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Central Florida DL Tradition

TheMatador

TheMatador

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I just happened to come across this article on the history of defensive line talent in Central Florida. It mentions guys like Deacon Jones, Warren Sapp, Kenard Lang, and others. The article says Central Florida declined in the last decade or two in terms of superior DL talent but says it has been coming back. I don't know if it is relevant to anybody we're recruiting right now--I didn't recognize any of the names as among those most discussed on this board, but I don't know every name. Some of you might find the article interesting.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...rs-commentary/ar-BB1g2Lb5?ocid=BingNewsSearch

The reason I came across this article is that I was researching a recruiting year when there were at least three very good DE's in Florida. Some of the discussions here of DE talent this year reminded me of that year when there at least three highly rated DEs, and we got two.

Back in about '93, I guess. we signed two very good DE's Kenard Lang and Kenny Holmes. (I believe they were the same year). Actually, I think they were the second and third best DEs in the state, at least according to some experts. The best DE in the state that year might have been Cameron Davis of St. Thomas Aquinas who went to UF. I think he had a lesser career, both in college and in the pros, than did Kenard and Kenny.
 
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TheMatador said:
I just happened to come across this article on the history of defensive line talent in Central Florida. It mentions guys like Deacon Jones, Warren Sapp, Kenard Lang, and others. The article says Central Florida declined in the last decade or two in terms of superior DL talent but says it has been coming back. I don't know if it is relevant to anybody we're recruiting right now--I didn't recognize any of the names as among those most discussed on this board, but I don't know every name. Some of you might find the article interesting.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...rs-commentary/ar-BB1g2Lb5?ocid=BingNewsSearch

The reason I came across this article is that I was researching a recruiting year when there were at least three very good DE's in Florida. Some of the discussions here of DE talent this year reminded me of that year when there at least three highly rated DEs, and we got two.

Back in about '93, I guess. we signed two very good DE's Kenard Lang and Kenny Holmes. (I believe they were the same year). Actually, I think they were the second and third best DEs in the state, at least according to some experts. The best DE in the state that year might have been Cameron Davis of St. Thomas Aquinas who went to UF. I think he had a lesser career, both in college and in the pros, than did Kenard and Kenny.
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My guess is over the next 5 to 10yrs you are going to see a large increase of Football players coming out of Central Florida. The area is growing like wild fire and lots of people moving to this area. Similar to what happened in the Atlanta area.
 
TheMatador said:
I just happened to come across this article on the history of defensive line talent in Central Florida. It mentions guys like Deacon Jones, Warren Sapp, Kenard Lang, and others. The article says Central Florida declined in the last decade or two in terms of superior DL talent but says it has been coming back. I don't know if it is relevant to anybody we're recruiting right now--I didn't recognize any of the names as among those most discussed on this board, but I don't know every name. Some of you might find the article interesting.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...rs-commentary/ar-BB1g2Lb5?ocid=BingNewsSearch

The reason I came across this article is that I was researching a recruiting year when there were at least three very good DE's in Florida. Some of the discussions here of DE talent this year reminded me of that year when there at least three highly rated DEs, and we got two.

Back in about '93, I guess. we signed two very good DE's Kenard Lang and Kenny Holmes. (I believe they were the same year). Actually, I think they were the second and third best DEs in the state, at least according to some experts. The best DE in the state that year might have been Cameron Davis of St. Thomas Aquinas who went to UF. I think he had a lesser career, both in college and in the pros, than did Kenard and Kenny.
Click to expand...


Deacon was born and raised in Eatonville (same hometown as Zora Neal Hurston), the first incorporated black township in the United States, just a mile or two south of where I grew up. Warren grew up about 4 or 5 miles west of where I grew up. I lived in the corner of Seminole County, and we only had 5 high schools (6 once they built Lake Mary). But Eatonville and Apopka were in Orange County, and they had some **** good teams, including Winter Park and Evans and Edgewater (and eventually Dr. Phillips and Wekiva). I still remember when my HS Civics teacher bragged to my (then) predominantly white class at Lake Brantley that he was taking the head football coaching job at (then) predominantly black Boone HS in Orange County and would have better athletes. He then promptly posted a bunch of consecutive losing seasons and was eventually fired.

Back in the day, Apopka was a lot like The Muck, as far as the kids growing up in an agricultural area where they got to run around in the fields in the off-season. Apopka usually beat (suburban) Lake Brantley, they always had size and speed on us.

At this point, Orlando high school football talent is making up in quantity (huge 8A schools) what they have lost in country-kid-strong quality. But most of the best Orange-Seminole teams are at the outer edges of the counties, where it's (at least) a bit more rural.

I know that SoFla is still the motherlode of Florida football talent, but your second-strongest area in the state is the 75 mile radius around Orlando.
 
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I was telling a friend the other day about how central Florida five stars are usually bust and so are some four stars. I don’t know if it’s the competition or what but most don’t make it to the pros or barely put a dent in college. I hate to see it because I would like my city to be better represented but it is what it is.
 
Canespride04 said:
I was telling a friend the other day about how central Florida five stars are usually bust and so are some four stars. I don’t know if it’s the competition or what but most don’t make it to the pros or barely put a dent in college. I hate to see it because I would like my city to be better represented but it is what it is.
Click to expand...


Dont know how that article left off this guy...

Trey-Hendrickson-Saints-2020-Week-1-1.jpg


Trey Hendrickson is from APOPKA.




Central Fla is only wort really scrounging for DL......Orlando area just produces so much bust at the skill position levels or other wise. Like a bunch of duds. All the talent in the area is hoarded to like 3 schools....
 
TheMatador said:
I just happened to come across this article on the history of defensive line talent in Central Florida. It mentions guys like Deacon Jones, Warren Sapp, Kenard Lang, and others. The article says Central Florida declined in the last decade or two in terms of superior DL talent but says it has been coming back. I don't know if it is relevant to anybody we're recruiting right now--I didn't recognize any of the names as among those most discussed on this board, but I don't know every name. Some of you might find the article interesting.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...rs-commentary/ar-BB1g2Lb5?ocid=BingNewsSearch

The reason I came across this article is that I was researching a recruiting year when there were at least three very good DE's in Florida. Some of the discussions here of DE talent this year reminded me of that year when there at least three highly rated DEs, and we got two.

Back in about '93, I guess. we signed two very good DE's Kenard Lang and Kenny Holmes. (I believe they were the same year). Actually, I think they were the second and third best DEs in the state, at least according to some experts. The best DE in the state that year might have been Cameron Davis of St. Thomas Aquinas who went to UF. I think he had a lesser career, both in college and in the pros, than did Kenard and Kenny.
Click to expand...
Holmes actually signed with UM back in 1992.. UM was also after Cameron Davis that year who was rated higher.. He was just a guy at uf. Lang was the DE prize in 93
 
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TheOriginalCane said:
Deacon was born and raised in Eatonville (same hometown as Zora Neal Hurston), the first incorporated black township in the United States, just a mile or two south of where I grew up. Warren grew up about 4 or 5 miles west of where I grew up. I lived in the corner of Seminole County, and we only had 5 high schools (6 once they built Lake Mary). But Eatonville and Apopka were in Orange County, and they had some **** good teams, including Winter Park and Evans and Edgewater (and eventually Dr. Phillips and Wekiva). I still remember when my HS Civics teacher bragged to my (then) predominantly white class at Lake Brantley that he was taking the head football coaching job at (then) predominantly black Boone HS in Orange County and would have better athletes. He then promptly posted a bunch of consecutive losing seasons and was eventually fired.

Back in the day, Apopka was a lot like The Muck, as far as the kids growing up in an agricultural area where they got to run around in the fields in the off-season. Apopka usually beat (suburban) Lake Brantley, they always had size and speed on us.

At this point, Orlando high school football talent is making up in quantity (huge 8A schools) what they have lost in country-kid-strong quality. But most of the best Orange-Seminole teams are at the outer edges of the counties, where it's (at least) a bit more rural.

I know that SoFla is still the motherlode of Florida football talent, but your second-strongest area in the state is the 75 mile radius around Orlando.
Click to expand...

DP Edgewater Jones are as good as apopka, Osceola ans Seminole. Trenchman is training and developing kids up here. Kavan Call is a rising junior with offers from everyone. I think the training and development has been turned up up here.
 
gogeta4 said:
Dont know how that article left off this guy...

Trey-Hendrickson-Saints-2020-Week-1-1.jpg


Trey Hendrickson is from APOPKA.




Central Fla is only wort really scrounging for DL......Orlando area just produces so much bust at the skill position levels or other wise. Like a bunch of duds. All the talent in the area is hoarded to like 3 schools....
Click to expand...

that’s the past history but talent is all over the place now. Number one rated offense linemen is at timber creek, lake Nona has Zane, ocoee is a dl that has a ton of power 5 offers, Boone has a offense line that has p5 to include us. Training and development is NOT overrated!!!
 
This is one reason why it’s so important for UM to win now. Whether we want to admit it or not UCF is a sleeper program that could rise. If Gus gets rolling at UCF, lookout. A lot of south FL kids just want to leave the area and if Gus does well he may reap the benefits.
 
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MiamiChris said:
My guess is over the next 5 to 10yrs you are going to see a large increase of Football players coming out of Central Florida. The area is growing like wild fire and lots of people moving to this area. Similar to what happened in the Atlanta area.
Click to expand...
Especially polk , they have amazon prime coming in , so lot of jobs . People moving out of orlando and tampa and making the drive
 
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