2022 U.S. Army Bowl Roster Highlights
As recently announced on The Wire, as well as our social media accounts, Signing Day Sports will serve as the official national recruiting partner of next week’s U.S. Army Bowl.
Signing Day Sports team members will have a booth on-site during bowl week which will be dedicated to teaching today’s brightest young football stars about the Signing Day Sports platform, and how it can benefit them in their recruiting journey. At the booth, athletes will also be able to get their video-verified measurables recorded and uploaded into their player public profiles.
The U.S. Army Bowl is America’s Biggest Week in Football, where the world’s best athletes come to shine. Hosted in Frisco, Texas, by the Dallas Cowboys, Bowl Week invites the nation’s top athletes and teams to showcase their ability and compete on the nation’s biggest football stage.
As the official national recruiting partner of The Bowl, Signing Day Sports has played a major role in this selection process by identifying and selecting a number of athletes to participate in the festivities.
Today, The Wire will highlight a few of the recruits that will be in attendance.
Jaden Rashada – QB – Pittsburg High School, CA
The Florida Gators are getting a good one. Mitch Stephens, with the San Francisco Chronicle, recently spoke with Rashada after a dramatic playoff victory orchestrated by the quarterback that sent his team to the CIF Div. 1-A state championship game against Liberty High School.
“Rashada is beloved. By teammates. His future fan base and current one too,” Stephens writes. “But (during the conversation) Rashada was just rejoicing his next-to-last high school football games with teammates, who were constantly loving on him. Patting him on the back. Even razzing him.”
Rashada’s team first mentality is clear to see. His already illustrious high school football career is fittingly ending with two major milestones: the state championship game and the U.S. Army Bowl. Like I said, the Gators have got themselves a good one.
Kelby Collins – DE – Gardendale High School, AL 
Remember how I said the Florida Gators were getting a good one with Rashada. Well, with Collins, the Gators are getting an ALPHA. And I mean this in the literal and figurative sense.
Every year, Alabama and Mississippi host a postseason all-star game featuring the best high school players in the respective states. 247Sports covers this event, and each year they choose an “Alpha Dog” from the game. Here’s what they had to say about Collins:
“An explosive and disruptive interior pass rusher on film, Collins ability to play multiple positions across the defensive line, as well as flashing some natural ability off the edge helped separate him on day one of practice. A multi-dimensional athlete with excellent position and scheme versatility, it feels as though Collins is only scratching the surface of his ascending ceiling,” writes Cooper Petagna.
“Collins did not waste any time proving that he’s one of, if not the best player in Mobile this week.”
Avery Johnson – QB – Maize High School, KS
Johnson is a hot commodity in college football right now. Recruiters around the country have been vying for his services, even after his commitment to Kansas State. That will happen when you account for 46 TDs in your senior season and you’re the number one college prospect in Kansas.
“His skill level was much better his senior year than in previous years and it didn’t just happen,” Maize coach Gary Guzman said. “He worked on it. He never stopped.”
He is a two-time Sports in Kansas 5A player of the year and was recently named the MaxPreps Kansas player of the year. The accolades will continue to come in Manhattan, but those at Maize High School will not forget the mark he left on the school and the football team.
“He’s an incredible role model for our kids and just a very good leader,” said Guzman. “He feels a responsibility to his team, and he just does his best to help the team any way he can.”
Arvell Reese – LB – Glenville High School, OH
Reese just completed his first full season playing linebacker. What did he do in that time? Won a state championship. Committed to Ohio State University. Earned first-team All-Ohio honors.
With his future defensive coordinator in attendance for Glenville’s championship game, Reese made one of the plays of the game by intercepting a ball on his own goal line. This has become a common occurrence for the Tarblooders, and if the fans of Columbus have their way, it will be more of the same in The Shoe.
Ted Ginn Sr., Glenville’s head coach, believes that Reese has even more to give once he gets to college.
“I think, athletically, he’s a freak,” Ginn Sr. says. “Once he gets into a program that can really teach him and give him all the understanding about football, I think the potential is off the roof.”
Jurrion Dickey – WR – Menlo-Atherton High School, CA
The 14th ranked recruit in the country, Jurrion Dickey, will give opposing PAC-12 defensive coordinators nightmares for years to come. And the U.S. Army Bowl will be no different.
“Jurrion Dickey is a productive, physical, athletic receiver with a well-rounded skill set,” wrote On3. “He’s a multi-level threat after the catch, similar to A.J. Brown.”
Dickey heads to Eugene as only the second five-star wide receiver in the program’s history. With five-star quarterback Dante Moore joining in the same class, the Ducks’ passing attack is in good hands.
“His catching radius is humongous,” said Menlo-Atherton head coach, Chris Saunders. “I’ve never seen a high school athlete able to catch a ball basically anywhere in his region. He just goes up and gets it.”
Suntarine Perkins – LB – Raleigh High School, MS
The Class 3-A MHSAA state championship game was merely a platform for Perkins to continue to flaunt his two-way dominance. Raleigh competed against Noxubee County in a back-and-forth game which ended up in Perkins’ favor, 55-52.
Perkins contributions cannot be overstated.
“He makes this football team so much better. Our kids love him, and they love each other and trust each other,” said Raleigh head coach Ryan Higdon.
This man racked up 331 rushing yards on 32 carries. He had 56 yards receiving. He scored four touchdowns. Perhaps most importantly, Perkins provided valuable leadership, and a commanding presence on defense as a linebacker, where he recorded an interception to go along with six tackles.
It’s easy to see why Perkins is the reigning Mr. Football for 3-A. Oh, by the way, he also kicked a PAT in the state championship game…
Jelani Thurman – TE – Langston Hughes High School, GA
Langston Hughes head coach, Daniel Williams, recently caught up with Eleven Warriors to discuss Thurman and what the Ohio State commit has meant to his team.
“Down there in that red (zone), he’s a problem because he’s such a mismatch,” said Williams. “A lot of times, we run the ball so well that they forget about him. He’s athletic and big enough to rebound the ball by himself on a jump ball. He just does so much.”
Both of his parents were professional athletes, so it’s easy to see where he gets his physical prowess from. At 6’5” and 230 pounds, Thurman’s fluid movement makes him an offensive anomaly. He’s a willing blocker and an exceptional pass-catcher. His upside is sky high, and he should develop into a potential NFL caliber tight end in Columbus.
Over 14 games in his senior year, Thurman has accumulated almost 600 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Good luck to Thurman and Langston Hughes as they compete against Gainesville in the state championship game on December 9th.