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Booker High School in Sarasota is on probation for an illegal practice.
Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida was placed on football probation for a spring practice violation. That infraction came while the team was still being led by its former coach.
The Tornadoes were also hit with a $500 fine as the 2026 season gets off to a tumultuous start.
Momentum was at a high following a 13-win campaign in 2025 that saw the program reach the semifinals of the state playoffs. That progress came to a screeching halt in the offseason.
Florida high school football team held an illegal practice.
Booker High School is located in Sarasota on the southwest coastline of the state of Florida. Positioned just off the Gulf of Mexico, the city boasts a population of around 55,000 residents.
The school has achieved major athletic success, headlined by a basketball team that holds five state titles. It’s football program, however, is currently in hot water.
According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the team allowed eight graders to practice with high school students in the spring. It is a violation of FHSAA rules.
Per the report, the Tornadoes have been fined $500 and placed on administrative probation until May 25, 2027. The practice session was led by former head coach Carlos Woods, who was dismissed by the program earlier this summer.
Woods is currently entwined in a criminal investigation, though details of his wrongdoing remain unclear.
He was terminated as head coach and athletic director as a result of the infractions, though he denies all accusations brought against him.
Woods has a checkered past that includes rule breaking at a pair of California colleges.
In 2017, as an assistant coach at Gavilan College’s football team, Woods was placed on leave and then resigned after 17 players shared a three-bedroom house and received impermissible housing and dining benefits…
In 2019, Woods was placed on administrative leave at Pierce College in Los Angeles, according to The Roundup. It’s alleged that Woods convinced 30 players to live in a three-bedroom apartment, collecting rent from the athletes but not paying it to the landlord…
Woods was also accused of recruiting out-of-state players — prohibited at the time by the California Community College Athletic Association — and allowed them to compete.
He was set to serve a one-game suspension. Now, he is no longer employed.
Former USF quarterback Lance Hoeltke was hired as his replacement, but he could have little to work with in his debut season.
21 players have transferred out of Sarasota Booker.
The Tornadoes finished 13-2 in Woods’ lone season. They made a deep run in the state playoffs, coming up one game shy of a championship appearance.
Many of the team’s top contributors left amid the offseason chaos. Included in that bunch are 4-star Georgia Tech defensive line commit Maleek Lee, Georgia State safety pledge Jordan Booker, and starting quarterback Mason Summer.
As a result of the roster attrition, the program was forced to cancel a preseason contest with Bradenton Manatee, as well as the season opener vs. Venice.
Regular season games against St. John’s College High and Palmetto have also been scratched while a matchup vs. Valdosta remains up in the air.
The offseason issues have put Sarasota Booker behind the eight-ball. The probation adds insult to injury. Lance Hoeltke will look to regroup and save what’s left of the 2026 season.