Future Coaching Question

I think you should at least go and try to play at a small college to get some more experience at watching how other coaches operate. If you play 2 or 3 years and decide to hang it up, then you will at least have that point of reference to be able to say you played college ball. It is also an experience to put on your resume'. Another note:1) If you are going to go into coaching, make sure you are doing it because you love the game not because you think this is a good way to get paid. 2) Be a complete student of the game. Don't cheat the game by only knowing 1 system and running that. There are certain coaches will be SOL if they can't run their 1 system against certain opponents. 3) Your body will only allow you to play a certain amount of time, but you can coach forever.
In closing, you should play because you will never get your youth back. You will only be 18,19,20 etc. one time in life. Do what you can while you are young. I am 36 and sometimes my knees and my back hurt, but I played and for that I have no regret or grand illusions about what might have been. My mother would tell me that "youth is wasted on the young" and at the time I did not know what she meant. Now I do.

100% with mwpilots and fbdoc.

You've only seen one way how things work (with your H.S. program). For your own growth, it would be good to see how others are getting it done. Continue to play as long as you can or try to volunteer with another program. Be a sponge.

One of my players knew he was not destined for college ball (he was small but he was REALLY slow) and his passion is to become a teacher and FB coach at the JH or HS level when he's finished with college. He started out as a volunteer at a D1 School where he was accepted as a student (I got him the in) and he now gets 1/2 tuition and all books as he has taken on lots of responsibilities around the FB program. He is way better off with this experience than he would have been just coming back and volunteering with us.