For the past five plus years while many students take cruises or vacations, there are groups of high school football players that use that week to plan their future.

With high school coaches and parents helping to organize college bus tours, athletes have a unique opportunity to visit colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, Midwest and all over the state of Florida.

These trips not only provide an opportunity for these young men to see schools, meet coaches and watch spring practices, but experience the opportunity to be on the road, sleep in motels and eat together as a group. Things that at the age of 16 and 17, many have never had the chance to do before.

That week on the road takes many student/athletes to places they have never been before. Seeing states and historical places they only read about in textbooks.

The experience is something that many 7-on-7 programs have been doing for a better part of a decade – seeing places such as Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles to name a few destinations as well as visiting major colleges and universities along the way.

6th ANNUAL FOOTBALL HOTBED SPRING BREAK TOUR

One of the groups that has been able to make use of the week is Brandon Odoi and his Football Hotbed organization that covers high school and college football throughout south Florida and in the state of Florida.

Odoi also helps promote high school football players – with a pre-season media day and photos that capture many big games and events throughout the year.

This spring, Football Hotbed once again took off on another tour that brought several area high school football players to such places as Miami, FAU, FSU, Florida, Alabama, Georgia State University of Georgia, Troy State University, Clark University (Atlanta) and the University of Central Florida.

While at those schools, the group toured the campus, watched practice, and met college coaches as well as reaching out to players who are at those schools that many know.

In addition, the tour also included seeing many historical landmarks that these young men read about in class throughout the years, providing an educational part of the spring journey.

MONARCH GETS THEIR PROSPECTS EXPOSURE.

As Football Hotbed and other groups took advantage of spring break over two weeks, Coconut Creek Monarch and coaches Calvin Davis and Roberto Montanez also provided their players with an experience that will last a lifetime.

The Knights had the opportunity to visit Mississippi, Mississippi State and Syracuse.

PLAYERS AND COACHES MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR TIME OFF

While we already know that high school coaches – in all sports – are vastly underpaid – giving up their spring break to expose their athletes is yet another thing that many have no clue about.

In addition to the schools mentioned, high school coaches and players from south Florida also went to FIU, St. Thomas University, Keiser University, Stetson, University of West Florida as well as make stops at places such as Warner, Webber International, Ave Maria, Florida Memorial, University of Fort Lauderdale, FAMU, Bethune Cookman and Southeastern University in Lakeland.

Having so many colleges in the state of Florida provides a huge opportunity for these young men who are searching for an education and opportunity to continue playing the sport they fell in love with at a very early age.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOOTBALL HOTBED

If you had a group that visited colleges this spring, please let us know and send the information and photos to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent more time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For the past five plus years while many students take cruises or vacations, there are groups of high school football players that use that week to plan their future.

With high school coaches and parents helping to organize college bus tours, athletes have a unique opportunity to visit colleges and universities throughout the Southeast, Midwest and all over the state of Florida.

These trips not only provide an opportunity for these young men to see schools, meet coaches and watch spring practices, but experience the opportunity to be on the road, sleep in motels and eat together as a group. Things that at the age of 16 and 17, many have never had the chance to do before.

That week on the road takes many student/athletes to places they have never been before. Seeing states and historical places they only read about in textbooks.

The experience is something that many 7-on-7 programs have been doing for a better part of a decade – seeing places such as Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles to name a few destinations as well as visiting major colleges and universities along the way.

6th ANNUAL FOOTBALL HOTBED SPRING BREAK TOUR

One of the groups that has been able to make use of the week is Brandon Odoi and his Football Hotbed organization that covers high school and college football throughout south Florida and in the state of Florida.

Odoi also helps promote high school football players – with a pre-season media day and photos that capture many big games and events throughout the year.

This spring, Football Hotbed once again took off on another tour that brought several area high school football players to such places as Miami, FAU, FSU, Florida, Alabama, Georgia State University of Georgia, Troy State University, Clark University (Atlanta) and the University of Central Florida.

While at those schools, the group toured the campus, watched practice, and met college coaches as well as reaching out to players who are at those schools that many know.

In addition, the tour also included seeing many historical landmarks that these young men read about in class throughout the years, providing an educational part of the spring journey.

MONARCH GETS THEIR PROSPECTS EXPOSURE.

As Football Hotbed and other groups took advantage of spring break over two weeks, Coconut Creek Monarch and coaches Calvin Davis and Roberto Montanez also provided their players with an experience that will last a lifetime.

The Knights had the opportunity to visit Mississippi, Mississippi State and Syracuse.

PLAYERS AND COACHES MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR TIME OFF

While we already know that high school coaches – in all sports – are vastly underpaid – giving up their spring break to expose their athletes is yet another thing that many have no clue about.

In addition to the schools mentioned, high school coaches and players from south Florida also went to FIU, St. Thomas University, Keiser University, Stetson, University of West Florida as well as make stops at places such as Warner, Webber International, Ave Maria, Florida Memorial, University of Fort Lauderdale, FAMU, Bethune Cookman and Southeastern University in Lakeland.

Having so many colleges in the state of Florida provides a huge opportunity for these young men who are searching for an education and opportunity to continue playing the sport they fell in love with at a very early age.

If you had a group that visited colleges this spring, please let us know and send the information and photos to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent more time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With the NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) dictating the landscape of college sports, it is indeed tough to plan ahead and predict the future of any program.

On the football field, as it is in every other sport that is played in colleges and universities across the nation, the task has not only come down to recruiting future classes but to make sure that everyone on your current roster will stay around from year to year.

As we have said in the past, nobody is against student/athletes making money from a sport where they fully contribute to the financial success, but what is coming under fire by the majority is there are no rules – and it is the proverbial tail wagging the dog. The athletes and NIL make their own rules.

While Nick Saban recently made his points in Washington D.C., he is correct when he talks about guidelines and equality. Most believe that there should be some rules in place, but nobody, including the NCAA, who currently does not mandate reasonable guardrails governing the relationship between colleges, their coaches and scholarship players, the result will be a permanently uneven playing field favoring even more exclusively the most gifted athletes and wealthiest programs. The virus will continue to spread and eviscerate one of America’s treasures — competitive collegiate athletics.

The supposed bodyguard of “amateur” collegiate athletics, the NCAA, so far has done little to fight back. It’s bad enough that the most successful coaches and players are lured away from their schools by staggering offers that are impossible to resist. What’s worse is they can leave abruptly and without meaningful restrictions, not even staying long enough to coach or play in coveted post-season tournaments and bowl games. Coaches who eventually jump ship are also free to entice players from their former programs to come with them, leaving behind loyal teammates and fans to a stunning and cruel fate.

Corporate America, the NFL and the NBA have anti-tampering and poaching rules that restrict access to executives, coaches, and athletes while under contract. The NCAA has no such rules. In the new world of major college sports, when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent, it’s now basically an annual bidding war and everyone is a free agent. For student athletes, the honor of playing your heart out to earn a no-cost degree, and maybe a shot at the pros, is being replaced by the lust for earning big bucks before you even graduate.

With that said, and much of the current 2024 class already set to make an impact this coming season, the Class of 2025 comes into focus.

At the University of Miami the football program recently landed its fourth commitment for the 2025 class. Some nine months before they can sign these athletes are pledging that they will attend Miami. But unlike the past when you figured to have an athlete for a minimum of three years – sometimes four – the guarantee is only for one season.

With the NIL very much in play, the second year may very well be spent somewhere else that is paying out more money.

Are You Keeping Up With Miami-Dade & Broward High School Football Transfers? https://larryblustein.com/news/keeping-up-with-miami-dade-broward-high-school-football-transfers

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent plenty of time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

His resume is impressive and the student/athletes who have played for him over the years will sing his praises – on and off the playing field.

Christian Baldwin is old school and extremely proud of the fact that he has always put academics first.

This week he was named as the new head football coach at Parkland Douglas, replacing Keith Hindsley after just one season.

Hindsley, who had been one of the top coaches in south Florida, taking Delray American Heritage to another level, had to step down for health reasons.

What Baldwin brings to this program is someone who not only stresses a year-round commitment to the sport, but also to the classroom.

“Ever since I began coaching, the classroom has been a priority,” Baldwin explained. “I have always preached to my students that you can be great on the football field, but if you don’t get it done in school, you won’t go far at all.”

Very few know the landscape of football in Broward County and south Florida like he does. A former head coach at Coral Glades, he has also served as an assistant at Piper, Boyd Anderson, Monarch and at Douglas the past four years.

His priority this spring – as the Eagles get ready for a contest with Pembroke Pines Somerset on May 17 – is to continue to develop many of the prospects who will be back for 2024.

“I do have an advantage because I coached many of the young men at the junior varsity level,” explained. “This spring we will look to fill some positions with the graduation of some quality seniors, who will be moving on to the next level.”

The senior class from this past season watched offensive lineman Jeremy Fishkin (Florida A&M) and defensive lineman William Ross (Florida State walk on) get to that next level.

Ross’s brother James will be one of the top outside linebackers in the Class of 2025. The 6-3, 225-pounder has been under-the-radar by recruiting websites but ask anyone who played against him this past season, and they will tell you that he has big time potential.

“James is the type of student/athlete that we develop here,” Baldwin pointed out. “Not only is he an impressive football player, but also gets it done in the classroom.”

The Eagles are also excited about 2026 quarterback Jaxon Anger, a 5-11, 180-pounder, who was thrust into the position last year, but with an off-season and maturity, he is ready to lead the offense. He has an impressive 4.7 grade point average.

Class of 2025 offensive and defensive linemen Jackson Zajkowski (6-1, 250 – 4.1 GPA), who is also a wrestler, will be back – along with 2025 defensive lineman Miguerson Renelus (6-1, 255 – 3.5 GPA)

In addition to Baldwin, here are some other head football coaches in Miami-Dade and Broward County who will take over for the 2024 season:

Fort Lauderdale Stranahan – Jacky Candy

Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy – Jase Stewart

Homestead Everglades Prep – Jermain Kelson Sr.

Miami Belen Jesuit - Nicholas Oyarzun

Miami Carol City – George Stubbs

Miami Dr. Krop – Vernon Wilder III

Miami Jackson – Max Edwards

Miami Killian – Rudy Trevino

Miami Northwestern – Teddy Bridgewater

Parkland Douglas – Christian Baldwin

Pembroke Pines Somerset – Nitro Baker

Plantation – Daryl Strong

Pompano Beach Blanche Ely – Terrence McFadden

MIAMI-DADE/BROWARD INFORMATION YEAR-ROUND. https://larryblustein.com/

For the past 54 years, we have spent plenty of time on football fields than anyone in the country. From games to practices, camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, we get to as many events as possible to see the athletes LIVE. Follow us on Facebook (Larry Blustein) Instagram (@OurBoyBlu) and Twitter (@larryblustein). Contact us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..