Hawaii Offers Scholarship to 5th Grade QB (Yes, 5th Grade)
Is this what they mean when they say teams are getting younger?
The University of Hawaii has offered a football scholarship to a fifth-grade quarterback from Kapolei, Hawaii. The boy is named Titan Lacaden and he announced the news on Twitter:
No, this is not some junior high prank, either. His older brother, who played at Nevada when current Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich was there as offensive coordinator, confirmed the offer:
Titan's father, Frank Lacaden, said the coach is impressed with his son's skill set, reports ESPN:
(Rolovich) said he likes Titan and what he does. We both agreed that he's different, he carries himself differently. They said they want to offer a scholarship and asked me how I felt about it. I know what my older son went through in the recruiting process and it's difficult, especially with us being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. So when opportunity knocks, you answer the door."
The cynic would note this is actually a verbal offer and since coaches have the shelf life of expired milk, Rolovich may not be the coach when Titan enrolls and whoever is may not honor the offer. The even bigger cynic would note the boy may not even play college football since he is in fifth grade a lot can happen between now and college.
Is reaching out to kids who've yet to hit their teenage years the next big thing in college football? Maybe. Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin made waves earlier this month when he offered scholarships to a sixth grader and a seventh grader.
Moral of the story: if you've got a toddler who can run, slap on some shoulder pads because, at the rate things are going, he could sign with a program before kindergarten.