When did the rule change?

I thought when the Defense had 12 guys on the field, the ref was supposed to let the play go, then throw the flag?
I remember refs allowing play to run 11v12, what if they score or pick up first down against 12 men?

KC vs LV game, 3rd and 12. KC has 12 on defense and does not let LV run a play now 3rd and 7.

Wishing you all a joyful Christmas filled with peace and love — not only to the 379 of you blessed with good judgement and a God-given gridiron talent but also to you 272 afflicted by jealousy, short-sightedness or cognitive impairment.
We love you all.

¡Feliz Navidad!
Joyeux Noel!
Wesołych Świąt!

There can't be many with winning records.

I have little to no idea how football works within CPS. How will this change impact those CPS schools that play football ?

Feel free to flush if this is too controversial or political.

I will have limited access to the site for the next few days getting ready for and celebrating the holidays. Thanks to all of you for the support today and all these years you are no question the lifeblood of this site. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you and your family

Here is a high school football fix. The above mentioned title is about evangel high school in Shreveport Louisiana. The mullet on the top lineman on the team is awesome. His nickname is toad so you know he’s hilarious and a good old country boy.

Illinois High School Association (IHSA) member schools approved 12 of 14 amendment proposals that appeared on the all-school ballot during the annual by-law referendum process that ended on December 19, 2023. Full text of the initial 23 proposals, including the 14 that advanced to the all-school ballot, can be found by clicking here.

A proposal that would have significantly changed football scheduling in the state failed to pass (272-379-76). The only other proposal that did not pass sought to decrease the number of allowable summer contact days between coaches and student-athletes.

"The IHSA Board of Directors has already had discussions about the potential of forming a Football Ad Hoc Committee in 2024 in the event that this district proposal failed to pass," said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. "They want to be proactive in trying to address the issues that are at the root of different football proposals seemingly being brought forth each year. They recognize the myriad issues in IHSA football are unique and can be based on geography, school size, conference affiliation, and the traditional success of a program, which is why no recent proposals have garnered enough support to pass. There is likely no singular answer to these issues, but the Board wants to explore the idea that a large and diverse group from around the state might be able to find some solutions that the high school football community in the state would support."

The 2023 legislative process brought out the highest voting total in over a decade, as 89.2% of the membership participated in the vote. Below is a summary of the proposals and the vote totals. (The numbers in parentheses indicate the total of yes, no, and no opinion votes. For an amendment to pass, yes votes must outnumber no votes.).

Proposal 4 (Passes 578-124-24) Allows coaches to conduct out of season strength and conditioning workouts with limits of no more than 4 days per week and no more than 90 minutes per session outside the season. No coaching of the skills of a sport during any session.

Proposal 5 (Passes 449-233-45): Allows students to meet the residence by-law when their parent/guardian is a full-time staff member at a public school whose attendance boundary they do not reside in if the district has a Board Policy permitting students of employees to attend tuition free.

Proposal 9 (Passes 547-136-43): Modifies the All-Star games participation limit to include all sports as opposed to just basketball, football, soccer and volleyball.

Proposal 11 (Fails 302-407-18): Modifies the number of summer contact days restriction from 25 to 18 days.

Proposal 12 (Passes 566-132-23): Allows coaches to conduct strength and conditioning workouts with limits of no more than 4 days per week and no more than 90 minutes per session during the summer contact days. Conditioning training does not count against the summer contact day count. No coaching of the skills of a sport during any session in order for the session not to count as a summer contact day.

Proposal 14 (Passes 422-136-166): Restricts a Pre-Contest Physical Examination from determining a student’s eligibility for a contest other than in sports that require weigh-ins or sports-specific nail or skin checks.

Proposal 15 (Passes 564-36-118): Modifies the participation under an assumed name to match the language passed two years ago in By-law 3.090.

Proposal 16 (Passes 540-126-54): Eliminates the IHSA Tournament Limitations By-law (5.004).

Proposal 17 (Passes 410-232-85): Creates the opportunity for football teams to conduct a pre-season scrimmage with another school. Specific scrimmage limitations include the following: Use of IHSA Officials, 4 separate 12 play segments, no special teams, 48 total play limits per player, no live contact or thud in practice the day before or after the scrimmage. Scrimmage to be held on Friday or Saturday of IHSA Week 7. Players are eligible to participate in the scrimmage after participating in 8 different days of practice.

Proposal 18 (Fails 272-379-76): Establishes districts in the sport of football to be determined by the IHSA using geography and classification. Eight districts in each class with eight schools in each district. District games in weeks 3 – 9 of the regular season. Top 4 schools in each district qualify for the IHSA Play-offs. Seeding procedures will be similar to current seeding procedures with teams from the same district not to play in the first round.

Proposal 19 (Passes 352-48-321): Eliminates the Boys Gymnastics season and contest limitation by-law.

Proposal 20 (Passes 541-134-48): Eliminate the match limit per tournament language in girls and boys volleyball.

Proposal 22 (Passes 594-18-111): Increase the number of girls’ wrestling team contests from 18 to 25.

Proposal 23 (Passes 464-82-181): Establishes a Girls Flag Football fall season limitation (Monday of Wk. 6 to Saturday of Wk. 21), a pre-season practice requirement of 9 practices before a contest and a regular season contests limitation of 25 games exclusive of the IHSA State Series.

Below is a summary of member school participation in the amendment process over the past 13 years:

Coach Vince DeFrancesco has resigned his head coach position effective today. No further details given.

University of Illinois Class of 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings and Signing Class roster

My Take: In State Names from the Illinois Class of 2024

The University of Illinois recruiting Class of 2024 is composed of 19 signee's including four names from the State of Illinois. The State of Illinois 2024 recruiting class overall was a strong overall group, and the upper portion of the Class of 2024 is very strong at the very Top Tier. The Top 10-15 names in this class include several impact names with high pedigrees who have a very good chance of developing and becoming big time names down the line. Unfortunately for Illinois, they continue to not find a way to close on those highly ranked and recruiting Top 10 names in state. One big point of emphasis from Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was how he wants his recruiting philosophy to remain focused on signing and developing high school level talent...and it sure doesn't sound like Illinois will be shopping in the high priced NLI market anytime soon. Could this become a positive for Illinois (it certainly will be a positive from a high school recruiting perspective) or a possible negative...if a school like Illinois falls behind as more and more rival Big Ten schools look to make more then what? Time will tell.

Illinois Class of 2024 In State Signing Class

WR Tysean Griffin Morgan Park 4 star
DL Eddie Tuerk Lyons Township 4 star
LB Joe Barna Wheaton North 3 star
OT Brandon Hansen Mundelein 3 star

Which In State name has the best chance of becoming an impact player?

WR Tysean Griffin Morgan Park 4 star ranked by Rivals- Griffin, who is coached by former Illinois WR Chris James at Morgan Park has been the Mustangs main go to guy and leader on and off the field. A four year two way varsity starter and captain, Griffin was an impact player in all three phases of the game over those four seasons. Griffin has excellent hands, speed and quickness along with the ability to make opposing defenders miss. Griffin is a dangerous open field runner who showed to have multiple gears and will seldom be caught from opposing defensive backs. Griffin, who is also a standout in the class room will be given every opportunity to get into the Fighting Illini receivers rotation as early as next fall. Griffin still needs to add more good weight and size to be Big 10 ready but I love his overall tools and motor.


Sleeper In-State Name in the Class of 2024?

Mundelein OT Brandon Hansen- Brandon Hansen was pretty much an unknown until the winter after his junior year when he began to show up at various recruiting showcases (including my annual MLK Showcase event) and had some really impressive showings. Hansen also played a bit under the radar at Mundelein High School, a program stuck in a very strong North Suburban conference. Hansen no question is already college ready from a size and strength perspective and his overall work ethic,, motor and overall hunger and desire to become a great player is very evident. Hansen still has work to do including just getting used to going against Big 10 level defensive linemen week in and week out. Hansen also needs to improve his overall speed/quickness while also getting more comfortable adjusting from play to play and developing a short memory. Yet overall....Hansen in my opinion has the physical tools, work ethic and mentality to develop into a very nice addition for the Fighting Illinois.

The One Who Got Away?

Chicago Mount Carmel 4 star ranked RB Darrion Dupree (Wisconsin)- Dupree, a four star ranked running back who led the Caravan to the 2023 Class 7A state title win also had an All State season and was named as the Chicagoland Player of the Year by the Sun Times. Dupree made an official visit to Illinois back in mid June and was one of his Top 4 schools before announcing his verbal commitment to Wisconsin. Dupree continued to draw strong recruiting efforts after his commitment to Wisconsin including a late offer from Alabama, and also Illinois remained in the picture this fall. Yet in the end Dupree stuck with the Badgers and signed with them on Wednesday.

Overall Grade on the University of Illinois In State Class of 2024: C+

Illinois and head coach Bret Bielema no question still has work to do from an in state recruiting perspective and the main issue in my mind is can the Fighting Illini continue to battle for position with say the Top 10 in state names and then find a better way of closing? Positives for Illinois? Bielema and his staff focus on in state recruiting has been much more than lip service in my opinion. In state coaches no question have a much better feeling for the University of Illinois and how Bielema and his staff continue to make in school visits and make a real effort towards the in state recruiting base. While that work and effort still hasn't generated much yet from a Top 5-10 perspective....I truly feel it remains on the right path.

I would also be remiss not to include a factor that I've talked about for decades now.....and that is winning. Illinois last season was coming off a 8-5 record in 2022 and sure looked like the football program was starting to turn thing around but then reverted backwards a bit in 2023 with a 5-7 record. Winning and becoming a more consistent winner no question will help out in state recruiting efforts in a big way and especially Illinois who still to this day seems to generate the most amount of ink and coverage in state compared to both Northwestern and NIU.

Also the always changing recruiting landscape has shifted again with the transfer portal along with NIL paydays. Illinois as mentioned seems to want to focus on high school recruiting (the correct answer whether that's the truth or not so much) and then maybe dip it's toe a bit more into the water from an NLI standpoint? Again I don't see Illinois throwing around millions here...but will they end up being forced into more NIL bidding wars if it's competition also decided to go more of an NIL route? Again this is another storyline to follow over the next year for sure.

The Illinois Class of 2024 as mentioned is solid.....not spectacular at all and the lack of overall n state names along with no Top 10 names in this group also lowers the overall letter grade. But do I feel Illinois is down or not on the right track? No. The overall grade for this Illinois Class of 2024 including OOS names is pretty decent so hopefully the OOS efforts will carry this class as projected.

All.... Is this a here we go again try. (lol) Ratsy

Always love this day.....

Coach Keane resigned.

Soap opera on X.com ... and it sure is fun to watch. Transfer portal is a killer and I can see how high-school ballers are left out of the mix. Just go sign a kid who has spent 12 months in a big-time strength and conditioning program instead of a body that needs reshaping on day one.

Mizzou is killing it - all of the 20 commits signed, including the top edge from Lee's Summit, MO. They also got a 2022 5-star OL from Lee's Summit to leave Norman - that kid started seven games and was named freshman all-American, plus a transfer from a GA LB.

Top news is the second best STL player flips from OSU to Oregon and the top kid is now teasing he may flip from Texas - would LOVE to get him at MIZ. That would be three 5-stars from their home state in each of the last three years at WR.

I was listening to the Jordan Lynch interview, and a few comments got my gears turning:

It was interesting to hear both 1) Jordan's discussion of the fluctuation in football numbers from when he arrived at MC to now and 2) Eddie comment that St. Patrick had been struggling but seems to be on the right path now.

From those in the know, I'm curious what the respective health of the CCL/ESCC constituent programs is (both the program and the school itself).

I think we can all agree that LA and MC are beyond reproach, and it seems like St. Francis and Naz are operating at 100%. Football is not the lifeblood of Ignatius so I'm sure they are thrilled with this level of success.

Does ICCP continue to grow?
Do Benet and Fenwick settle into more of an academic-forward identity?
Are DeLaSalle and Leo circling the drain? Any uptick in numbers there?

Curious to hear the board's thoughts and insight on who is trending upwards and who is (unfortunately) poised to struggle going forward.

2023-2024 Proposal 18 – 5.070 Boys Football
New By-law 5.074 District Football Proposal Regular Season and Playoffs
Submitted By: Matt Hensley, Official Representative – Mahomet (M.-Seymour) on behalf of the Apollo Conference, Big Twelve Conference, DuPage Valley Conference, and Interstate 8 Conference

Summary of Proposed Changes:
Football Districts to be formed by geography and classification. 8 districts in each class with 8 schools in each district. District games in weeks 3 – 9 of the regular season. Top 4 schools in each district qualify for the IHSA Play-offs. Seeding procedures will be similar to current seeding procedures. Teams from the same district cannot play in the first round.

Rationale of Submitters:
A. Conference Stability
I. In the last fifteen years, 20+ conferences have changed alignment due to departures or additions.
II. In the last five years, 4 new conferences have been formed.
B. Eliminate creative scheduling to get the magic 5th win
I. Schedules are set by the state
C. Give some type of system that the public understands
I. The public can see the standings to see where their team is in the standing
1. Similar to how they follow their favorite pro teams
II. Can keep running total of the tiebreakers with the records
D. Teams earning playoff bids versus like schools
I. Every year there are teams that earn playoff berths on the backs of schools that are significantly smaller.
II. The same can be said in reverse, some schools do not make the playoffs due to playing schools significantly larger.

Pros:

Cons:

Text of By-law with Proposed Changes
New By-law 5.074 - District Football Proposal Regular Season and Playoffs
I. CREATING A NEW BY-LAW TO GOVERN IHSA FOOTBALL
a. This proposal is creating a system for how the IHSA runs football.
i. Establishes regions of eight (8) schools to determine the teams that will make the IHSA Playoffs.
ii. This proposal will direct the IHSA Board of Directors to start district football in 2024.

II. ESTABLISHING EIGHT (8) CLASSIFICATIONS – (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A)
a. Enrollment
i. Each school will use their IHSA Enrollment during the cycle for class placement.
ii. The multiplier will then be enforced to the schools that have met the criteria.
iii. The Success Factor by-law will also be applied.
iv. A list will be formed from the greatest number to the smallest number.
b. Placing Schools in a Classification
i. The IHSA will divide the state into eight (8) classifications.
ii. The number of districts in each classification will be 8.
c. Moving Up in Classification
i. Any school interested in playing up a classification needs to notify the IHSA by Monday of Week 28.

III. ESTABLISHING REGIONS WITHIN THE EIGHT (8) CLASSIFICATIONS
a. The IHSA will set the districts in all classifications.
b. The districts will be set by geography.
c. Three districts will be announced by the Monday of Week 31.
d. Each district will be labeled by their classification and a number.
i. Example – 8A-District 1

IV. ESTABLISHING SCHEDULES
a. District Schedules
i. Each school will play seven (7) district games.
ii. All district games will be played Week 3-9 of the regular season.
b. Non-District Games
i. All schools will be allowed to play two (2) non region games.
c. Levels of Play
i. Schools will be playing all levels that schools offer.
1. The preference would be to play one game before the varsity game.
2. Other levels could be played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Monday.
3. If a school has a level and their opponent does not, they are free to seek another school to play for
that specific week.
d. Game Times, Dates, Locations
i. Schools must mutually agree upon dates and times by the Monday of Week 1 of the IHSA calendar.
ii. Schools need to be flexible for conditions that may necessitate dates of specific games. (Examples –
Religious Holidays, Homecoming Traditions, Community Events, Travel, Stadium Availability)

V. ESTABLISHING PLAYOFF TEAMS
a. The top 4 (four) schools in each district will make the IHSA Football Playoffs.
b. If two schools are tied for a place, the following criteria will break the tie:
i. Head to Head Competition
c. If 3 (three) or more schools are tied for a place, the following criteria will break the tie:
i. Head to Head Competition
ii. Total Point Differential for all games within the District
iii. Total Point Differential for all games won within the District
iv. Total Point Differential for all games lost within the District
v. Schools will be eliminated from the tiebreakers, when one position is determined, we will then return to
the appropriate criteria for any remaining schools
d. Point Differential
i. A maximum of +/-10 can be earned for point differential in a single game
1. If Team A defeats Team B, 28-14, Team A has a +10 point differential, while Team B has a -10
point differential
2. This number is set so that there is no need to ‘run up’ the score during a game.
ii. If a game goes to overtime, the winning team will have a +1 point differential, with the losing team having
a -1 point differential, regardless of the final score

VI. BRACKETING THE IHSA PLAYOFFS
a. Seeding will be determined by the number of wins a school has earned and their playoff points.
i. All schools with nine (9) wins will be seeded.
1. Tiebreakers
a. Total Playoff Points=one (1) point for every opponent win in all nine (9) games.
b. Playoff Points in all Wins=one (1) point for every opponent win in games in which your
school won.
c. Playoff Points in all Losses=one (1) point for every opponent win in games in which your
school lost.
ii. This procedure will continue to the schools with eight (8) wins; then schools with seven (7) wins; then
schools with six (6) wins; then the schools with five (5) wins; then schools with four (4) wins; this will
continue until all seeds are filled.
b. Teams from the same district cannot play in the first round of the IHSA Playoffs
i. If a match up occurs, the lower seeded team will move down one seed, to avoid this conflict.

VII. HOME SITES FOR THE IHSA PLAYOFFS
a. In the first round, the better seed will host the game.
b. In the second round through the semi-finals, the host will be the school that has hosted the least number of games.
i. If the number of games hosted is equal, the better seed will host the game.

VIII. OFFICIATING
a. For all District games, the host school is responsible for the hiring of the officials.
i. It is recommended that the host school’s conference assignor be used.
b. The host school is responsible for the payment of officials at all levels.
c. The IHSA will assign and pay for all playoff games.

Appendix A – Regular Season Schedule

Expecting an announcement at 11AM today from the IHSA

Sterling junior Lucas Austin (6-7/245) OL/TE/DL received an offer from Army yesterday. He also has offers from Dartmouth and Minnesota State and has visited Iowa State, NIU, Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan and Ball State.

Lucas was also an all-state basketball player this year and is already the all time leader in career three point makes in SHS history. On top of that, he has a 4.2 GPA and is an outstanding young man. No word on how many puppies he has saved recently.

Lots of things going on with football recruiting over the weekend and includes my take on Alessio Milivojevic to Michigan State, Ryan Boe to Northwestern and much more

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Just curious what opening is the most intriguing. Not just HC but coordinator spots and assistants. Never really see posts for those.
Is that do to in-house promotions?

Flyers lose Sael Reyes, little brother to Antonio Williams, a surefire first rounder.

What is he still processing if this was his call?

Byron Gettis resigned late last week as head coach of the O'Fallon Township football team.

"O'Fallon was good to me," Gettis said. "The school and the community have great kids, but it was time for me to step down."
Gettis, a former Kansas City Royals outfielder, compiled a 24-18 record with two Class 8A playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022 since taking the Panthers' helm in 2019.

His best season was an 8-2 campaign in 2022. Against Southwestern Conference opponents, Gettis led the Panthers to 14 wins.
The Panthers went 4-5 last season and missed the playoffs after losing in their regular-season finale against Cahokia.

Gettis expressed a desire to continue coaching, but said he is taking his time to look at his options.
"I'm still processing everything and (will) move on from there," Gettis said.