Troy Smith and Braxton Miller Looking to Open a IMG type Prep School in Urbana

C'Town216

Well-known member
Saw this article by eleven warriors in regards to the ideas of former Ohio State Buckeye star QB’s Troy Smith (Glenville alum) and Braxton Miller (Huber Hts. Wayne alum) looking to buy the former Urbana University campus and turning it into a Prep School that operates just like IMG Academy called Urbana Prep and Sports Institute. What is everyone’s thoughts and how can it affect schools across Ohio and neighboring states?

Below is the article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...VUaliTjJrK0W7-0CN0rVIbFhflGIlLcehe_5cZyI8TcZQ
 
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being a big Clark County football fan as well as closely following the OHC and CBC, i hate this!

i wouldn’t be opposed to a post-graduate prep school, but i hate this.
 
Getting kids to Urbana, and getting them to stay there, for this concept in football will be easier said than done.

This concept would be better served if they tried their hand with wrestling, first. IMO. How much money do you think it would take Jeff Jordan for him to get on board for something like this?

I would get a kick if they branded themselves as "Urbana-Champaign." Might have a better team than uIllinois!
 
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A lot of prep schools aren't exactly in destination locations. IMG and a few others are probably more the exception than the norm. Oak Hill, Blair Academy, Kiski, etc. are all out in the boondocks. If this were actually well planned and financed the location would not be a problem, especially if the target population is kids in the midwest.
 
I always felt this concept could succeed, but as it was pointed out to me on several occasions, IMG rakes in millions from its international programs in sports like golf and tennis, so they can afford a traveling football program.

Prep school basketball is easily done, being that it doesn’t cost much to equip a basketball team and the roster numbers are low.

For football it would take some deep pockets and it would certainly have to be regional, as Ohio has been drying up in top level prospects.

Could it work? Yes. Probably wouldn’t bet the farm on it. If I’m a kid and I can do prep school in Ohio or at IMG in FL? Hello Sunshine State!
 
Goes against the basics of HS football. My school versus your school.

If I want to watch great athletes playing football together, I'll watch the NFL. If I want to watch recruited superstars playing together, I'll watch college football. If I want to watch communities coming together to support their kids playing a game they love, I'll watch OHSAA HS football.

HS football teams trying to act like college football is rather boring to me...
 
They can probably get the University grounds for a song, but maintaining it would be a different story. They have a turf stadium there so that would be a plus. I agree, add the Jeff Jordan thing to it all and they’d have a great start.
 
There is no feasible business model that makes this work. It will never get past the talking phase.
Do not underestimate the amount of jock sniff ers with money who will want their name attached to something like this and kids will be lined up put the door wanting to attend as nowadays it's all about being associated with a team to tell everyone you're elite and self promotion....
 
funny how I remember reading a post recently and someone said this should happen. In al seriousness if they want it to be a big attraction for midwesterners outside of Ohio I would think Indianapolis or Chicago would attract more as it’d be more centralized compared to ohio being the most eastern state in the Midwest
 
It depends on how it is ran. If not done properly, it will become the team of disgruntled parents. Every kid in Ohio who isn’t a starter by their Junior year will be sending out a tweet, “committed to Urbana Academy, respect it”
 
They better have a lot of money because Urbana's facilities and dorms are an absolute dump. IMG's campus is like walking around a smaller version of the University of Oregon. Kids go to IMG because the facilities are top notch.
 
Even if Jeff Jordan were to be involve that's what? Maybe 50 kids? And for better or worse...when people outside of the sport of wrestling see the Jordan name they relate them to Jim.

Most boarding schools/prep schools have general students that don't play sports. Those are the ones that ultimately fund the whole school. The "sport" academies are primarily funded by international students. Sure donations help but it's not enough to fund a full program year after year
 
D5-D7 kids are not good enough to sniff IMG jock straps. So pee wee league.

Ursuline has had kids that can play with anybody. Anybody.

I’m sure there’s a bit of sarcasm in your post (just a bit), but the popular opinion that the best athletes always come from larger high schools is false.
 
Ursuline has had kids that can play with anybody. Anybody.

I’m sure there’s a bit of sarcasm in your post (just a bit), but the popular opinion that the best athletes always come from larger high schools is false.
Privates don't count. They have an unique way to attract athletes while sticking onto the smaller divisions.
 
Privates don't count. They have an unique way to attract athletes while sticking onto the smaller divisions.
Privates count. Ursuline built themselves up for decades up by playing all larger schools. Warren G. Harding, Boardman, Austintown Fitch, etc.

Ursuline was always competitive, but their program didn’t really take off until the majority of the former Youngstown City Series schools (North, South, Rayen, Wilson, & the original East) closed. Even Mooney didn’t win a state title in the 90’s, but once the YCS dried up, they got back to their dominant ways.

If you notice, all of the dominant private schools are located in large cities where the public school systems are considered “poor.” That’s their biggest “recruiting tool,” which isn’t a concern in MAC communities as, from what I’ve heard, raise their youth with strong morals off the field before they even allow them on it. Thats the MAC’s trump card vs. most of their competitors, which neither you or I would consider an “unfair advantage.”
 
Privates count. Ursuline built themselves up for decades up by playing all larger schools. Warren G. Harding, Boardman, Austintown Fitch, etc.

Ursuline was always competitive, but their program didn’t really take off until the majority of the former Youngstown City Series schools (North, South, Rayen, Wilson, & the original East) closed. Even Mooney didn’t win a state title in the 90’s, but once the YCS dried up, they got back to their dominant ways.

If you notice, all of the dominant private schools are located in large cities where the public school systems are considered “poor.” That’s their biggest “recruiting tool,” which isn’t a concern in MAC communities as, from what I’ve heard, raise their youth with strong morals off the field before they even allow them on it. Thats the MAC’s trump card vs. most of their competitors, which neither you or I would consider an “unfair advantage.”A
MAC = pee wee football.
 
MAC = pee wee football.
I’m sure that the Mooney & Ursuline faithful would disagree. MAC kids are tough. Don’t let these southern Ohio/GCL fans convince you that great football doesn’t exist outside of larger schools. Heck, even they used to think that the dominant Division I schools were untouchable until La Salle toughened up and started smacking the GCL around.

As a Mahoning Valley native, I’ve seen it happen for years.
 
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