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Former USFL boss eyes Texas for ‘AAU’ football league despite potential roadblocks

Concerns for player safety and potential UIL violations could stand in the way of this 12-team national spring football league.

A new AAU-like spring football league for high school players is targeting Texas and other hotbeds around the country while hoping to land star recruits; offer more name, image and likeness opportunities; and change the recruiting game.

But there is skepticism whether it can succeed in the Lone Star State, known nationally for its Friday Night Fervor and high level of public school competition. The league, launched by former United States Football League President Brian Woods, wants to offer a clublike atmosphere for youth athletes, operating on a national level with teams in Dallas and Houston.

Players who participate in the 12-team Prep Super League risk ineligibility because of University Interscholastic League rules that prohibit NIL deals, and the potential loss of playing time in the fall.

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The league could also draw the ire of Texas high school football head coaches, a celebrated fraternity who are often the best way to reach blue chip recruits.

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Many spoke out about the new league.

“I think it’s a bad idea,” said Allen coach Lee Wiginton, who served as president of the Texas High School Coaches Association this school year. “That time of year we are in spring ball, so now there are conflicts. If there are guys that take part, they are going to miss your spring. That is going to be a tremendous struggle.”

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About the league

Woods is launching a league that will run from April 19 through May 24 next year. The league will primarily enlist players who are going to be sophomores and juniors next fall, although seniors who have aspirations of playing in college but are lacking opportunities could play in the league as well.

Potential recruits would pay a “player development fee” to participate in the league. Woods wouldn’t disclose how much that will be, but did say it will “cover most of our operational costs.”

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“This is going to operate no different than AAU basketball or travel volleyball,” he said. “Some parents are paying upward of $8,000 a year to participate. The fee will be less than what the industry average is for any travel or club sport.”

Woods wouldn’t reveal the name of most of the league’s investors but did say that Isos Capital Management would be the most recognizable entity that is backing the league at this point. George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, former co-presidents of WWE, are now the founders and co-CEOs for Isos.

The Prep Super League hopes to attract four- and five-star recruits and says it will give players the chance to profit off their NIL without any restrictions. Currently, 29 states, plus Washington, D.C., allow high schoolers to profit off their NIL without losing their amateur status, according to On3.

Texas is not one of those states.

UIL rules state that “No individual, corporate entity, or other organization may enter into any arrangement with a prospective student athlete relating to the prospective student athlete’s name, image, or likeness prior to their enrollment in an institution of higher education.”

The UIL declined to comment for this story. TAPPS officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Woods said his league would not try to skirt NIL rules in Texas.

“If you throw in the obvious of the financial piece, what a nightmare there, of a league that is designed and centered around money and the potential for money,” Wiginton said. “How is that regulated? I think the integrity of Texas high school football would be compromised at the very least.

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“This game of the NIL is still so new, the fear is that you stumble onto something that you don’t even realize you are doing wrong.”

Argyle coach Todd Rodgers said there are a lot of organizations and people who will have to sign off on the new league before it can come to fruition.

“There’s liabilities that kids would have to subject themselves to if they’re willing to play college and if the NCAA is going to allow participation in that kind of league and not classify them as professional players,” Rodgers said. “A lot of people are going to have to sign off on it. It’s not just plain and simple NIL money in creating this high school league.

“So far in Texas we’ve had minimal kids choosing not to play their high school seasons for the benefit of the next level or the next thing. We’ve seen it a little bit with some kids not playing a sport their senior year so they can play in college. I think a lot of college coaches are not wanting their kids to go down that path. They want those kids to play and support their high school teams because that’s their only time they ever get to be in high school.”

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Joe Martin, executive director for the Texas High School Coaches Association, worries about player safety and the possibility for UIL violations.

“It’s a unique idea. It’s way different than anything we’ve ever experienced in the state of Texas,” Martin said.

The league could also prevent players from taking part in spring football with their school, where battles on the depth chart are waged.

“I think everybody [would be concerned],” DeSoto coach Claude Mathis said, “because they’re not playing for you. You have no idea how they are using your kids, the offense and defense is going to be a different scheme.”

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More visibilty

Texas high school coaches have consistently pushed back against outside entities that have tried to make inroads in the sport, whether it’s the development of sports-specific academies or the growth of “select” 7-on-7 tournaments.

Woods touted the potential development program the league offers and thinks it will provide more visibility for recruits at a time when scholarships are harder to come by for high school athletes because of the transfer portal.

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“We feel like we can take a three-star player and develop them into a four-star or five-star player,” he said.

He added: “We have had some conversations with some people in the Dallas area, even former Dallas Cowboys, that would be interested in being part of a coaching staff.”

Though the league is unique, the fall high school football season hardly represents the only avenue for players to showcase their skills for colleges.

Camps and 7-on-7 programs provide recruiting showcases for prospects during the months when they aren’t playing high school football, but high school coaches prefer the traditional straight-line recruiting in football that keep the high schools involved, unlike other sports in which recruiting is done through club teams.

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“There has never been a national high school football league,” Woods said. “Travel and club sports have always been there for years in the other sports, and none has ever existed in football, so I felt like there was a void there. I saw this as an opportunity to give players an avenue to be seen in a more visible setting.”

Randy Allen, coach at six-time state champion Highland Park, worries about the potential for outside influence on players, drawing them away from their schools with hopes of a college scholarship. Players will be eligible to participate in the league only if they’re enrolled in an accredited middle or high school curriculum and live in one of the league’s 12 markets, which will include Atlanta, Cleveland, New Jersey, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and Tampa.

“We support school-based athletics, because they take care of the whole kid: academically, behaviorally, socially and emotionally,” Allen said.

Woods said he isn’t trying to steal athletes from Texas high schools.

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“I think it should be viewed as a complementary entity to existing high school football, and we’re there to support the local high school coaches, not take players from them,” he said. “I don’t think they should feel threatened.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

On Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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