It’s rare, but we’ve seen SEC programs offer eighth grade prospects in recent years.

Elijah Howard, an eighth grader from Webb School of Knoxville (Tenn.), was offered his first scholarship on Friday and it came thanks to his home-state school, the Tennessee Volunteers.

https://twitter.com/e_izzy03/status/756572931489140736

Howard may be small at 165 pounds, but he certainly has time to bulk up. Listed at 5-foot-11, he isn’t short for a running back, even by collegiate standards.

Howard is known for his speed, and apparently, has a knack for making big plays already.

https://twitter.com/e_izzy03/status/692131791801556993

It’s easy to see from the highlight clip that Howard has speed to burn.

It may be hard to project too much into the class of 2021, but according to Ryan Callahan of 247 Sports, Howard is expected to be one of the top prospects within his state in his class.