2000s. Proud history and tradition. CR takes over after a successful stint at St. Joe's in Metchen, and they've been pedestrain for the past ~10 years. Is he the guy, or is there something deeper brewing? They've got a strong junior program and appear to have all the pieces in place
2. Shore Conference - specifically, the Freehold Regional schools. Township, Boro, Colts Neck, Howell, Marlboro and Manalapan. We're districted for CN even though we live in Howell and neighbor's kids played there the past few years, so always root for them. But given kids can basically go to anyone of those schools if they choose, surprised none has emerged as the "football power."
That someone hasn't stepped up and said "X school is going to dominate, and I'm going to get all the good kids out of those 6 schools to come here, no matter what." They'd still lose some kids to SJV, RBC, Donavan, etc. - but I'm shocked that one of those schools hasn't stepped up to dominate, especially when the rules basically don't permit it from happening
1. Hunterdon Central - Was there during the championship years late 90's early 2000s. Proud history and tradition. CR takes over after a successful stint at St. Joe's in Metchen, and they've been pedestrain for the past ~10 years. Is he the guy, or is there something deeper brewing? They've got a strong junior program and appear to have all the pieces in place
2. Shore Conference - specifically, the Freehold Regional schools. Township, Boro, Colts Neck, Howell, Marlboro and Manalapan. We're districted for CN even though we live in Howell and neighbor's kids played there the past few years, so always root for them. But given kids can basically go to anyone of those schools if they choose, surprised none has emerged as the "football power."
That someone hasn't stepped up and said "X school is going to dominate, and I'm going to get all the good kids out of those 6 schools to come here, no matter what." They'd still lose some kids to SJV, RBC, Donavan, etc. - but I'm shocked that one of those schools hasn't stepped up to dominate, especially when the rules basically don't permit it from happening
Freehold regional district doesn't allow you to choose where you play sports (if you attend one of the magnet schools). Same applies to the MCVT programs high tech, communications etc…. If you choose to play a sport you have to return to your home district.
I have some insight on #2 - So essentially if you live in Manalapan but for example, want to play football at CN, you'd apply to CN's ROTC Program (the only school in the FRD that offers it). If you live in Howell but want to play football for Manalapan, you apply to Manalapan's LEPS program. I could be mistaken, I haven't been involved in that district since the mid 2010's.
Numerous South Jersey schools + Shabazz up here are huge offenders of the state transfer rule. It is what it is, it's going to take a serious inquirery by the state to actually do something about it, which I doubt they care that much to begin with.
Glassboro - 8 transfers
Camden - 14 transfers
Shabazz - 10 transfers
Winslow - article doesn't state/say but they're the offenders of this rule, the instragram account NJGridiron posted how they're getting the Williamstown RB...
Source
The public school recruiting of kids who do not live in district has gotten totally out of control. And the NJSIAA has no resources or the teeth to investigate it and lay the hammer down. Frankly, the coaches who do it are simply guys who just have no confidence in their coaching abilities, and therefore just need vastly superior talent to everybody they play to cover up their coaching deficiencies
Ironically, Somerville was doing this during the Whitaker/Vanderbeek years.
I'm interested to see how the Non-Public B turns out. Hudson Catholic hired Holman who will turn things around, Lata seems they're going to be a player in the game now (scholarships, recruiting with a big financial backer $$$). STA is on the decline, PC is loading up on transfers (Russo going to Russo), DePaul and RBC are always top-tier.
My opinion is the NJSIAA is afraid of litigation. It was very common from 1980’s through early 2000’s for the NJSIAA to deny transfers and enforce mandatory “sit out” periods. Even for students with verifiable changes in address. And all this was done with limited technology and staff. Now they have access to amazing technology and a staff that has ballooned. It’s less about investigative and more about fear and they don’t care it’s happening.
3 out of the 5 state champions were huge offenders of this. Other teams/schools will see this and say f-it, if they can get away with it why can't we? Not fair to the kids. Also LOL @ the Shabazz AD crying they were unfairly moved up to group 3.
Bernards was "out-recruited" vs Shabazz
Agreed. What I find funny is NJSIAA regularly made people sit when the higher income suburban schools (parochial and public) were picking off urban schools for talent. Now there’s a paradigm shift and it’s urban and lesser demos picking off suburban and other low demos there’s now a lack of interest in applying rules.
Changes to NJ HS Football Playoffs
Essentially eliminating "sectional titles" - possible full state snake seedings in the future. For example we may see something like a first round matchup between Union City vs Atlantic City or Park Ridge vs. Paulsboro.
Essentially eliminating "sectional titles" - possible full state snake seedings in the future. For example we may see something like a first round matchup between Union City vs Atlantic City or Park Ridge vs. Paulsboro.
Very true points. I know if I want to make a claim I need to bring undeniable proof to the NJSIAA.
All NJSIAA would have to do is hire a few retired detectives. How to fund it? Charge all schools a “compliance fee”.
But youre right, state right now doesnt investigate
Totally agree here too. Deathly afraid of lawsuits.
IMO what its gonna take is a tax payer in one of those towns to file a lawsuit indicating their tax dollars are funding out of district kids enrolling at their public schools
4 of 5. Glassboro, camden, cedar creek and winslow are LOADED up with out of district kids. Winslow is the worst offender because they cant even claim to be a choice school. Theyre straight up committing address fraud
It’s also why I dont think the state ever moves to seeds 1-32 per group for the whole state. If the north public schools who dont recruit (except for a handful) get exposed to the fvckery of south jersey the noise will become too loud for njsiaa to ignore.
Interesting that same people who are complaining about this are the same people who were silent when Somerville and Haddonfield was/ is doing the same thing.
Should be interesting in Non Pub B:
Immaculata should be vaulted to at least Top 3/4 with DePaul, RBC, Holy Spirit with their new coaches and money coming in for the 26 season.
DePaul will always be DePaul, which I still can’t believe that they’re too small to be a NP-A. They’re the class of NPA.
Holy Spirit will always be a threat to be at least in the Semis. They’re always well coached and play everyone tough.
Hudson should be a hell of a lot better than last year. Unfortunate for what happened there and they would’ve been better if what happened didn’t happen. Unfortunately for them they picked the wrong coach and that staff had no clue what they were doing, as their Top QB and Safety went elsewhere. Holman should turn things around there.
Oh im not silent. And you know this. I come after everyone whos doing it. The ones top of mind though are the most egregious offenders who wind up smoking everyone.
Tico, pssssstttt, this isnt racist despite you swearing it is. I was publicly railing on ramapo and that they should be moved to group 5 because they gutted indian hills and effectively had the football enrollment of both schools. Said the same **** about old tappan too who gutted demarest.
Everyone here has it all wrong. Poaching isn’t the problem. The problem is Fieldhouses . That’s the have v have not divide that plagues hs and college sports. Nothing else matters much.
No Fieldhouse, no win.
DePaul has fewer students now than when I was there in the late '80s, when I think we had about 700 total. I think they struggle to stay over 600 now, if they even do.
At the time, we played mostly Group I and II publics like Pequannock and Caldwell, and it was a competitive situation. Sometimes we were good, but I was also part of a terrible 1-8 team as a junior. Our biggest (Thanksgiving) rival was Butler, and it was real!
You may have said something about it. Haven’t seen those posts. Maybe because every post you make is about Shabazz, Glassboro, Camden, and those schools.
Plus the state has no issues with those schools that you mentioned, along with Haddonfield, Sommerville, among others.
You may have a point since Pennsauken HS is 34-18 since they built their fieldhouse in 2020.
Im an essex county guy so I know most about shabazz. The amount if non-newark kids on shabazz is insane.
Winslows coaches are publicly on social media asking kids to hit them up if theyre considering transferring
glassboro admits to doing it but says its legal because of a choice school loophole lol.
Facts arent racist.
I’ve seen an increase of kids on social media posting commitment post with different public schools; mostly down south Jersey. It’s pretty funny how out in the open it is.
Maybe you should post names of the guilty if you have proof.
It’s not those coaches faults in Newark, JC, and elsewhere that they can get players from other city charter and magnet schools that don’t have football.
Can’t blame Glassboro if it’s a school choice school. Can’t blame any of the football programs who are choice to get as many players from wherever. Not their fault that coaches from other choice schools don’t take advantage but complain about it after the season.
You’re the one who keep saying everything is racist. I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy. Big difference.
Is Haddonfield still doing it? And typically who would be behind this - the coach, the administration or a group of boosters? Just curious as I don't follow hs sports anymore but did grow up there - a LOOOONG time ago.
Do choice schools require tuition? Not sure how they work - always been involved with the parochials.
I’ll give two examples. One recent, one from last year.
1) a belleville kid in 8th grade just posted a commitment video to shabazz where hes wearing belleville gear LOL
2) two PCTI kids (you have to live in passaic county to go there) transferred to shabazz
3) group 2 north final in 2024, about 20 kids wearing parsippany varsity jackets were on the shabazz in a game at hanover park. Why? Their teammate who still lived in parsippany transferred to shabazz sahaaj bennett.
The best is when the kids get to college they put down their actual hometowns on rosters lol