Offering middle school kids scholarships is becoming the thing to do in the South.
After Florida and LSU committed themselves to a couple of boys from Florida and Texas, respectively, it appears South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier wanted to get in on the action. He didn’t just pick your run of the mill prospect though, Coach Spurrier wanted to tap into that elite gene pool.
Steve Spurrier will be 75 when his newest recruiting prospect will be entering college.
The South Carolina coach offered a scholarship to middle schooler Dominick Blaylock, the son of former NBA player Mookie Blaylock, after Dominick participated at a junior day at South Carolina on Saturday.
“It felt pretty great,” Blaylock told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I was shocked that when I met the coaches, they went straight to the point with the offer. I had no words. I didn’t know what to say. All I could say was ‘Thanks, coach.’ ”
At 5-11 and 165 pounds, Blaylock is a 14-year-old eighth grader from Dickerson Middle School, which feeds into Walton High School in Marietta, Ga. He is listed as both a running back and a defensive back for the Walton’s junior team.
That’s an interesting approach for a coach who’s turning 70 on April 20th, but I guess it’s worth the risk since no once will question the authority of Spurrier or the athleticism of Blaylock.
These are one of those cases where you don’t know if you’ll either never hear of the kid again, or if he’ll end up being the next Big Thing. That’s just the game you play in the increasingly competitive game of college recruitment.
Stay tuned, folks.
H/T SN
