The East roster will feature one of the hidden gems in this year's class in Central Gwinnett High School defensive end Francis Kallon, a 6-6 260-pound Georgia Tech commitment. Kallon is the 21st-best end in the nation by Rivals.com. Joining him will be three Stephenson High School players including 6'3 240-pound Virginia Tech commit Jarontay Jones, 6'3 255-pound South Carolina commitment Carlos Hood, and 6-4 280-pound Florida commitment Jafar Mann. Rivals.com rates Jones as the No. 22 end in the nation while Hood is the #47 rated tackle, and Mann is 39th-best tackle, according to the service.
“Kallon has potential to be a first day pick in four years because of his frame, speed, and upside, “ said Offense-Defense Director of Player Personnel Josh Buchanan, “Adding to that Jones, Hood, and Mann who all have the talent to be starters in the ACC and SEC and we have seen plenty of NFL starters from those two conferences.”
Filling out the East roster will be Bamberg-Ehrhardt defensive end Martin Aiken, a 6-3 260-pound Clemson commitment, defensive tackle Dalvon Stuckey, a 6-4 305-pound Florida State commitment, and 6-4 285-pound uncommitted defensive tackle Jamil Pollard from West Deptford High School. Rivals.com rates Aiken as the No. 14 end with Stuckey as the 22nd-best tackle, and Pollard as the #23 tackle.
“We were happy to land Aiken who comes from a school that has produced several All-American linemen at Clemson, “ said Buchanan, “Pollard and Stuckey both are big kids who will become impact players at the next level.”
The West roster will be anchored by Brookville High School defensive tackle Korren Kirven, a 6’5 290-pound four-star prospect. Kirven comes fresh off winning a state championship on December 10th. Rivals.com rates him as the 16th-best tackle and No. 192 overall in the country.
“Kirven is a big body who brings great strength and a killer mentality to the field, “ Buchanan elaborated, “I expect big things from him as he could make the type of impact that wins our defensive MVP award.”
Joining him on the West team is the C.F. Vigor duo of end JaMichael Winston, a 6-5 230-pound Arkansas commitment, and tackle Darius Philon, a 6-2 275-pound Alabama commitment. Rivals.com rates Winston as the 27th-best prospect in Alabama and Philon as the No. 24 tackle in the nation.
“Philon has played end in high school but has the frame to be a very good tackle at the next level while Winston is an underrated prospect with the tools to eventually play on Sundays, “ said Buchanan, “Both guys are going to be impact players in the SEC.”
Joining Winston at end will be Tucker High School’s Joshua Dawson, a 6-5 230-pound Vanderbilt commitment, Canton McKinley’s Se’Von Pittman, a 6-5 262-pound Michigan State commitment, and McGavock High School’s Caleb Azubike, a 6-4 240-pounder also committed to Vanderbilt. Azubike is the No. 16 end and 247th overall by Rivals.com. Dawson is rated as the 20th-best end while Pittman is the 8th-best end and 81st overall by the recruiting service.
“Dawson is a hybrid type outside guy with pass rush skills while Pittman is an explosive rusher with great size and Azubike has the frame to fill and possibly play tackle, “ explained Buchanan, “Pittman could be an All-American early at Michigan State while Dawson and Azubike are athletic prospects who should be quality starters for Vandy.”
Filling out the West roster at tackle will be Montini Catholic tackle Jaleel Johnson, a 6-4 313-pounder committed to Iowa, and Kentucky commitment Thomas Chapman, a 6-4 290-pounder from DuPont Manual, will join them as well. Johnson rates as the 13th-best tackle and No. 160 overall by Rivals.com while the service tabs Chapman as the #20 tackle in the country.
“Johnson is a talented lineman on both sides of the ball while Chapman is a big kid whose talents attracts a lot of double teams, “ said Buchanan, “These two guys give us good size and impact players along the front.”
The Offense-Defense All-American Bowl is part of the largest Youth All-America Event in the country known as Offense-Defense Bowl Week, a series of events taking place during the last week of the year culminating in the nationally-televised high school All-Star game on December 29th. The game has in the past seen the on-field talents of a wide swath of football stardom including Dez Bryant, Cameron Newton, Stephen Garcia, Rolando McClain, and Joe Haden among many others.
In addition to the high school game at Cowboys Stadium, events will include a Youth All-American Game, a Youth National Tournament, a High School Junior game, and a Youth Football Convention, all within the confines of Arlington, TX. The Youth Convention will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Arlington on December 26-28 starting at 10am on the 26th. The event is expected to bring over 8,000 families from across the country to the region.
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