U.S. Army Player of the Year Finalists Revealed

Rockaway, N.J. (November 26, 2013) – The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee has narrowed down its list of nominees to six finalists for the prestigious 2014 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award. The U.S. Army Player of the Year Award is given to the Nation’s most outstanding senior in high school. The U.S. Army Player of the Year will be recognized during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Awards Show on Friday, January 3, 2014, in San Antonio. The winner will be presented with the Ken Hall Trophy, modeled after high school football legend, Ken “Sugar Land Express” Hall.

“The Player of the Year finalists are outstanding student-athletes and we are proud to have them wear the U.S. Army All-American colors,” said Mark Davis, deputy assistant Secretary of the Army for Marketing and Research.  “We congratulate them on their nomination and look forward to an outstanding bowl week this January.”

The six finalists for the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award are the following:

Nick Chubb, Running Back, Cedartown High School, Cedartown, Ga.  During his senior year, Chubb rushed for 2,683, averaging 9.8 yards a carry with 41 rushing touchdowns. Nick helped his team to a 9-2 record and a GHSA playoff berth. Chubb is committed to the University of Georgia.

Will Grier, Quarterback, Davidson Day High School, Davidson, N.C.
Will Grier followed up his junior season where he was named Gatorade State Player with an impressive senior season, as he became the all-time touchdown leader in North Carolina with 188. Grier also became the sixth player in high school history to throw for 70 touchdowns in a season. During his senior year, Grier completed 70% of his passes, threw for 4,989 yards and 77 touchdowns. Grier is committed to Florida.

Elijah Hood, Running Back, Charlotte Christian High School, Charlotte, N.C.  Hood continued his stellar high school career during his senior season as he has rushed for 2,811 yards and 41 total touchdowns. During his junior and senior seasons, Hood has rushed for over 6,100 yards and has an incredible 89 touchdowns. Hood led his team to a 12-0 record as well as a 48-10 win over Charlotte Latin for the NCISAA Division One State Championship. Hood is committed to North Carolina

Marshon Lattimore, Defensive Back, Glenville High School, Cleveland, Ohio  During his senior season Lattimore had ten receiving touchdowns, three special teams touchdowns and one interception to go along with two pass break-ups.  Lattimore has helped his team to the OHSAA playoffs. Lattimore remains undecided on his college choice.

Joe Mixon, Running Back, Freedom High School, Oakley, Calif.  In his first playoff game of his senior year he rushed for 281 yards and seven touchdowns.  Mixon rushed for over 4,281 yards and 76 touchdowns in just three varsity seasons.  In addition to his success on the ground, Mixon hauled in 37 passes for 682 yards and 10 touchdowns at Freedom High. Mixon remains undecided on his college choice.

Trey Quinn, Wide Receiver, Barbe High School, Lake Charles, La.
During his senior campaign, Quinn hauled in 97 passes for 1,797 yards and 18 touchdowns. Throughout his stellar four-year career at Barbe High School, Quinn had 65 receiving touchdowns, including a career high 26 during his junior season. Quinn and his teammates are currently in the Louisiana State Playoffs. Quinn is committed to LSU.

The selection process began this fall as players were evaluated by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee and by coaches from across the country. Past U.S. Army Player of the Year Award winners include: 2001 – Kevin Jones; 2002 – Lorenzo Booker; 2003 – Chris Leak; 2004 – Adrian Peterson; 2005 – Ryan Perrilloux; 2006 – Mitch Mustain; 2007 – Jimmy Clausen; 2008 – Terrelle Pryor; 2009 – Bryce Brown; 2010 – Dillon Baxter; 2011 – Demetrius Hart; 2012 – Dorial Green-Beckham; and 2013 – Max Browne.

For more than 13 years, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been the nation’s premier high school football game, serving as the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Adrian Peterson and Andrew Luck made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans.  In the 2013 NFL Draft, there were a total of 8 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Alumni drafted in the first round.The 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl drew a crowd of 40,133 to the Alamodome, and was the most-watched sporting event on television over the weekend, excluding the NFL playoffs.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned and produced by All American Games, a New Jersey-based sports marketing and event management company. The U.S. Army is the title sponsor of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and American Family Insurance is the lead national sponsor and presenting sponsor of the telecast on NBC. Other national sponsors include adidas, 247Sports, San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gatorade, SKLZ, NCSA, School of the Legends, Xenith, Battle Sports Science, NewTek and Football University. National sponsors of the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band include NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, Drum Corps International, Jupiter Wind Instruments, Mapex Marching Percussion, Majestic Concert Percussion, and DeMoulin Uniforms.

For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com and www.goarmy.com/events/aab or the official Facebook and Twitter pages located at http://www.facebook.com/ USArmyAllAmericanBowl, http://www.facebook.com/USAAAMB and www.twitter.com/armyallamerican.