Alabama offers scholarship to 8th grade LB prospect Jesus Machado

ByDEREK TYSON
May 18, 2016, 11:55 PM

— -- Alabama offered a football scholarship to eighth-grade linebacker Jesus Machado on Monday, his high school head coach Dennis Marroquin told ESPN.com.

It's not the first time a young prospect has been offered a scholarship, and certainly won't be the last, but it is still a very rare occurrence.

The Crimson Tide aren't the only ones interested in Machado, a 6-foot, 195-pound defensive prospect from Hialeah (Florida) Champagnat Catholic School. In addition to his new Alabama offer, Machado also has verbal offers from  Iowa State, Michigan StateNC State and West Virginia.

Current five-star linebacker prospect  Dylan Moses made headlines in February 2013, when he earned an offer from LSU as an eighth grader. Moses went on to commit to the Tigers, but eventually backed off of that pledge and is now open in his process.

Verbal offers are non-binding and prospects are not allowed receive written offers until their senior season.