Guys who come out Junior/Senior year

Not really. They are usually so far behind the others. But if a junior comes during the summer and works his way on, the it's ok. We are a small school with around 35. Really don't want a senior who has never played.

We are a small school with 35-40 kids as well. Though we don't prefer those kids coming out, we do welcome them.  It all depends how hard he kid works for us.  If he comes in and works his tail off, we will definitely find a spot for him.  We have those kids specialize with a specific position group on one side of the ball. It's too much to ask for that kid, unless he's pretty smart and extremely athletic, to learn your entire system.  That has been our experience.  We have had some successes and failures, but it has always come down to how hard he works.

We lucked out on this one kid. Came out as a junior and wanted to play JV to get the swing of things. He ended doing really well in the spring and summer and started at guard for us the entire season. He still has lots to learn about the game and position but he played really well considering his lack of experience.

I was once one of those kids. Coach made it clear that I was welcome to but made it clear what odds I was against in terms of PT, and I understood this. I attended every offseason and in season workout, meeting, and practice optional and mandatory, every scout team I put my hand up for, brought in equipment like a first year guy . The real pressure wasn't from the coaches it was senior players who didn't want people to just walk in and get a jersey without the work, and you have to earn their respect. The experience changed my life and am grateful for being afforded the opportunity. I think so long as it is made clear the level of commitment that is there and that there are no promises of PT, why not let them on. Though I didn't amount to much as a player you may end with a "program" kid who busts his butt and ends up making the team better anyway through his work and attitude. I did struggle initially with positional work (OG Wing-T/DT 5-2/3-4), really was so far behind in terms of terminology and philosophy. Defense came easier for me, blocking rules came really slow and with little reps they didn't stick. Defense allowed me to be more instinctual and allowed me to better use my skill set to rush though I wasn't physical I was quicker than all the OL. My HS experience made me wish I started earlier and was the spark that made me interested in the game, and my coach is the reason I got into coaching.

I think it's always a positive reflection of your program. 

I think the thing to keep in mind is that kids who have never played before are usually pretty clueless altogether and don't have any idea what they are getting themselves into. I don't think the program reputation influences kids much. 

Kids are no different than the beer bellied knucklehead sitting on his couch at home screaming at his tv and saying man, "Even I can do better than that". 

Then they walk on the field and get their faces attached their a$$es in the first drill and half of them hang it up and the other half generally learn to respect what all the others have been doing for the past 4 years. 

This has been my experience anyway. But, IMO, never a bad thing to have kids identify your program as something they would like to belong to. It's better than the alternative. 

Again, JMO.

Absolutely. We had a senior this year who was a 145 lb. bull-rider who hadn't played football since 6th grade. He ended up being one of our best players on a pretty talented team. He started both ways and got All-Conference. For a guy that little, he hit hard. We could've honestly put him at LB if we wanted to.

Over the years, we have had several kids come out late in their high school career and excel...a couple even became all-conference players.

Some kids just mature late...why wouldn't you want to give them a chance to play this great game?

most of the time they suck

but if they are nice kids and can be extra scout team bodies then it is all good

if they are slappies then bye bye

i have coached a handful of kids who didnt play HS football until their junior or senior year who turned out to be excellent players

a couple linemen who were just so physically gifted they were able to step in and be players right away (both who went on to play at JC level and then transfer on)

we had a WR who hadnt played HS football, although you would never know it. Insanely smooth and athletic in a white chocolate sort of way. Moved around a lot, and was way too into basketball prior to coming to us, so he didnt play HS football til his senior year. he was a really good WR and punt returner... super high football IQ shockingly

You can't put a value on a tackling dummy that moves...

We had a kid come out a few years back for his senior year. He was a baseball/basketball player his first three years and just an awesome athlete. Well he comes out and proceeds to catch 10 touchdowns, make first team all-conference and get a full-ride football scholarship to a D2 school. Great kid!

It all depends on the kid and their motivation for coming out for football as upperclassmen. We've had good experiences, bad experiences and everything in between.

The good experiences generally come from kids that played youth and middle school ball but lost interest in the game for one reason or another. They've usually decided to "specialize" in another sport and have gotten burnt out. I respect that and they contribute to the program because they've been active in another sport and can handle the physical and psychological demands of the game.

The bad experiences come from the kids that have been never played the game ad are Madden aficionados/Monday Morning QBs. They may have played other sports but they just don't understand that football is a different animal.. Or, they're bigger kids that have been told for years that they'd be studs out on the field and decide to "try" football. They get beaten like they've stolen something in a hurry.

However, I did work with a kid many years ago that came out for his senior year having never played football. He was a decent basketball player and our basketball kids talked him into playing. He earned a starting spot as a DE within the first week amidst some pretty hefty competition. He was one of the better DEs I have been around as he was very coachable, found out that he loved the game and had a helluva motor on him. He probably would have earned himself a small college scholarship if he wasn't 6'2'' and 160lbs when he was 18 years old. Small colleges in the area recognized that he had knack for the game but they weren't willing to shell out money knowing they'd have to strap 60-70lbs on the kid in order for him to be successful. He turned down some walk-on offers because they schools that were looking at him didn't have the academic programs he wanted.

I was a guy who didn't come out until my senior year. I was way way way behind the other players, but being a D1 CF for baseball, the coaches basically told me I was going to CB and M2M coverage. That worked until we played a D1 receiver who ended up going to FSU...lol They would also put me in to run a Go route, reverse, etc..

But if it wasn't for my coaches asking me to play my senior year, I would not be coaching the game now.

Let those guys play, especially if they are athletes

Your guy sounds like a kid I had. Baseball player (being recruited for baseball) which is hard to do in our area. He was 6'3/230. We put him at TE. Awesome, awesome kid. Country boy. Tough as a $2 steak.

 He could throw low 90's and all season i was like, 'please don't get hurt! Please don't get hurt!' He generated a little football recruiting attention, but his heart was on baseball, and we all understood that. Though he's done playing now, I'm pretty sure he grinded it out in AAA ball for a while.

Most others I had like that were just along for the ride.