In this week’s Next Take Georgia Podcast, my guest was Todd Holcomb, who covers high school sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and, along with Chip Saye, co-founded the Georgia High School Football Daily newsletter. We talked about a few hot topics in the world of Georgia high school football, including a proposal that could impact the eligibility of middle school athletes who attend high school skill camps.
At the heart of the issue is undue influence, which occurs when a middle school student-athlete, primarily a middle school football player, attends any camp hosted by an out-of-district high school. When a middle school player attends one of these camps hosted by the coaching staff of an outside high school, the player could be subjected to undue influence from that coaching staff to transfer to the host school.
A proposed bylaw would force any middle school student-athlete who attends one of these camps to sit out two full seasons if they indeed decide to transfer to the high school hosting the camp.
The proposal is expected to be on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the GHSA executive committee on April 17.
In order to enforce the bylaw – if it is indeed approved – the host school would be required to maintain a list of all camp attendees, as well as the names of the coaches who are working the camps.
Examples of these camps range from passing camps, linemen camps, and 7-on-7 camps. Current bylaws on the GHSA books already call for transferring high school student-athletes to sit out for one season, unless they make a bona fide move into the new school district.
Facilities
Another of the hot topics that seems to be creating a lot of buzz on Georgia high school football fan sites and in the media is the ongoing planning and construction of new multi-sports facilities on high school campuses around the state.
It’s interesting to point out that the two-time defending NCAA college football champion Georgia Bulldogs did not have its own indoor facility until five years ago. Georgia became the last SEC school to build one. High schools such as Colquitt County and Carrollton have had their indoor facilities for twice as long, and now more Georgia high schools are following their blueprint – literally.
While not everyone has a 100-yard indoor facility, many schools have laid new artificial turf and built new outdoor multi-sport facilities, new locker rooms, new coaches offices, and so on.
Perry, Lowndes, and Gainesville High Schools have just completed multiple facilities to include indoor and outdoor sports, and Thomas County Central recently announced plans to construct new indoor and outdoor multi-sports facilities. Is your favorite high school next?
Showcase Games
The of the hot topics we examined on the podcast was the increase in showcase football games that have become a part of many Georgia high school football schedules, mostly to start the season.
The Corky Kell Classic was considered the “Granddaddy of Them All,” and it still serves as the official start of the GHSA football season. Originally named for the former Wheeler High School coach, the event has been renamed to include Dave Hunter, the longtime Brookwood head football coach, and will now be known as The Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic.
While it is still a fine event, the kickoff showcase has become known for attracting mostly teams from the metro Atlanta area and North Georgia.
Thankfully for the rest of the state, there have been multi-team events showcasing Georgia schools against out-of-state teams. The Georgia-Carolina Challenge will kick off its first year at the start of the 2023 season by pitting Colquitt County and Lowndes High against Dutch Fork (SC) and Christ School (Arden, NC), respectively.
There are several more, including the 14-team Georgia-Florida Border Challenge at Glynn County Stadium in Brunswick.
Click here to listen to our entire conversation on the latest episode of the Next Take Georgia podcast. A new episode of Next Take Georgia is recorded each week, featuring a different guest from the world of high school sports in Georgia.
