Nature vs Nurture

[Tyrone_Biggums]

[b]What is it that puts a high school player into a college football program?[/b]  [i]Is it coaching that he received while in his high school program or is it genetics?[/i]  [b]Can a player with below average talent be coached up into a football scholarship or is it necessary for one to have superior genetics to succeed at the next level.[/b] [i]Do perrenial playoff contenders have the benefit of superior talent or is it solid coaching that earns them their trip to the post season each year?[/i] It's a classic question of nature versus nurture.  I thought the discussion might help pass some time until next season.

[bone]

hard work will pay off . but to be gifted, makes it a little easier. but in my opinion heart and drive is what it really takes. you got too be willing to make the sacrafices. such as running, lifting weights, running routes, or whatever it takes to improve your game. JMO

[Bucof2010]

Genetics are deff a big part. Not to say you cant get there by hard work but look into nfl nba or whatever pro athlete pool you want and you'd be surprised how many of their parents played college or pro level

[the_dude_abides]

I think that in the case of most of the programs who consistently make deep runs into the playoffs, it is more of a case of good coaching.  I know that it is very seldom that you see a state champion without d-1 talent, but typically the upper echelon coaches are creating collegiate athletes.  In a lot of cases, the talent level is very similar, but the coaching is what will put a program or player over the top.

[GigemDoc]

Ok from my personal experience this is generally how it goes. TALENT and raw athletic ability are number one for most schools (in terms of getting a scholarship).  I know you're going to say look at Drew Brees but how many short QB's in successful college programs are there.  In fact one of the knocks on Colt McCoy is he’s too short and small, at 6'2" 210lbs.  Most schools find recruits based on statistics, if they have blazing speed, or tremendous physical size, or have that "it", gamebreaking factor.  Here's how the recruiting process generally works... they find YOU.  Now keep in mind, division 1 programs are much more picky about their recruits then D2 and below.  Don't get me wrong kids can be, and frequently are, coached into solid even great high school players (above their talent level).  I have worked very closely in the past with not only with NCAA D1 but with soon to be NFL players getting ready for a combine. Let me tell you something... they stand out.  In other words they pass the eye test.  Their ability and body type makes them look like men amongst boys out there.  However, this doesn't always transfer to high school wins either.  For example, look and a program like Alief Elsk. They have two of the biggest and most talented HS o-linemen I have ever seen, plenty of speed on both sides of the ball and at times this year hung up a lot of points. However, their record was just above .500 and they ran into Cinco Ranch in the first round.  Point being, have a good or even great high school career doesn't make you a college prospect, just like being a 5 star recruit doesn’t mean your high school team will win.

[the_dude_abides]

Very good points, however, it seems that the same teams are making deep runs into the playoff each year.  Out of the 400 plus high school football programs in the state, it seems that an upper echelon of schools emerge each year.  In essence, roughly seven to ten percent of the programs in the state are consistent winners.  I know that this is due in large part to the athletes at the school, but it would seem that more than anything else, it would be the program that these athletes are in that yield this consistency.  Case in point, Angleton gets defeated by Brenham.  I watched that game and Angleton had superior athletes by far, however, Brenham was better coached and I would think that they had a better program.  I guess the acid test here would be to examine how many kids a coach has been able to place in a D2 program as opposed to a D1 program.  The thought being that they were able to develop kids with lesser genetic backgrounds and coach them up into a collegiate program.