When is it too young to offer a potential college football recruit a scholarship? The NCAA is considering banning football programs from offering scholarships to recruits before they complete their sophomore year in high school. A ruling could require schools to wait until the the summer before a recruit’s junior season to get their commitment. USC head coach Lane Kiffin made a lot of people cringe when he reportedly offered a scholarship to a 13-year-old quarterback. While Kiffin was the head man at Tennessee he also offered a 14-year-old a full ride. It seems to me that allowing coaches and scouts into the lives of kids before they’re even in high school should be avoided. Not that college football programs cannot be aware of young talent coming up through ranks, but offering a kid who hasn’t even stepped inside a high school is over the line. The age limitation would allow recruits enough time to think about where they want to play without the immediate pressure to commit coming everyday from college coaches before they can legally drive a car. Hopefully we see this ruling pass soon.

Steve Sarkisian only managed a 5-7 record last season with the Washington Huskies, but their quarterback Jake Locker showed that he has the stuff to play at the next level. Locker could have left college after last season and would have likely been the first quarterback taken in the draft. Last season Locker lead the Huskies to a historic upset of USC by engineering a last second drive to put Washington into field goal range. Locker also was a talented baseball prospect in high school playing in the outfield and as a pitcher. The Bellingham, Washington native finished 2009 season with 21 touchdowns and 2,800 yards. The senior quarterback will get his first shot at put points on the board in 2010 against BYU on September 4th.

After an argument outside a Florida International University campus building, FIU running back Kendall Berry was stabbed to death by and unknown person. The 22-year-old college athlete was called a “negotiator, not a fighter” by his mother and it has not surfaced yet if the Miami-Dade County police department has a lead suspect. Many of the students at FIU are in mourning and a memorial service is scheduled to honor Berry’s life. Berry scored six touchdowns this season for Florida International and was a Junior heading into this season. Against North Texas this season Berry scored two touchdowns and rushed for 82 yards on fourteen attempts. This past season saw University of Connecticut cornerback Jasper Howard die from a stabbing  in October.

University of Michigan head football coach Rich Rodriguez is in trouble again. The NCAA has published its conclusion stating the Wolverines violated NCAA rules in the first year and a half in Rodriguez’s reign in Ann Arbor. Players were required to practice more than the allotted time for collegiate players to practice during the season and off season. “Rich Rod” hasn’t been a hit on the field either with his Wolverines going 8-16 during his two seasons in the job. Michigan may pull emulate USC by inflicting self-imposed sanctions to lessen the apparently unavoidable NCAA sanctions that will be decided in August. Michigan’s athletic director David Brandon gave Rodriguez a vote of confidence stating that his job is safe in 2010, but if the former West Virgina head coach doesn’t have a good season this year it could be his last at U of M.