Are Scholarship Offers to 8th-Grade Recruits Really Necessary?

We're at the time of the recruiting period when one question in particular never disappoints in pumping up the new-school crowd and being a kick to the gut of old-school traditionalists. And this time, that question is re-established courtesy of new Miami head coach Mark Richt.

When is it too early to offer a football player?

Harrison Bailey of Powder Springs, Georgia, a 2020 quarterback, reported his first offer from Miami on Tuesday. The same day, fellow 2020 quarterback Max Johnson of Bogart, Georgia, claimed an offer from Miami, as well. For those of you without calculators, 2020 athletes are eighth-graders preparing for spring football at the high school level.

Wow.

Times are changing in college football recruiting, and the news of two eighth-graders getting Miami offers has brought out the vast opinions of those who follow recruiting. Some are fascinated by it. Others are mortified. Comments from a Wednesday Bleacher Report article on Bailey serve as proof.

Are scholarship offers to athletes not in high school that necessary, that pivotal to college football recruiting? Is it that important to get that early of a jump on recruiting when decommitments are becoming more of the norm?

In Richt's case, it must be. And while it's easy to get upset, it also should be something we respect.

Short answer: In this day of new-age recruiting, offering elite middle-school athletes has its place. Emphasis on "elite" middle-school athletes. College coaches are aware that those athletes, at that age, are few and far between, but there's a handful of young athletes who deserve looks now.

Bailey and Johnson are two of them.

Alan Popadines is the national scouting director and football editor for Youth1.com, which showcases some of the nation's best athletes before they become varsity superstars. Popadines said the discussion of early offers becomes more polarizing every year.

"To tell you the truth, a lot of parents and middle school coaches all understand the process, and they want to see the offers," Popadines said. "It's an interesting trend. If you look at the last couple of years, more and more eighth-graders are getting offers.

"A couple of years ago, when [West Virginia quarterback] David Sills first got his [USC in the seventh grade], and the world stopped. People didn't know what to do. Today, it's Harrison Bailey and Max Johnson. Now, we're like who's next?"

Popadines then said something the purists won't like but is accurate.

"When the tide starts to change," he said, "it's always met with resistance."

Let's look at the 2020 quarterbacks offered by Miami. Bailey is 6'3" and 175 pounds. Johnson is 6'2" and 165 pounds. Both have great mechanics and the mental capacity to lead a high school team now. Johnson, to add, is the son of Brad Johnson, who played 17 years in the NFL and quarterbacked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl XXXVII championship.

The young athletes receiving offers typically aren't that eighth-grade kid you see outside your home window playing touch football in the street. They are individuals who have been working with specialty trainers, finish school practices and go to additional training sessions.

See David Sills. See linebacker Dylan Moses, the nation's consensus No. 1 player in the 2017 class. See defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the nation's consensus in the 2016 class. See Tate Martell, a Texas A&M 2017 pledge who once was committed to Washington—weeks after completing his seventh-grade year. All four entered high school with the shot at playing FBS football.

"People are thinking coaches are offering little Johnny from the neighborhood. These kids aren't Johnny from the neighborhood," Popadines said. "They're physical specimens who have something that others don't. It's the nature of the beast."

Those who hate seeing middle-school athletes get offers have valid points. Among the arguments:

Athletes should simply be enjoying the game.

They should be learning the ropes of teamwork.

They should appreciate the values of being positive figures in wins and losses.

In Richt's case, he sees something in both Bailey and Johnson—and, perhaps, some other athletes who have yet to get an offer but could be a strong candidate for one. Offering early is important in this case.

For college coaches, early reachout to football recruits is necessary, whether or not a player commits. Building relationships is a major part of the recruiting game, and building relationships as early as possible can go a long way with a recruit.

Richt offering Bailey and Johnson means he sees something early in them—and once they get older, even if they choose not to play for him, they'll always remember the coach who believed in them back in the eighth grade.

Hate it or love it, this is becoming part of the normal recruiting cycle. And don't expect it to go away any time soon.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles