How soon is too soon? Eighth-grader offered Michigan football scholarship

WESTWOOD — Tyler Martin has the football build. At 6-foot-3 and nearly 230 pounds, he led his Buckingham, Browne and Nichols team in tackles last year, so it’s no surprise that an elite program like Michigan came calling to offer him a scholarship.

There’s just one other little detail. He finished eighth grade in June.

“It was pretty surreal,” Martin said about the day he learned Michigan had offered the scholarship. “I didn’t really know what to say. I sort of was just quiet and freaking out inside, I couldn’t let anything out.”

“It’s crazy just to see how early it’s starting nowadays,” said Bryce Gallagher, a senior at St. Sebastian's School in Needham. "They’re going after 15-year-old kids before they’re even really developed.”

It wasn't only Michigan who offered a scholarship early. Martin received an offer from UMass, as well.

"For a young guy, you get a little concerned," said Bill Crabtree, co-director of Mass Elite Football. "With a lot of these young guys they get the D-I offer and they think their work is done."

We can debate the pros and cons of ultra-early recruiting from universities, but in this case, the people surrounding Martin can understand why Michigan was so interested.

"I've actually worked out with him a couple times," said Zak Zinter, a junior at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols. "No surprise to me. He's a great kid, great athlete."

Eddie Duggan, a senior at Milton Academy, is happy that Massachusetts players are finally getting some respect.

"Super excited for him," Duggan said. "Any Mass kid getting an offer, that's great. I think Mass kids get pushed to the side a little bit overall and nationally with football, but we have great players here, great kids and I think we can run with the best of them."

Martin echoed those same sentiments.

"Everyone always says the big states for recruiting are Ohio, California, Texas, Florida," he said. "But Massachusetts kids can play football."

In the new age of social media, recruiting websites and highlight reels available on-demand, the battle for top talent has intensified. According to P.J. Vande Rydt, co-director of Mass Elite Football, that’s not always a good thing.

"Its got its pros and cons," Vande Rydt said. "I think it's great for the kid, it happens in lacrosse all the time. I think it's a little too young in lacrosse, and even football. Now the kids need to play hard and keep their grades up to get the education. If they don't have good grades, they're not going to play college football. There's pros and cons to it, but the program we've started and many others across the country have given many kids the opportunity to play Division I football and get recruited."

Crabtree and Vande Rydt started Mass Elite Football eight years ago as a way to give the best players coming out of elementary school the chance to compete and train with some of the top talent in the country.

“When we first started we wanted to bring football back. Football was dying a little bit,” said Vande Rydt. “So we had the opportunity to bring the elite kids to compete in a national tournament and we had great success.”

The training and camaraderie at Mass Elite Football has made all the difference for the kids who have made the commitment to being the best of the best.

"I've been doing it since sixth grade," said Kalel Mullings, a junior at Milton Academy who has already received close to 20 scholarship offers. "It's just helped me throughout the entire process. I've been doing it since I was about 10-years-old. I feel like everything and where I've gotten to and what I've done, Mass Elite has had a major part in it."

"They've created a lot of opportunities," said Milton Academy sophomore Greg Crippen. "If I didn't pick Mass Elite to play on the team, I don't think I would've been here."

Martin is about to start his freshman year. He's fortunate to be part of a fraternity of players that have been through exactly what he's experiencing.

"The advice that they give me is ‘don't be complacent with where I'm at,'" said Martin. "’Don't settle for Michigan and UMass. Keep working’ and I try to do that every singe day."

He knows big decisions are in his future, but for now Martin is looking forward to experiencing high school.

"Everything's going to change when I hit the upper school, but I'm really looking forward to just meeting new people,” Martin said. “Our new freshman class, we added about 40-45 kids, so I'm going to meet a lot more kids, have some new friends and be able to be with my teammates for the entire day, which is fun."

Cox Media Group