Purkinje

February 25th, 2013 at 5:29 PM ^

Absurd. We may need a rule against this shortly. I would have said that was unnecessary not so long ago, but it looks like this is picking up speed...

ish

February 25th, 2013 at 5:57 PM ^

prohibit contact relating to playing at a particular college prior to a certain age.  that won't change much because Saban could still invite these kids to camp, but at least it would mean that he can't offer them or say "i could see you playing at alabama one day."

bmacdude

February 25th, 2013 at 5:41 PM ^

I wish a parent would tell their kid to commit just to further the absurdity of the situation.  This kid is still learning about computer porn and body odor.

Real Tackles Wear 77

February 25th, 2013 at 5:46 PM ^

David Sills accepted his offer to USC as an eighth grader and has developed into a top prospect in the 2015 class. Interesting to see if he sticks with that especially if Kiffin has another rough year

feanor

February 25th, 2013 at 6:34 PM ^

I tried to embed at a specific time, but failed.  This board is more difficult than it needs to be, and doesn't even have spell check.  

Anyhow 2:06 for the best part

Edit: Figured it out after some googling.  Still way more difficult than the average board

Tater

February 25th, 2013 at 6:16 PM ^

He can feel like he has this kid "locked in," but can stlll withdraw the offer if he doesn't pan out.  Not very ethical, but definitely very Saban...

Perkis-Size Me

February 25th, 2013 at 6:16 PM ^

college coaches should not be allowed to formally recruit anyone before they reach high school. i can see it now. in 50 years college football will be a game of eugenics. schollies will go out to kids with perfect gene structures before they even come out of the womb.

Shop Smart Sho…

February 25th, 2013 at 8:07 PM ^

Saban:  If you talk to other schools your offer is gone.



There are so many ways that a coach at a big university like that can exert undue influence of a child.  There aren't a lot of stories out there about Saban being a kind-hearted individual.  So I think it is rather safe to assume that he doesn't have the best interest of that kid in mind.

SamirCM

February 26th, 2013 at 10:13 AM ^

a 13 year math prodigy knows that he is smart, and having known a bunch of them when I was in middle and high school, and having worked with many of them in math team and other activities, I can tell you that schools know what they are getting. 



There is a big difference between a math genius at 13 that may already been doing college level math (or beyond) than a 13 year old DE who has to go against other 13 year olds, rather than high school OL or college level. 

graybeaver

February 25th, 2013 at 7:56 PM ^

You mad bro! Who cares? If Saban is dumb enough to offer a 8th grader than so be it. What's so horrible about offering somebody the possibility of a free college education. Even if the kid accepts the offer he has several years to change his decision. The Jealously towards the SEC is getting annoying. Hoke is building Michigan into a team that will be able to line up man vs man and be competitive against the best the SEC has to offer. Show some respect and class as Michigan fans.

Bo4President

February 25th, 2013 at 8:53 PM ^

Hey Nick Satan!!! You still got this kids back if he doesn't develop? What a scum bag....8th grade are serious. Kid has other things to be worried about. Should be a few hundred rules about recruiting under age

LSAClassOf2000

February 26th, 2013 at 8:43 AM ^

Here is the opening of NCAA Bylaw 13.02.12 - 

"A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. In addition, a student who has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a prospective student-athlete if the institution provides such an individual (or the individual’s relatives or friends) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally"

The next Bylaw essentially states that the recruitment of someone fitting the above description can be accomplished through the family or relatives of the prospective student-athlete as well. 

WolverineFanatic6

February 25th, 2013 at 11:27 PM ^

I will not be surprised when Saban, or Kiffin for that matter, offer a 1st grader because of his elite field vision and strong arm.

turtleboy

February 25th, 2013 at 11:33 PM ^

That's just dumb. For basketball, or soccer, or tennis you can make good projections from an 8th graders skill. With football you regularly have to take junior production and film with a grain of salt, and many 5-star and even top-10 seniors fizzle out at the next level. I guess he just wants Alabama to be more like USC.

JohnnyV123

February 26th, 2013 at 3:59 AM ^

Not sure why so many people's panties are in such a bunch about this.

It's a genius move really if he turns out to be a huge prospect to say hey we were there back when you were in 8th grade we knew how good you were then. If he doesn't turn out to be anything special they pull the offer in 3 years he goes somewhere else no harm done.

It's not like he's taking official visits to Bama or being shown a "good time" by the current Bama players and I doubt Saban's blowing up the kid's phone every day. That would be something to have a big problem with.

This is much more symbolic gesture than anything else and most of you would be lauding Hoke if he did this to someone that shows as much talent as this kid so young.

saveferris

February 26th, 2013 at 8:24 AM ^

I sort of agree.  If this kid was some kind of intellectual prodigy and was finishing high school early and colleges were clamoring to offer him an academic scholarship, nobody would have anything to say about it.

If Nick Saban wants to waste his time and Alabama's money recruiting 13 year olds, go for it.

CAwolverine

February 26th, 2013 at 9:08 AM ^

After researching other young players who have been offered scholarships, I found an interesting article on David Stills V. He was the 13 year old Lane Kiffin offered in 2010. The article says that Kiffin was introduced to him through California QB coach Steve Clarkson. He is the same QB coach William Speight flies out to workout with. Posting from my iPhone so here is the link: http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=4888515&city=losangeles



Sorry for any formatting issues.