Billy Gillispie isn't the only one Offering 8th Graders

by:Nick Roush05/18/16

@RoushKSR

[caption id="attachment_158370" align="alignnone" width="512"] Garry Jones | AP Garry Jones | AP[/caption] Billy Gillispie's early recruiting tactics have become the butt of jokes over many years, but what if he had us all fooled? Today Nick Saban extended a scholarship offer to an 8th grade Jesus -- Florida linebacker Jesus Machado.  Michael Avery didn't fulfill his potential, but Saban's move provides a little validation to the process.  After all, Dylan Moses was only an 8th grader in 2013 when he received offers from LSU and Alabama; now he's the #2 overall prospect in the 2017 class. Saban was beat to the punch by Mark Stoops, who offered a few members of the 2020 class from the Detroit area earlier this month.  The first was Justin Rodgers, a 6'4" 260-pound lineman who will be a freshman in the fall.  His future freshman teammate, athlete Enzo Jennings, also received an offer from UK's secondary coach, Steve Clinckscale. You can't call Billy Clyde a recruiting innovator, but you can no longer call him crazy for recruiting 8th graders.

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