The Army Bowl has been a New Years staple in San Antonio since 2002, where the premier high school football All-American game annually brings together the nation’s best 90 players and pits them against each other in an East versus West matchup. In “Military City USA”, banner advertisements are wrapped around pillars at the airport as the first thing incoming and outgoing travelers see at the Alamo City; downtown hotel lobbies drape carpets welcoming participants of the game; a spotlight illuminates the Bowl particulars on the edifice of the Henry B Gonzalez convention center.
Since originally conceived in 1985, the Army Bowl has fielded 330 NFL Draft picks, 120 pro bowl selections, 37 Super Bowl champions, 20 major bowl MVPs, and two Heisman recipients.
Former Texas high school alumni and Pro Bowlers of the Army Bowl includes Martellus Bennett (Alief Taylor), Jamaal Charles (Port Arthur Memorial), Tommie Harris (Ellison), Derrick Johnson (Waco), Andrew Luck (Houston Stratford), Adrian Peterson (Palestine), Justin Tucker (Westlake), and Vince Young (Houston Madison).
The following are Texas high school graduates currently competing in this years game:
Robert Barnes (Southlake Carroll, Safety, Oklahoma)
The Oklahoma commit high school career ended prematurely in the third-to- last game of the regular season, shattering his fibula against Byron Nelson; the Dragons eventually fell to 6A champs DeSoto in the second round of the playoffs. Barnes will not play in the Army Bowl, but will likely suit up again in February as an early commit with the Sooners. An athlete on both sides of the ball, Barnes totaled 175 tackles in three years with Southlake, and was put into the offensive rotation as a wide receiver his senior campaign, hauling in 428 receiving yards for four touchdowns.
Eno Benjamin (Wylie East, RB, Uncommitted)
Ranked the No. 2 running back in Texas, Benjamin will make his school selection between 30 FBS offers at the Army Bowl – one of seven student athletes to make the decision at the game. Sources peg the 4-star deliberating between Texas and ASU. In four years, The Wylie East back totaled 7,546 yards for 106 touchdowns on the ground and contributed an additional 491 yards and five touchdowns through the air.
Earnest Brown IV (Denton Ryan, DE, Northwestern)
Despite interest in local prospect UT, Brown will not waver from his initial commit with Northwestern – a university boasting four total Texas HS grad commits for 2017. The four-star defensive end considered over 30 offers before making his final decision. At 6’5 and 250 pounds, his considerable size made him a highly touted college recruit; he excelled at the high school level, earning 80 tackles and 10.5 sacks in his senior year with the Raiders.
Baron Browning (Kennedale, LB, Ohio State)
The five-star recruit and Ohio State commit was recently named the no. 1 athlete in Austin American-Statesman Fab 55, which honors the state’s top young football players. The outside linebacker also shifted to cornerback for Kennedale – athletic versatility earning him the No. 9 spot for top recruits in the country. According to Buckeyes personnel, Browning will likely replace Raekwon McMillan in the middle. In three years with the Wildcats, Browning tallied 189 tackles, four sacks, and three interceptions.
J.K. Dobbins (La Grange, RB, Ohio State)
The all-purpose back is one of seven competitors in the Army Bowl committed to Ohio State. However, Dobbins is the only athlete who made his decision without ever stepping on the Columbus campus. The La Grange graduate will not suit up for the game due to an injury sustained in the opener of his senior season against Liberty Hill.
In his junior and sophomore years, Dobbins rushed for 2,971 yards for 72 touchdowns; his freshman year saw his focus at receiver, where he caught for over 400 yards.
Chuck Filiaga (Aledo, OL, Uncommitted)
An accomplished run blocker, the uncommitted graduate was responsible for an Aledo title this year. Filiaga will compete with the West team alongside Robinson, and will likely block for the DeSoto championship winner. Filiaga narrowed his college list down to three schools prior to the Army Bowl: Michigan, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Usually a left tackle, Filiaga will start at right to showcase his versatility at the line of scrimmage.
Derek Kerstetter (Reagan, OL, Texas)
The O-lineman is the only local Alamo City prospect competing in the game. After committing to Oklahoma State over the summer, Kerstetter flipped his decision to the Longhorns last month – becoming the first offensive lineman pledge under coach Tom Herman’s new regime. The three-star recruit is ranked No. 90 in the country and joins a UT class positioned as the second best in the Big 12.
Walker Little (Episcopal-Bellaire, OL, Stanford)
The five-star OT narrowed his college choices to Texas and Stanford before committing to the latter. Standing 6’8 and 305 lbs, every Power Five team salivated at the potential of having such a large frame blocking at the offensive line; Little settled on a program that could give him a prestigious degree to top off a potentially incredible collegiate career in a pro-style system. National director of scouting Barton Simmons named Little the top performer for the West in day one of Army Bowl scrimmage; his pass blocking and athleticism was advantageous with Episcopal.
Omar Manning (Lancaster, WR, TCU)
The TCU commit will join Robinson in Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham’s prolific uptempo Air Raid offense as an early commit this spring. Despite a stable of nearly fifteen receivers, rumors have the Longhorns wildcard as a possible destination come National Signing Day – virally promoting a hashtag that read #Omar2Texas that is currently trending on Twitter. In two years as a starter with Lancaster, Manning grabbed 1,413 receiving yards for twenty touchdowns.
Jeffrey Okudah (South Grand Prairie, DB, Uncommitted)
Okudah has narrowed his school search down to three prospects: Florida State, Oklahoma, and Ohio State. The prior two have been pursuing the defensive back heavily throughout the week; the Buckeyes are letting their history of 18 defensive backs drafted in the first three rounds over a 26 year period do the recruiting for them.
Ohio State pledge Browning is a friend and teammate during the Army Bowl, and will likely do the talking for Urban Meyers and co.. The No. 2 ranked player in Texas has 89 tackles in two years of play with the Warriors.
Jayden Peevy (Bellaire, DL, Texas A&M)
Peevy was adamant during all-star practice that he’s a hard commit with the Aggies – a program responsible for the largest recruiting class in the state of Texas (26). In two seasons, Peevy had 118 tackles and 19 sacks with the Cardinals.
Shawn Robinson (DeSoto, QB, TCU)
The TCU commit had arguably the best postseason in Texas HS football this year, finishing with 419 total yards and offensive MVP honors in DeSoto’s first championship win in school history. As a dual-threat quarterback, Robinson has the uncanny ability to create offense when opportunities usually aren’t there, threading the needle between double coverage or taking the ball to the ground and finding seams in the line of scrimmage. During his senior year with the Eagles, Robinson had 3,191 passing yards for 26 touchdowns and a team-leading 1,272 rushing yards for 19 touchdowns on the ground.
Brought to you by:
