JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAX hands out a list of questions to high school football players and coaches before the start of every season covering a variety of topics. This year, we received responses from 100 players and 25 from coaches. Both are asked to not vote for their own team or teammates or coaches on select questions. This is what they had to tell us.
Previous players surveys | 2022 survey | 2021 survey | 2020 survey | 2019 survey
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Previous coach surveys | 2022 survey | 2021 survey
Who has the best team in the area?
Bolles (19).
Trinity Christian (16).
Bartram Trail (8).
Mandarin (6).
Thoughts: This is the third time in five seasons that the Bulldogs have been dubbed the top team (2020, ‘22). Trinity has been voted No. 1 the other two years. Bolles started its season 0-3, the worst beginning since 1967. But it has bounced back strong and is positioned to finish the season on a seven-game winning streak. Bolles has reached at least the state semifinals the last four seasons under coach Matt Toblin. Trinity is 4-2, with losses to Bolles and Plantation American Heritage.
Who are the best players in the area?
Offensive
QB Colin Hurley, Trinity Christian (18).
WR Jaime Ffrench, Mandarin (17).
QB DJ Moore, Bolles (6).
Defensive
S Drake Stubbs, Mandarin, CB Parker Webster, Tocoi Creek (both 6).
ATH Chalil Cummings, Bradford (4).
Thoughts: This is a major jump for Hurley, an LSU commit who garnered just five votes last year. But he earned Elite 11 honors this year, becoming just the fifth area player to garner that recognition. Ffrench, a junior who is committed to Alabama, is right on Hurley’s cleats. On the defensive side, it’s not a surprise to see Stubbs headlining the list. He’s a four- or five-star junior who has his pick of colleges. Webster has a couple of picks this season for the Toros. Cummings is a two-way star for the defensive-heavy Tornadoes.
Who is your favorite NFL team?
Jaguars: (44)
Dolphins: (8)
Cowboys, Eagles: (both 5).
Thoughts: The Jaguars peaked with 46 votes in 2021, the same year Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence landed in Jacksonville. They faded a bit last year (34) but a playoff run has pushed the Jaguars back to a respectable number among area players. The Dolphins were a surprise. They haven’t moved the needle at all in recent surveys, failing to even crack the top six in any year.
Who is your favorite college team?
Gators, Seminoles: (both 20).
Miami, (6)
Alabama, Georgia, (both 5).
Thoughts: This may be the most surprising of the answers. The Gators have dominated this space for as long as I’ve done this survey, sometimes by more than a two-to-one margin. Florida State catching Florida here shows some excitement on what Mike Norvell is doing in Tallahassee. Georgia has been a consistent No. 3 team in the area among players.
Who is your favorite player?
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (11).
LB Ray Lewis, retired, CB Jalen Ramsey, Dolphins, QB Tim Tebow, retired, DE Jared Verse, Florida State (all 4).
Thoughts: A big, big jump for No. 16. Last year, Lawrence had just three votes, tying him with Micah Parsons and Tom Brady. Ramsey has been a constant in these surveys. He was the No. 1 choice last year. Tebow hasn’t played in a regular season NFL game since 2012.
Are you in favor of high school athletes being able to profit off their name, image and likeness?
Yes: (63).
No: (29).
Thoughts: This peaked in 2021 with 73 respondents saying “yes” to NIL. In 2022, 28 athletes said “no.” This year, we have one more “no” and 10 less “yes” answers.
What is the biggest issue facing high school athletes today?
Grades: (29).
Injuries, social media: (both 20).
Recruiting choices: (17).
Transfer portal: (14).
Thoughts: Last year, grades was third behind injuries and social media. The rise of the transfer portal is interesting because it is eliminating roster spots that previously existed for seniors. In 2020 and ‘21, COVID-19 and the potential of not playing games due to the pandemic were atop the list. Injuries topped the list in 2019.
What team would you like to play who isn’t on your schedule?
Fletcher, Mandarin: (both 8).
Bolles: (7).
Atlantic Coast, Bartram Trail: (both 5).
Bishop Kenny, Fleming Island, IMG Academy: (all 4).
Thoughts: Always a fun question to see. The typical area powers tend to headline this list. And the national powers like IMG and St. Frances (Maryland) are recurring teams mentioned.
If you could make one change to high school football, what would it be?
Eliminate pads above knees: (24)
No penalty for celebration after TDs: (11)
No hurdling rule: (9)
Roughing QB/targeting rules: (8)
Crackback blocks: (7)
Ability to wear dark visors: (6).
Thoughts: Officials were given strict rules to enforce pads covering the knees beginning in 2018. It’s obviously meant as a safety precaution, but numerous players wrote that they are unnecessary and cause them to run slower.
Who is the top coach in the area?
Brian Braddock, St. Augustine: (5)
Sean McIntyre, Creekside; Tim Krause, Bishop Kenny: (2)
Thoughts: Braddock was tied with Bartram Trail coach Darrell Sutherland for the top spot last year. Sutherland retired in the offseason after two years of being voted as the top coach. Krause and McIntyre were both mentioned last year, too. Braddock has the Yellow Jackets, pictured above, No. 1 in our Super 10.
What is the biggest struggle facing your profession?
Low pay/funding from district: (8)
Participation: (4)
Finding dependable coaches: (3)
Thoughts: Coach pay is at the forefront of the struggle as it has been in our previous coaching surveys. Several coaches said that lack of financial support from their school districts is a challenge as well. Assistant coaching supplements can drop under $2,000 in some local counties and that’s for a full year of work. One coach said you get paid less than part-time wages for a full-time job.
If you could make one change in high school football, what would it be?
Pay raises for coaches: (9)
Stiffer penalties for recruiting and get more coaches in the profession: (2).
Thoughts: No surprise that pay tops this list. The highest head coaching supplement in the News4JAX Florida area is Clay County’s at $6,387.50. That covers fall and spring football. Mandarin’s Toby Bullock said that coaches in Duval County, when their $4,699 supplement is averaged out across 12 months and taxes taken out, head coaches can average about $.10 and hour.
Is name, image and likeness coming to high school a good or a bad idea?
Bad: (10)
Good: (9)
Neither: (2).
Thoughts: The gap closed significantly on this question this year. Last year, 24 coaches said it was a bad idea while only five said it was a good idea. Most coaches who said they favored NIL want it to have a better framework than what we’ve seen at the college level, where it resembles a pay-for-play system. The Georgia High School Association just amended its bylaws to allow this to happen, effective immediately, in the Peach State. The Florida High School Athletic Association said in a statement to News4JAX that “we are currently reviewing Policy 9.9 — Amateurism, in the FHSAA handbook. Once our staff and specifically the board of directors has an opportunity to formally review the policy and proposal then we will communicate additional information to the public. There is no specific timeline or set date for discussion by the board of the directors.”