Before they’re even old enough to see an R-rated movie, kids are now getting offers for scholarships from major Division I college athletic programs.
Lindell Stone is just the latest eighth-grader to be offered a scholarship, a new trend in college football recruiting.
Stone, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound quarterback from Southlake, Texas, received the offer this week from UCLA to play quarterback after he graduates high school in 2017. He joins the likes of Dylan Moses of Louisiana, and Nathan Tilford of California, as a group of middle-school players who have colleges chasing after them before they have even had the chance to play a single down of high school football.
These kids have no idea what high school is even like — let alone college — and they could be just average by the time they graduate. Just because a kid is dominant in the eighth grade doesn’t mean he’ll be good four years later when everyone else has hit their growth spurts!
Lindell showed a lot of maturity for his age, though, and expressed that recruiting is not his focus; his interest lies in getting on the high school field and improving his game. Well, the school that offered him may be delusional, but at least this kid isn’t missing all his marbles, too.
What do you think? Is eighth grade just too young to get these kids to commit, or does this give colleges an edge? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
