<p>My son will be applying to boarding school very soon. We live in southern California, and he plays quarterback. Forgiving the usual "father hyperbole" he is very good - the private 5A programs in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas that have seen him at various passing camps are already contacting me about him attending their schools. That being said, we consider him a student first and quarterback second. Of the Ten Schools, and those schools of similar standing and academic challenge/difficulty, which offer the best football programs? His education is paramount and he will be a competitive applicant for those schools - my daughter currently attends on of the Ten Schools but does not have a shred of athletic ability - but he - and I - also want him to develop a very real skill for the game.</p>
<p>Take a look at this discussion <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/588196-prep-school-football.html?highlight=football[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-admissions/588196-prep-school-football.html?highlight=football</a></p>
<p>Look to schools like Andover, Hotchkiss, Exeter, and Deerfield…in the “top” schools. If you’re primarily focused on football, their are better teams out their (a lot are all-boys). I’m a football player myself and will be playing at D1 level next year. Talk to the coaches and see what their quarterback situation is looking like. If your kids good, he’s good…you don’t have to hold that back when talking to coaches. You will need some tape and other stuff obviously…but yea…I would go with those schools.</p>
<p>Hotchkiss went undefeated. We lost to them by like 20, also lost to Exeter by a touchdown. But without that Exeter lost we could have made a good run in the playoffs. If I’m missing any top football programs/academic programs someone let me know.</p>
<p>Where do you visualize him going to college? Do you see him playing ball there? If so I would call the coaches of those schools and ask them where they would send their own sons to Prep School. You can Email them if calling doesn’t work, but if you have been connected with Steve Clarkson or the likes in So. Cal, these college coaches will get back to you with their input.</p>
<p>(Clausen is way overrated imo, <he runs=“” in=“” mud=“”> and that is how far a good word from Clarkson can get your son.)
Please pm me and let me know how it goes.</he></p>
<p>fif suggests you listen to Sarum – he was a decent prep school player, went to USC, lives in SoCal, and his son played at a top Class A NE Prep program.</p>
<p>(How’s it goin’ JL?)</p>
<p>Thanks Fif, but my main qualification in this issue is that I have five athletic sons, and my oldest was a recruited QB in a So. Cal HS.</p>
<p>Exactly…</p>
<p>I’m going to disagree with the post above—I think that if you called a college coach to ask where your son should go to high school, not only would they not return your call, but they would laugh about it. I know an admissions director at an Ivy who says they get a few calls each year from parents asking which high school their child should attend, and an occasional pre-school parent asking which K-12 he should go to, and they really don’t like it.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t think it is fair to assume that a coach of a college has a good knowledge (or any knowledge)of the range of boarding school opportunitites out there. They do know football, but they probably know more about top football schools like Don Bosco or De La Salle, and very little about how Hotchkiss and Salisbury are different. </p>
<p>If you want a true educated opinion of which boarding school is right for your son, for football and academics, try talking to a consultant. Many of them have visited every boarding school in the US, and go through the admissions process with hundreds of applicants. They focus on finding a good match, not just “getting in” Some of us have even worked specifically with quarterbacks before. You can find one near you at [Educational</a> Consultants - IECAonline.com | Home](<a href=“http://www.iecaonline.com%5DEducational”>http://www.iecaonline.com) </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>Sorry to disagree with you Newyorker. I believe this father has already shelled out enough money for a private QB tutor such as a Steve Clarkson. Part of their job is to help and advise the family on where to go and how to get into get into the next level of school. A call to a Prep School or college football coach from Steve Clarkson is huge. A few of the right questions, and Clarkson would be able to determine a list of potential boarding schools to contact who need QB’s.
PS Dad this is not an instance where you should pay a fee for a Boarding School consulting firm like Howard Greene and Assoc.</p>
<p>Seems like Milton Academy would be worth a look.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.milton.edu/athletics/football.cfm]Football[/url”>http://www.milton.edu/athletics/football.cfm]Football[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Not a NE school, but Baylor School in Chattanooga is rated by Sports Illustrated as a top 25 in the country sports school. Highly regarded as an academic institution, Baylor is coed with boarding and day students. Baylor plays a very competitive schedule matching up with the top private schools in the state and usually one or more out of state teams. Football players have gone on to play at Ivy League schools as well as SEC schools (two now starting at Tennessee). In addition to football, Baylor has for a long time fielded excellent wrestling, swimming, golf, tennis and soccer teams, among others.</p>
<p>Sarum:</p>
<p>Your belief is correct regarding the private coach (it is amazing how fast the money added up) - not Clarkson (I too hate Clausen’s feet), but a nationally known competitor with QBs either at or committed to Notre Dame, UCLA, USC, Oregon St. among others - and he is actually the reason for the initial post. Again, my daughter attends one of the Ten Schools, but because she is just not athletic, their departments posed no part of our attendance decision. My son’s coach has politely told me I am out of my mind to send him away from the traditional high school powers in Southern California. He wants my son facing, and being surrounded by, the best talent we can find. With him, the decision is football first, school second - but that is what I pay him for. But my wife and I reverse that.</p>
<p>Given that you seem to know both New England prep football and Southern California football, can you tell me how the talent/competition compares to Southern California’s major high school football. Is it viable/realistic for a player coming from that New England environment to play Division 1 football at a major conference? (I fully recognize that issue is a long way off, and a tremendous amount must happen in the intervening years, but I candidly want to know if sending him to a New England prep school will greatly slow/limit his development. I may to decide to send him even if the answer is yes, but I do want to know.) </p>
<p>Fun Is Fun: </p>
<p>Any thoughts you have regarding the current football talent/competition would also be welcome.</p>
<p>Psdad- I am just a Mom who doesn’t know much about football, but if your son wants to try to use his wonderful talent to get into a Harvard, Yale or Princeton, the big New England boarding schools are one way to get there. I was at a prep school game last year and was surprised to find myself sitting behind four very large Yale coaches. When the game began, they moved to the end zone- I guess that’s one of the recruiting rules. Anyway, at least one kid that was playing on that field that day is going to Yale this year.</p>
<p>One of the Yale QBs went to Andover:</p>
<p>[Yale</a> Bulldogs: 2009 Football Roster](<a href=“http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/m-footbl/2009-10/roster]Yale”>http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/m-footbl/2009-10/roster)</p>
<h1>19, Bryan Farris</h1>
<p>Interesting list! I also found one from Hotchkiss, one from St. Paul’s and two from Choate. There also see to be a lot from California!</p>
<p>Im a football player at an Ivy right now, and the way PSdad is talking, his kid has potential. I don’t think he’s talking Ivy league, I think hes talking Pac 10, Big 10, SEC sort of football colleges. I know the competion up north is pretty good, but compared to the southern Cal and Florida and Texas schools…idk.</p>
<p>EDIT: Took a look at the Yale roster, looks like its updated. One of my friends from SPS is going to be playing for Yale. Can’t wait to play them.</p>
<p>Even I, who knows nothing about football, could tell you that of course the “PAC 10” “SEC” etc. have much better football than the Ivy League. I thought the original poster said that a great education was their top priority (unless I read it wrong).</p>
<p>Bio:</p>
<p>You are correct. Stipped to its core, the question, really, is can I have both?</p>
<p>Well I mean, that doesn’t really click. If all you want for your son is to go play football at an Ivy League school, he can do that from wherever you want him to go easily if he has the grades and SAT.</p>
<p>You can’t have a great education as your top priority and also be THAT concerned about football. You can get a great HS education at a BS and go to a top football school, but even then you may be better in souther Cal…I don’t know.</p>
<p>But when it comes down to it, someone has to access your childs ability, if he has Pac-10 SEC potential as a quarterback I would go with that. Not saying your guaranteed to go to the NFL from their, but you’ve got a shot. You don’t really have a shot from an Ivy leagues, its more of a place where average to good players (obviously also smart) go and use their athletic pull to gain admission and get a great education.</p>
<p>I’m still holding to my opinion that calling college coaches to ask where he should go to high school is ridiculous. But if he is a Div I, SEC type of prospect, and you want to focus on football, then I think New England preps are all wrong. He could try Don Bosco in NJ with a host family, many top prospects move there or use host families, or De la salle or others like that in CA, or even Fork Union which has all the top PG football players. The size, talent, and path of students at those schools are very different from the prep school kids. But if your have your sites on an Ivy type of place, I’d go the prep school route, but if he wants a chance at the big time, it’s probably best to be playing with those kids from the start.</p>