During the past day and a half, two eight grade football players have been scouted for the collegiate level. One has even unofficially signed a letter of intent for the University of Washington and hasn’t step on the high school gridiron yet!
In Washington, 14-year-old Tate Martell had received a scholarship to play in Washington and has been coached under Steve Clarkson; whom has coached other collegiate quarterbacks like Mark Barkley.
What got Martell noticed was a 35-yard roll-out completion he had last season in a game. Impressive for a eighth grader, but why is this raising enough of a stir for a collegiate team to notice if he is still in Jr. High?
What is worst, LSU is recruiting a soon-to-be eighth grader who was clocked running a 4.46 40-yard-dash, broad jump of 9 feet, 3 inches and a 34-inch vertical leap for a six-foot-200 pound eighth grader.
After reading these two articles, one question has been raised to me.
What is wrong with our collegiate sporting events nowadays?!?
I mean, if a sophomore putting up big numbers being looked at is pushing it because they still could go either direction in their development as a player. But a seventh or a eighth grader? C’mon now programs, have some respect for you all.
I’m all fine for keeping tabs on a solid player like what these two universities are looking at because at least you can refer back to these players as they get older and development to see if they might be a flash-in-the pan or the real deal; but going as far as offering an unoffical scholarship to them?
I just find this just to be a tad weird because we don’t hear colleges going after a seventh, eighth or even a ninth grader because they are just too young to measure talent wise as a junior or senior in high school might be.
I just don’t know. Could this be a new trend for the future? It could be beneficial, or it could just be stupid in the fact your basing on the future on your program too far in advance.
JMcDonaldMedia 
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