Alabama offers scholarship to 8th-grade LB prospect Jesus Machado

Alabama offered a football scholarship to eighth-grade linebacker Jesus Machado on Monday, his high school head coach Dennis Marroquin told ESPN.com.

It's not the first time a young prospect has been offered a scholarship, and certainly won't be the last, but it is still a very rare occurrence.

The Crimson Tide aren't the only ones interested in Machado, a 6-foot, 195-pound defensive prospect from Hialeah (Florida) Champagnat Catholic School. In addition to his new Alabama offer, Machado also has verbal offers fromIowa State, Michigan State,NC Stateand West Virginia.

Current five-star linebacker prospectDylan Mosesmade headlines in February 2013, when he earned an offer from LSU as an eighth-grader. Moses went on to commit to the Tigers, but he eventually backed off of that pledge and is now open in his process.

Verbal offers are nonbinding and prospects are not allowed receive written offers until their senior season.