Indiana Eight-Man Football 2026

[justafootballguy]

1 hour ago, hhpatriot04 said:

Do 8-man players get recruited by colleges? (honest question) 

I have seen it 2 times.  An OL - big kid. Did well at the D3 level. I also saw a RB that didn't have it to play D3. 

[Muda69]

16 minutes ago, justafootballguy said:

 

Yes, I am aware of that. I coached in the state of Michigan. My point is that having 8 man football is helping save the sport for kids and schools...

But how long until 8-man football reaches a "critical mass" in Indiana, if it ever does? 

Is 8-man football recognized as an "official sport" by the MHSAA?  Do they hold a state championship tournament?

 

[hhpatriot04]

22 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

But how long until 8-man football reaches a "critical mass" in Indiana, if it ever does? 

Is 8-man football recognized as an "official sport" by the MHSAA?  Do they hold a state championship tournament?

 

16 or 24 teams to have a legitimate state champion?

Also the South has almost no representation. Union (Dugger) has a team but is considered more south central Indiana (Bloomington region) than Southwest or Southeast.

There are however a ton of schools like Loogootee, Barr Reeve, Wood Memorial, Cannelton, Northeast Dubois, Evansville Day which are "basketball schools" still and might be able to get an eight-man program going in southern Indiana.

[Muda69]

2 minutes ago, hhpatriot04 said:

16 or 24 teams to have a legitimate state champion?

Also the South has almost no representation. Union (Dugger) has a team but is considered more south central Indiana (Bloomington region) than Southwest or Southeast.

There are however a ton of schools like Loogootee, Barr Reeve, Wood Memorial, Cannelton, Northeast Dubois, Evansville Day which are "basketball schools" still and might be able to get an eight-man program going in southern Indiana.

If any of these southern "basketball schools" are like Rossville in my neck of the woods, trying to get any sort of tackle football program to the JV/Varsity level is a lost cause.  The communities are too entrenched with basketball and in the case of Rossville, also baseball,  to ever support such a program.   

Now you may be able to get away with a co-op arrangement, as long as not too many of the "basketball/baseball" kids want to play.  Can't have them getting hurt on the gridiron when they really should be practicing that jump shot.  

 

[Coach Nowlin]

1 hour ago, Muda69 said:

Rome wasn't built in a day.  

If you are going to have high school tackle football you might as well do what you need to do to have the superior product.   And that is 11-man tackle football.    And if all may be a moot point anyway in the next 20 years or so with U.S. and Worldwide populations on the decline..................

 

Yep:  In 1934 when a coach in Oklahoma decided to create it and was expanded many times over the Great Plains since.... yup.  very inferior product to start in 1934 and continue to this day in 2026.   Yup.   

[hhpatriot04]

4 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

If any of these southern "basketball schools" are like Rossville in my neck of the woods, trying to get any sort of tackle football program to the JV/Varsity level is a lost cause.  The communities are too entrenched with basketball and in the case of Rossville, also baseball,  to ever support such a program.   

Now you may be able to get away with a co-op arrangement, as long as not too many of the "basketball/baseball" kids want to play.  Can't have them getting hurt on the gridiron when they really should be practicing that jump shot.  

 

They already co-op of sorts, kids of Cannelton have played at Tell City for ages. Kids at Forest Park used to play at Southridge and Heritage Hills.

[Muda69]

4 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Yep:  In 1934 when a coach in Oklahoma decided to create it and was expanded many times over the Great Plains since.... yup.  very inferior product to start in 1934 and continue to this day in 2026.   Yup.   

In Indiana, yup.

If you love 8-man football so much why don't you start coaching it, maybe move to Oklahoma.   

Or is 8-man Rensselaer's "long term strategy" as it's enrollment continues to decline:  https://ballotpedia.org/Rensselaer_Central_School_Corporation,_Indiana#Students

 

8 minutes ago, hhpatriot04 said:

They already co-op of sorts, kids of Cannelton have played at Tell City for ages. Kids at Forest Park used to play at Southridge and Heritage Hills.

Hmm, interesting.  How were these arrangements structured between the school corporations?