Alabama offers scholarship to 8th grade linebacker
Recruiting begins earlier and earlier these days, so it’s not much of a surprise anymore when a kid who is still in middle school receives a scholarship offer. But when the kid receives an offer from the defending national champion? Yeah, that’s gets our attention.
Meet Jesus Machado, a linebacker from Hiahleah, Florida, Machado, listed at 6-foot and 195 pounds, was offered a scholarship by Alabama earlier this week, his coach told ESPN. The class of 2020 (yes, you’re old) prospect from Champagnat Catholic School has also reportedly earned verbal offers from Iowa State, Michigan State, NC State and West Virginia – all before beginning high school.
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He must be pretty good, huh? Well, here’s the film:
How much can you glean from film of middle school football? Enough to verball extend an offer, apparently.
Like I said, offering a middle schooler is nothing new. Back during his days as head coach at USC in 2010, Lane Kiffin infamously landed a commitment from quarterback David Sills, then in seventh grade (Sills eventually landed at West Virginia, where he saw action at wide receiver, but is listed as a quarterback).
In 2013, Kiffin offered another middle-schooler, current Arizona commitment Nathan Tilford, while UCLA’s Jim Mora extended an offer to quarterback Lindell Stone a short time later. Like Tilford, Stone is a member of the class of 2017 (still nine months from national signing day). Stone, now rated as a three-star recruit, is verbally committed to Virginia.
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It goes on. Dylan Moses, a five-star linebacker in the 2017 class, hauled in a bevy of offers during his eighth-grade season, including one from Alabama and another from LSU, where he was committed until last August.
Another LSU recruit, 2018 quarterback commit Zadock Dinkelmann, verballed to Les Miles and the Tigers in February 2014, when he was 14-years-old and in eighth grade.
As for Machado, we’ll be sure to follow up on his recruitment in about four years when he can finally sign a national letter of intent.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
