TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama extended a handful of scholarship offers to recruits during Saturday's junior day, but none more surprising than the one given to Dylan Moses, an eighth-grader from Baton Rouge, La.

The 2017 prospect, who was also offered a scholarship by LSU last summer, made the trip to Tuscaloosa with his father, Edward Moses Jr.

"For Dylan, excitement spilled over," Moses Jr. said. "When he heard those words from Coach [Nick] Saban, 'We're offering you,' you could see him light up. It was shocking because we were going in thinking we were just going to get a tour of what Alabama has to offer.

"To hear, 'You're impressive, keep your grades up, we want you to come here, and we're offering you a scholarship now,' I can't even put that into words."

It's not the first time Alabama has offered a scholarship to a younger recruit, but it doesn't happen very often.

The Tide offered current 2013 signee Tim Williams as well as 2014 ESPN Watch List running back Leonard Fournette when they were both freshmen.

Still, Moses might be the first eighth-grader to receive an Alabama offer. Other schools haven't started showing interest yet, but his father anticipates things to pick up in the spring and summer. For now, Alabama and LSU have the early advantage.

"The battle for Dylan internally is who would be the best fit," Moses Jr. said. "Right now, he's an eighth-grader, he doesn't have to worry about that.

"We have LSU right here. They have access to us. At Alabama, we know what they have over there with the great running backs and another first-rounder on the way. Those two schools are No. 1, and everybody else is 2, 3, 4 and 5."

During his visit to Alabama, Moses measured in at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds.

The offer from the Tide and the earlier offer from LSU has the 2017 phenom on top of the world, but his father knows it's his job to keep him grounded through the recruiting process. After all, he still has four years before he signs his national letter of intent.

"The attention from those levels of institutions, No. 1 and No. 2 in the SEC and arguably in the country, he feels like a boss, like he's untouchable," Moses Jr. said. "We have to bring him back on down to earth, let him know that he still has to do his work down here to make sure that dream comes true."