I regret to inform you that our man Lane Kiffin is indeed at it again. Kiffin recently offered a scholarship to a 2020 quarterback from South Florida. Brandon McDuffey committed to FAU on Friday.
Lane Kiffin gets 2020 commitment from high school freshman Brandon McDuffey
It’s not the youngest kid he’s ever recruited either.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
FAU is now the third team in the country with a commitment from a 2020 prospect, joining Texas A&M and Miami. The players aren’t rated yet in the 247Sports Composite because there are still 2018 prospects yet to be rated.
There are a couple other things at play here. Quarterbacks do typically commit earliest of any position group, especially the good ones. Most teams aim to take one every recruiting classes, and typically when one domino falls, the best QBs in a particular cycle slot in fairly early.
The other thing is if Kiffin’s going to make a move to compete in South Florida at a higher level recruiting-wise, then something like this could speak volumes about the lengths he’ll go to make a recruiting splash. Off-the-wall recruiting strategies are something you can (and sometimes must) do at a Group of 5 school, especially one that has to fight for players in the most talent-rich area in the country.
With those things being said, it’s still a bit of a stretch to offer a freshman in high school because the young man might not even play football in three years, much less play quarterback. But Kiffin is no stranger to this tact on the recruiting trail.
As a head coach at USC, Kiffin had a seventh-grader commit. David Sills ended up signing with West Virginia and is finishing his career as a wide receiver. We’ll see how McDuffey’s career pans out.
