Coach turnover rate surprisingly high ...

At top-level (Division I) college football programs, chances are only about 50-50 that a player's head coach as a freshman will be his head coach when he is a senior. So it's a good idea for high school football recruits to base their commitment decisions on more than how they like those coaches personally. Recruits should also consider whether the college itself is a good fit for them academically, socially, and geographically.

Looking at the numbers, head coach turnover averaged nearly 19 percent annually over the past three years (2009-2011) at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) programs, according to NCAA statistics. And head coach turnover averaged more than 13 percent annually over the last three years at Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) programs. No data is available for lower-division programs.

So taken together, this data indicates that there were head coaching changes at nearly one-half of NCAA Division I football programs over the most recent three-year period (2009-2011). And that doesn't take into account other coaching changes among offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, and other assistant coaches. Many of them leave and join college football coaching staffs every year, even if the head coach remains the same at a given program.

Assistant coaches are often the primary points of contact for college players, so a player's college football experience can be greatly affected when those assistants leave and new ones arrive -- another great reason for taking into account other factors, such as academics, social issues, and location -- when recruits try to determine where to play college football.

Coaching changes often begin in late November and December, soon after the end of a football season in which a college team might fail to meet the expectations of fans, alumni, and other supporters.

Texas regulates two-a-day football practices ...

In a big step toward improving player safety, Texas is outlawing two-a-day sessions during the first four days of late-summer high school football practices, limiting two-a-days to every other day, and requiring at least a two-hour break between two-a-days on days when they are allowed. This is a big, welcome step for football-crazy Texas, where late-summer temperatures frequently exceed triple digits. Wonder if this move will influence other states to take similar action if they haven't already done so. Didier Morais writes a good summary piece in the Houston Chronicle and Rick Cantu offers some excellent commentary in the Austin American-Statesman.

An "unofficial" visit to a college football game ...

During the college football season, an unofficial visit to a college or university on game day is a good way to for a prospective recruit to get a good sense of the football culture at that school. The recruit is responsible for transportation, food, and other expenses, except that a college can give him -- free of charge -- a maximum of three tickets to an on-campus athletic event, and many are quick to offer them to potential recruits on request. During a gameday unofficial visit, visiting high school players will do things like hang out at a lounge for the football team, see some of the program’s facilities (perhaps the locker room and weight room), perhaps see highlight video from the team’s past, hear a few brief words from a top coach or athletic department official, have the opportunity to buy a meal there (usually nothing particularly memorable), perhaps meet some coaches, perhaps meet some attractive young female students who can help them find their way around, take a stroll along the sidelines during pre-game warm-ups, and get some good seats – with other recruits and their parents or other guests – during the game. Prospective recruits can make as many of these visits as they wish, and those who take the opportunity to visit several different colleges and universities can get some good information for comparing them.

Academics are vital ...

As the school year begins, any high school football player who hopes to play in college must understand the need for making the best grades possible.