By the numbers: how Mississippi stacks up

On the Fly (as published in The Democrat on August 28, 2012)

States such as Florida, Texas and California receive a great deal of fanfare for their high school football programs and are considered “hot beds” for colleges searching for new talent, but a look at the numbers shows that the talent pool here in the Magnolia state is nothing to sneeze in its own right.

Each year, Rivals.com, a website that focuses largely on college football recruiting, posts a look at the number of athletes by state who have signed scholarships with colleges to play high level football in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

By sheer numbers, it comes as no surprise that the top three states are Texas (371 signees), Florida (325) and California (228). Georgia and Ohio round out the top five with 165 and 159 signees, respectively.

At first glance, Mississippi, which had 42 signees in 2012, pales in comparison, but a look at the ratio between signees and the total number of high school football players statewide can tell a different story.

Mississippi’s 42 signees come from a total of 22,306 players throughout the state, which indicates that Mississippi has one player sign a scholarship to play FBS football for every 531 players. This ratio is good for 18th nationally.

Texas, which had the most signees at 371, only reports a ratio on 1:455 due to its staggering 168,680 high school football players. The same can be said for California, whose 228 signees factor into a 1:456 ratio due to 103,921 total players.

Florida, on the other hand, leads the nation with a ratio on 1:119 with 325 signees in 38,451 players. Florida has an advantage that many states such as Mississippi do not have. In the state of Florida there are seven FBS colleges: Florida, Florida State, Miami, Central Florida, South Florida, Florida International and Florida Atlantic. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss are the only three FBS schools in the Magnolia state.

Aside from Florida, Georgia (1:194), Louisiana (1:214) and Alabama (1:243) round out the top four.

Alabama is an interesting example because its 22,833 football players are comparable to Mississippi’s 22,306, but Alabama had 94 FBS signees while Mississippi had 42. Alabama has five FBS colleges: Alabama, Auburn, Alabama-Birmingham, South Alabama and Troy.

Mississippi finishes just behind Arkansas and just ahead of Tennessee. Other states in the Southeasten Conference region finishing behind Mississippi were Kentucky and Missouri.

I think that FBS signees serve as a good gauge to determine where the state stands, but it’s not a be-all and end-all. Of Mississippi’s revered NFL Hall of Famers, neither running back Walter Payton (Jackson State) nor Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State) signed with FBS schools. Quarterback Steve McNair (Alcorn State) could also receive future Hall of Fame consideration.

Mississippi also has a vibrant junior college football system that many other states do not have. Many of Mississippi’s community colleges are considered among the cream of the crop nationally and many Mississippi players sign to play at these schools as well, another reflection on the state’s talent level.

Quick hitters

• ·       One name for Mississippians, particularly Mississippians who love baseball, to keep an eye on is shortstop Billy Hamilton. Hamilton, a graduate of Taylorsville High School, is currently playing minor league baseball in the Cincinnati Reds’ system for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Hamilton recently broke baseball’s single season stolen bases record of 145, which was set in 1983. He has 146 steals and counting now with 12 games left to play. For those keeping track, the Miami Marlins lead the majors in stolen bases as a team with 121, 25 less than Hamilton has accumulated alone. Interesting side note: the most bases ever stolen in a single National League game is co-held by a Philadelphia Phillies player on August 31, 1894. His name? Billy Hamilton.
• ·       An oversight in last week’s column is that Magnolia Heights’ baseball team won the 2012 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA (D2) state championship as well. They are to be commended. Congratulations to those young men and thank you to the reader who brought this to my attention.
• ·       As far as The Democrat’s football contest is concerned: I’m taking Coldwater, Senatobia, Starkville Academy, NWCC, Clemson, Michigan State, Alabama and BYU.