FieldThrower
Guru
The biggest sources of "black NFL" talent (used loosely in some cases) are the SEC/ACC/Big-XII-South triumvirate. From the lists here, these seem to have lower %s of white players than the typical NFL team. I know the populations of blacks are much higher in the Gulf-Atlantic (cotton) states, but it still only amounts to 1/3 of the state at most.
I think southern coaches may just be bigger caste-whores than northern and western coaches. Just look at how black Zook has made Illinois in a few years. Compare that to the whiter Big Ten teams. Zook is a former SEC guy, so it could be due to be more regional "coaching culture" than anything. Even Fisher DeBerry was a southern guy likely brought up in southern school coaching ranks. Though he had one of the whitest teams around, his comments expressed a desire to recruit more blacks into the military academy.
Also, it seems that the only teams west and north that recruit abnormal amounts of blacks are struggling schools. Schools like USC, Ohio State, and Nebraska tend to have a healthy amount of white players, though the castes are still observed for extremes (QB, FB and OL for whites; CB, WR and HB for blacks). One notable exception would be Michigan; but with Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland all close by, it's probably too much of a temptation for most recruiters. But even they usually have white QB, OL, TE, and possibly a few white defenders.
I know guys like Saban and Les Miles are northerners, but what I'm saying is the southern coaching culture supersedes past notions of talent evaluation. What might be 1st or second degree caste-ing in the north and west is 3rd or 4th degree (worse) caste-ing in the southeast.
The NFL may have its own caste system, but I honestly believe it's nothing compared to that of the SEC, ACC, and Big XII-South. Mostly the NFL just gets the guys from the top colleges. If there were more whites in the highest college ranks, there would be more in the pros. Even back when AFL coaches like Hank Stram and Al Davis started raiding HBCs, it was a relatively small number compared to what is taken out of the big schools today.
Maybe the problem should be fixed in the southern colleges before worrying about the NFL. College coaches tend to be a different species of coach than pro coaches. Crossovers are rarely successful.
Edited by: FieldThrower
I think southern coaches may just be bigger caste-whores than northern and western coaches. Just look at how black Zook has made Illinois in a few years. Compare that to the whiter Big Ten teams. Zook is a former SEC guy, so it could be due to be more regional "coaching culture" than anything. Even Fisher DeBerry was a southern guy likely brought up in southern school coaching ranks. Though he had one of the whitest teams around, his comments expressed a desire to recruit more blacks into the military academy.
Also, it seems that the only teams west and north that recruit abnormal amounts of blacks are struggling schools. Schools like USC, Ohio State, and Nebraska tend to have a healthy amount of white players, though the castes are still observed for extremes (QB, FB and OL for whites; CB, WR and HB for blacks). One notable exception would be Michigan; but with Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland all close by, it's probably too much of a temptation for most recruiters. But even they usually have white QB, OL, TE, and possibly a few white defenders.
I know guys like Saban and Les Miles are northerners, but what I'm saying is the southern coaching culture supersedes past notions of talent evaluation. What might be 1st or second degree caste-ing in the north and west is 3rd or 4th degree (worse) caste-ing in the southeast.
The NFL may have its own caste system, but I honestly believe it's nothing compared to that of the SEC, ACC, and Big XII-South. Mostly the NFL just gets the guys from the top colleges. If there were more whites in the highest college ranks, there would be more in the pros. Even back when AFL coaches like Hank Stram and Al Davis started raiding HBCs, it was a relatively small number compared to what is taken out of the big schools today.
Maybe the problem should be fixed in the southern colleges before worrying about the NFL. College coaches tend to be a different species of coach than pro coaches. Crossovers are rarely successful.
Edited by: FieldThrower