A ten-year-old boy has been given the opportunity for a scholarship to play football at the University of Illinois.

It's no secret that the University of Illinois football team has struggled for many years. They can't seem to get it going in the right direction. They even brought in former Chicago Bear head coach, Lovie Smith, to run the program.

College recruiting is a very competitive environment. When your team isn't doing well, it makes it much more difficult to bring in the top talent needed for a successful season.

I believe that is one of many uphill battles the Illini are facing in trying to improve their athletics.

Maybe Illinois has found a way to sign the good players. Get to them early.

According to espn.com,

"At just 10 years old Maxwell Young, aka Bunchie, is receiving official scholarship offers from major universities to play football including the University of Illinois."

That just doesn't seem right. So many things could happen between now and when he goes to college.

"Trainer Mike Evans praises his speed, work ethic, and personality. He's a kid that comes around once every 10 years."

What do coaches around the country think about recruiting athletes that can't even sign a letter of intent for several years?

"A lot of these schools are not hip to it because they have old school coaches."

"It's the new wave that's going on with people who came from the computer era and social media age."

Only time will tell if this process will be acceptable nationwide in the college world and if it does, will it work?

If it can actually help the University of Illinois get better, then I'm all for it because they are horrible.

What do you think?


Video: Visiting Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center in Rockford for the first time

 

More From 96.7 The Eagle