Bagmen aside..

the demographics have shifted and the best players are concentrated in the SEC footprint and the SEC produces more NFL talent every year than the other conferences and it is perceived that the SEC is the best/toughest conference. So those top players can stay closer to home and play in what they think is the toughest conference that prepares them for the NFL.

So it's no surprise that SEC schools dominate recruiting rankings. SEC schools are also expanding their reach and now pull in top talent from the west coast as well. They got several top players from the West Coast, with the addition of A&M it has opened up Texas for them better than before.

Spring football -- in high school. The state of Missouri is

looking to allow it because it's already in practice throughout the SEC states.

It says something about the culture, priority, and emphasis to have high school spring football. Does it exist in the Midwest or east coast?

we had it in CA when I was playing

didn't have it in MN, did have it in AZ and in CO we have some form of it (some teams use it late spring, some early summer).

Also weight lifting during school (as a PE class).

I was surprised to learn about spring football for HS. Apparently it is common in HS in Alabama.

Most HS athletes have a weight lifting PE class throughout the school year. This is for all sports, or just football.

We do Spring Football in Texas..

they actually have options...if you don't do Spring Football you get to start fall practice earlier than teams who do Spring Football.

But we also have an extensive big time 7x7 program for the summer, not UIL sanctioned but legal and leads to a state championship.

Reflects baseball's decline too, I think *

Specialization is a factor too.

Year round competition or offseason conditioning is common. It is hard for kids to play more than one sport. Coaches demand participation in offseason workouts.