the Informer

In many ways David Sills is no different than any other highly recruited high school quarterback, weighing scholarship offers from top schools before finally making the life-altering decision. Before ever putting on a college jersey, coaches have praised the young signal caller’s physical abilities and football IQ, while even comparing him to great prospects of the past. But something is different about Sills. He’s 13 years old.

On Feb. 4 Sills verbally committed to play football for new head coach Lane Kiffin at the University of Southern California, and the fallout since has mostly been negative. Sills’ services came to USC via a familiar football name, someone who very recently helped another once-in-a-generation type talent find his way to the Trojan’s locker room. Sills’ personal quarterback coach is Steve Clarkson, who in previous years has coached some of the best talent throughout the NFL and college ranks, including Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart, Jimmy Clausen and USC freshman Matt Barkley. It was Clarkson who contacted Lane Kiffen, and informed the coach of his newest must-see pupil.

“His skill set is off the chart,” Clarkson told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “I’ve never seen anyone at his age do what he’s been able to do. He’s already six feet as a 13-year-old, and he’s breaking down NFL footage.”

After watching video of Sills throwing passes as a seventh grader, Kiffin and the Sills family talked on the phone for the first time. Hours later Sills was verbally committed to USC.

While Clarkson and Sills’ father may truly believe they are doing the right thing for an athlete who will not even be in high school until 2011, they are looking right past the possible issues that could potentially arise before Sills even steps on campus in 2015.

I have no doubt David Sills has all the talent in the world, but talent alone didn’t make Michael Jordan just Jordan or Lebron James just Lebron. Accepting a scholarship at such a young age could create many issues with both himself and his high school teammates in the next few years. Clearly Sills has a strong support group behind him, but knowing that you have already locked up a scholarship to USC must affect your work ethic and attitude in some way. After all, if the best already want you, what more do you have to work for? Obviously most athletes have larger aspirations than being offered a scholarship, but do you really think the average 13-year-old is mature enough to understand that?

When considering the consequences of verbally committing at such an unheard of age, you must also take into account what affect the exposure will have. At 13, Sills is already on SportsCenter, will probably be in magazines fairly soon, and oh by the way is already being touted as one of the greatest quarterback prospects of this generation. This type of early exposure could potentially have a negative affect on the high school life and career of such a young athlete.

From the minute he steps foot into his future high school, he will be the big man on campus. Expectations will be unrealistic, failures will be overblown, and the maturation process of a teenager will be followed like Tiger Woods at the Masters.

When everyone tells you that your stardom is untouchable, you will probably believe it, and that is one of the major problems in American sports today. From a young age we tell athletes they are stars, even before they have made it big. For every Lebron or Peyton Manning, there are 20 guys whose story ends like that of Maurice Clarett, Mike Williams or even Len Bias. I am not saying Sillis is anything like those failed athletes, but overexposure at a young age can easily lead to an athlete believing he will be a star no matter how he behaves.

For David Sills sake, let’s hope he ends up more like Clarkson’s other quarterback students, and if not, well you can bet on Kiffin taking even more heat from the media, a feat which currently does not seem possible.