With 2019 IHSA Football Kickoff nearly upon us, EDGYTIM takes a look at some of the biggest storylines facing IHSA football this season and beyond for the 2019 season.

Are the Rich Getting Richer?

Take a look at any number of preseason rankings. You'll notice a boatload of the same names and traditional state title contenders you've seen now for several years. Loyola. Lincoln-Way East. Batavia. Lake Zurich. Mount Carmel. Prairie Ridge. East St. Louis. Phillips. Rochester. Immaculate Conception. Maroa Forsyth. Any number of NUIC schools.

Regardless of the size/enrollment private/public...each class has it's Power programs, and these days it sure seems to be good to be a power program. Sure you always have examples and exceptions and some programs have remained a major player for decades in IHSA Football. Yet it's hard to ignore how many of these teams continue to make deep post-season runs. So why and as importantly how have they been able to do it?

So what gives? Has it become that difficult to break through and challenge the Power Programs? The short answer? Yes it's becoming harder for non power programs to prosper. Why? I see multiple reasons.

Overall participation numbers are down not just locally but state-wide and nationally. Many had hoped that the drop off of kids playing high school football would subside and numbers would slowly begin to climb. Sadly, that has not been the case in most schools and just go check the various posts on the EDGY Football Free Message Board regarding underclassmen numbers. More than I can ever remember school and conferences are dropping or combining a level, overall underclassmen numbers continue to be down in many cases. Sure, other factors are also at play here most importantly the recently passed IHSA participation rule is playing a huge role in forcing schools to combine a level. Yet the issues all begin with lower overall numbers for football.

The Power Programs have remained at least steady in it's overall numbers in most cases. The Power Programs have been able to continue to attract overall numbers which brings more depth and talent. Kids grow up in those area youth programs wanting to play for the high school for years and that translate into bigger and better football.

The same power programs continue to eat and win while more and more programs are fighting to keep enough kids involved and playing football....it's not a great formula for those programs trying to break through these days.

Are the large amount of transfer we saw this summer here to stay?

I remember having a conversation about 5 years ago with veteran IHSA football head coach about the state of high school football in Illinois. He wanted to know my thoughts on various issues, and when I was asked about off-season training programs, 7on7 and the like my response was pretty clear cut. "I think football will become another sort of AAU sport where kids and parents will focus more on off season training and 7on7 than the high school team. Eventually you'll see those kids and families move to other schools so they can play with their off season teammates."

While football hasn't exactly become AAU quite yet..it's hard not to think IHSA Football it's taking more and more steps in that direction. Football parents and kids seems to be taking the lead from other sports influenced by various off-season travel teams and programs. I can never remember an off season where transfers of several high caliber names have suddenly relocated to new schools for the fall. The entire transfer issue is also a state-wide ordeal and teams in Central and Southern Illinois are seeing the same amount of transfers as teams in and around Chicagoland. Everyone is now involved state-wide and it's no longer an isolated issue or two.

Folks...the bottom line is kids and parents are transferring kids for athletic purposes now more than ever before. I don't see this issue getting resolved or slow down anytime soon. The development of incoming transfer "Super Teams" will continue to grow each year unless someone can come up with a change/solution...and good luck I don't see any workable fix on the near term horizon.

Lots of new faces in new conferences in 2019.

Several conference have either merged or have reformed for the 2019 season. The historic Chicago Catholic league is no longer...well sort of. The newly formed CCL/ESCC is in effect this season as schools from both the Chicago Catholic League and the East Suburban Catholic have combined to form several 4 team conferences. The results of the merger and combined super conference? Time will tell. Up and down the line more and more conferences have changed. The old Interstate 8 for the most part in now basically the new Illinois Central 8 and the old Northern Illinois Big 12 conference is no longer as several teams have moved to the newly reformed Interstate 8. You get that? Multiple other conferences have seen smaller additions and subtractions for the 2019 season. The bottom line if you better check IHSA.org and make sure and check which conference you school is in for the 2019 season.

Will We See A Challenge to District Scheduling set for the 2021 season?

Yes.

I'm aware of at least two separate groups who have been working on an opposing plan/referendum to the muFootball District Schedule that passed last year and is set to take effect for the 2021 season. I've been told to expect these to be presented sometime later this fall and a vote to be asked for membership wide shortly afterwards.

Now...what will be proposed and can it pass? Two terrific questions that hopefully we will get more answers for later this year. Yet all I can tell you is that more and more schools who would be called "on the fence" regarding district scheduling are no longer on that fence.

The senior season in recruiting circles now means less than ever before

The recruiting calendar changed a few years ago and added a December early signing period for football. That change also opened up the floodgates for colleges to offer scholarships earlier and take verbal commitments earlier. Sadly for the uncommitted seniors looking for scholarship offers the sheer amount of offers and options are less and less heading into a senior season. The FBS and FCS (D1) schools for the most part already have multiple verbal commitments and or have already completed it's recruiting classes. Sure we will always have some exceptions...yet kids who have offers from these schools are being pressured into making earlier verbal commitment whether they are ready to commit or not. The trickle down factor is also in effect and we now see say D3 schools more and more actively recruiting kids earlier than ever before.