They didn’t build 8th-grade athletes in my day like Malik Coburn. He is the “poster child” of the “new age” middle school football player flooding and impacting rosters across Kentucky. How early does he play for the Purples? We believe it will be sometime over his freshman season. He’s just that good.
Fletcher W. Long, Senior Scout and Editorial Board KPGFootball
Malik Coburn isn’t built like your “normal” rising freshman in high school. How many ’26s are 6’1″ and weigh 215-pounds, and athletic enough to play RB/MLB for one of the better middle school programs in Kentucky?
Not many you say? Well, there is more of them than you would expect.
Now this particular freshman may be a totally different story from the middle school footballers you recall from “your day.” One thing is certain, he’s certainly “put together” differently than the 8th-graders with whom I used to play football. Coburn’s “put together” will put him in discussion for early Friday Night run.
Coburn is the picture of an eighth grade football player of whom people think when stating that 8th-graders aren’t built today like they used to be. I am older than many of you reading this; but, in my day we didn’t have 215-pound RBs in 8th-grade who really moved like a RB. We didn’t have 215-pound MLBers athletic enough to really play second-level defense in my day either.
Our LBers were downhill run-stoppers only. I am not sure we threw the ball much when I was playing middle school football.
Today’s football is different. Watching the KYMSFA’s “Battle of the Regions” or watching the annual Kentucky/Tennessee Future Stars Classic will impress that upon you, big time!
We have QBs who throw it all over the ballpark these days, as early as 5th or 6th grade. LBers these days have to drop and cover in addition to the downhill responsibilities in the run box.
Malik Coburn, and player’s like him, are “new age” weapons in this new-fangled middle school football. The result of all this creates rising 9th-grade players more prepared to play high school football than we have ever before seen around the commonwealth.
Malik Coburn is a testament to the times. He’s a fine and shining example of the new age football freshman.
Coburn is the Kentucky-wide poster child of the plug-in the lineup freshman footballer we see often around the Bluegrass. Frankly, it is Coburn’s time.
Will he see the field as early as next year at Bowling Green Senior High? He will if old war horses like you and me get out of his way!
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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That’s my son I love you Malik proud mom