Kiffin Offers Scholarship to Middle School QB

I remember when I was 13… playing outside, chasing girls, doing what every 13 year old boy does. Those are the days of throwing the football around and taking calls from college head football coaches…wait a minute, that doesn’t happen. At one point it didn’t but, apparently it does in today’s world. David Sills, a 13-year old middle school quarterback for the Red Lion Christian Academy football team in Bear, Delaware has slowly started to turn into the most talked about recruit who isn’t even in high school. Matter of fact, he won’t even be able to sign his letter of intent until 2015.

USC head coach Lane Kiffin placed a personal phone call to David and his father last week, extending a scholarship offer for David to play at the quarterback position.

Sill was quoted as saying USC has always been his dream school – Which is interesting because a few years ago, he probably wanted to attend the University of Krypton with Superman. Yet, now he has a personal quarterback coach by the name of Steve Clarkson who just happens to be the same guy who coached Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley.

It’s obvious that the kid must have talent, and I have no problem with him working on his skills. What I do have a problem with is Lane Kiffin making a personal call and speaking with this kid’s father as well as David himself. Offering this kid a scholarship when he is nowhere near going to college is just wrong. By the time this kid gets to high school, Lane Kiffen might not even be the coach at USC anymore. What could they really see in the kid that would make them think he could be a quarterback for USC in 5 or 6 years? I played soccer in 4th grade… should I be in the World Cup?

This kid’s ego is going to be so huge by the time he’s 16, that nobody will want to even look at him. Keeping an eye on him and watching his progress is one thing – Making a spectacle of him and throwing out a verbal offer to a 13 year-old is just wrong. Could we let this kid grow up a little? Maybe we could let him drive a car first or get a girlfriend.

To me, it’s pretty sad in this day and age that a 13 year-old boy can’t just throw the ball around and be what he is…a boy. Lane Kiffen and the boys’ father should show some class and encourage the boy, not exploit him.