Leaving may be only option for many recruits

On Wednesday's National Signing Day, Armwood High senior standout football player Sherman Jessie will sign with Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., a school that has one of the nation's top junior college programs.

This past season, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound two-way athlete helped lead the Hawks to the Class 4A state semifinals with 500 total yards (rushing and receiving) and four touchdowns, and he also had 16 tackles and an interception.

Jessie dreamed of playing college football in Florida, but athletes who are not awarded one of the handful of scholarships given by the state's seven Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) teams or its three Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) programs must pursue their passion out of state.

Baseball, softball, basketball and even tennis players in Florida can enjoy successful careers at Division II, NAIA and junior college programs in the state, but football players in Florida don't have that opportunity.

Florida does not offer Division II or junior college football. There are two NAIA programs in Florida - Webber International in Babson Park and Edward Waters in Jacksonville - and they compete as independent programs.

North Carolina, for example, offers Division II football at 13 colleges, while Pennsylvania offers the sport at 17. Mississippi offers football at 14 of its junior colleges while Texas offers the sport at five. There are 13 Division II institutions and 23 National Junior College Athletic Association affiliated colleges in Florida, and none of them offer football.

Last year, according to Tribune reports, 18 football players left the state to play non-Division I football.

Many believe that if the state offered junior college football, it would drastically change the lives of hundreds of players.

"There are a lot of players in high school, and no one knows about them," Jessie said. "It'd be easier for them to stay in the state. It would be better for them because they would have family to stay with."

Armwood football coach Sean Callahan played Division II football in Pennsylvania, which also offers Division I and Division III football.

"Everyone had a place to go," he said. "Florida doesn't offer much for such a talented state. The kids go out of state and they're alone and they've never seen snow before. You don't know anything about them. (If Florida had JuCo football) our kids don't have to do all of this ridiculous traveling."

There are several state rules in place to prohibit junior colleges from starting football programs. A Florida statute states that public Education Capital Outlay funds cannot be used for the construction of football fields, bleachers or lighting for athletic facilities not required for physical education programs. A state Board of Education rule states that "athletics are authorized student activities, and, if conducted, shall be consistent with the basic purposes of the community college. Intercollegiate football shall not be conducted."

In order to establish football at state junior colleges, Florida statutes would have to be amended to give the Board of Trustees or the president of the college the power to oversee intercollegiate football, according to Cheryl Etters, an information specialist with the Florida Department of Education.

In 2006, a state House bill was introduced to allow the presidents of Florida colleges to oversee intercollegiate football. That bill died in the Committee on Governmental Operations.

One Hillsborough County coach has tried to make it easier for local athletes to find opportunities to keep playing.

East Bay football coach Brian Thornton decided 10 years ago to create the National Football Foundation High School Recruiting Fair to bring Division II, Division III and NAIA programs from around the nation to Hillsborough County. Last year, 52 schools attended the fair, and only one of them was from Florida.

"The kids know there is no place to play football in our state," Thornton said. "Unless you're a Division I player, your chances of playing in Florida are slim."

This year's fair will take place at East Bay on Feb.13-14, and Thornton said about 600 athletes and parents will attend.

"We have over 100 kids a year who will go to play college football and get a degree," Thornton said.

Thornton said the state's decision to prohibit junior college football or establish the sport at other colleges and universities is financially motivated.

"It's about how much the state puts into their education," he said. "The reason they don't have football in their schools is because it costs money. The only ones that have football are schools that can make money. As soon as it starts costing, then they want to talk about dropping it."

Thornton said football at more state colleges would encourage graduating high school students to earn a degree in the state.

"They draw in more students because they have athletics," he said. "Students like to go to schools with athletics. A lot of our better students go out of state, and they don't come back."