Most eighth-graders are concerned with what other kids are saying; gossip and hearsay run the world of middle-school popularity.
But not Mi’Quan Grace. He’s worried about what the scouts are saying.
Grace isn’t your ordinary eighth-grader. A 5’9”, 160-pound cornerback, his skills on the turf are already getting him attention from some pretty important people; so much to the point that he has already received two Division I football scholarship offers. The University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati are already trying to get their hands on Grace—and they aren’t the only ones. He’s receiving looks from the likes of Kent State, Ohio, Ohio State, Clemson, West Virginia, and Michigan State as well. He was the youngest invited recruit at Kentucky’s spring game, and he hasn’t even played for a high school team. He also has plans to visit a few more camps, including Ohio State, Michigan State, West Virginia, and Clemson this summer.
Flat out: Mi’Quan Grace is no joke.
Now, to some, it may seem a little odd to be going after an eighth-grader, but it’s actually becoming a lot more common. 247sports.com lists 33 players in the class of 2020 that are worth tracking. Of those 33, seven (including Grace) currently hold D-I scholarship offers.
He seems to be pretty surprised by the attention, but he’ll have no choice but to get used to it as he moves on to high school. He attends Winton Woods Middle School and plans on attending Winton Woods High School in the fall. It’s predicted that he’ll grow to at least 6’0” by the time he graduates from Winton High, which is even better news for the scouts around the country.
As for now, Grace is just trying to make it to his first high school game. He’s training at IMEC almost every day, working on getting out of his breaks faster. Fingers are crossed that his work ethic only gets better as we near Signing Day 2020. Collegiate coaches have remarked on his work ethic as one of many things he will need to continue to focus on. It’s impossible to predict where he’ll be going this early in the game, but the kid is definitely going places.
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Mi’Quan Grace
Racing for Grace By Njeri Mathis
Photo Courtesy of www.arkansasstate.247sports.com.
