Sorry for all the verbiage but there is no link. This game is the same week as the AAA game so players are having to choose. There are still LOTS of spots open for both games. Look for some big name recruits to accept ESPN's invitation and a few from the AAA game to change their mind. The ESPNU High School All-American Game, a new ESPN owned-and-operated annual all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, will debut Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. Organized in conjunction with Intersport, a leading sports and entertainment media and marketing company with over 20 years experience, the event will be broadcast live to a national audience on ABC at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT and noon MT), and will be aired on tape delay at noon PT. National recruiting analysts and talent evaluators from ESPN Scouts, Inc., will select players for both team rosters from among The ESPN 150, a nationwide ranking of top prep football prospects. A total of 80-84 players will be invited, with all players having the opportunity to also participate in a multi-faceted skills competition, which will be televised Friday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will provide extensive coverage of the event throughout the week, including team practice sessions. Other ancillary events include an awards banquet and a player tour of the Disney facilities. “The ESPNU High School All-American Game will give players from across the country the opportunity to play alongside one another, while providing fans a glimpse of the future college and possibly NFL stars of tomorrow,” said Burke Magnus, vice president and general manager, ESPNU. “We look forward to growing this all-star game into one of the country’s premier sporting events for amateur athletics, while also giving even more prep athletes an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.” “This event is a great example of ESPN’s mission to reach a diverse group of sports fans from many different communities throughout the nation,” added James Brown, senior vice president, new program development, ESPN. “Having the game at a nationally-renowned facility like Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, which is located in a popular travel destination and strong high school football market, makes it a terrific foundation for this exciting new venture.” More than forty players have accepted invitations to participate in the 2008 ESPNU High School All-American Game, including Jermie Calhoun (RB - Van HS, Van, Texas), A.J. Green (WR - Summerville HS, Ridgeville, S.C), Will Hill (DB – Saint Peter’s HS, West Orange, N.J.), Julio Jones (WR – Foley HS, Foley, Ala.) and E.J. Manuel (QB - Bayside HS, Virginia Beach, Va.). 2008 ESPNU High School All-Americans (Scheduled to Participate) (More players to be added) Name Position Hometown School Dwayne Allen TE Fayetteville, NC Terry Sanford High School Blake Ayles TE Orange, Calif. Lutheran High School Jonathan Baldwin WR Aliquippa, Pa. Aliquippa High School Brandon Barnes ATH Louisburg, N.C. Bunn High School Xavier Brewer CB Jacksonville, Fla. Bartram High School Ramon Buchanan OLB Melbourne, Fla. Palm Bay High School Jermie Calhoun RB Van, Texas Van High School Nigel Carr OLB Jacksonville, Fla. First Coast High School Braxston Cave OC Granger, Ind. Penn High School Taylor Cook QB Eagle Lake, Texas Rice High School Keanon Cooper OLB Dallas, Texas Skyline High School Aundre Dean RB Katy, Texas Katy High School Vaughn Dotsy OG Ventura, Calif. Saint Bonaventure High School Dee Finley FS Auburn, Ala. Auburn High School Daniel Franklin LB Clarkesville, Ga. Habersham Central High School A.J. Green WR Ridgeville, S.C. Summerville High School Braden Hanson QB Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte Latin School Brandon Harris CB Miami, Fla. Booker T. Washington High School Antoine Hicks ATH Arlington, Texas Timberview High School Will Hill ATH West Orange, N.J. Saint Peter’s High School Jarvis Humphrey DT Cedar Hill, Texas Cedar Hill High School Julio Jones WR Foley, Ala. Foley High School Landry Jones QB Artesia, N.M. Artesia High School Neiko Lipscomb DB Tucker, Ga. Tucker High School Tyler Love OT Birmingham, Ala. Mountain Brook High School Jon Major OLB Parker, Colo. Ponderosa High School E.J. Manuel QB Virginia Beach, Va. Bayside High School Michael Matt FB Jeanette, Pa. Jeanette High School Antoine McClain OT Anniston, Ala. Anniston High School Terrance Parks DB Fairborn, Ga. Creekside High School Burton Scott WR Prichard, Ala. Vigor High School Jamoris Slaughter FS Stone Mountain, Ga. Tucker High School Kye Staley RB Guthrie, Okla. Guthrie High School Andrew Sweat LB Washington, Pa. Trinity High School Carlton Thomas RB Frostproof, Fla. Frostproof High School Chase Thomas DE Atlanta, Ga. Walton High School Brandon Thompson DT Thomasville, Ga. Thomasville High School Courtney Upshaw DE Eufaula, Ala. Eufaula High School Deion Walker WR Christchurch, Va. Christchurch School Charles Whitlock ATH Chester, S.C. Chester High School Christian Wilson LB McKees Rock, Pa. Montour High School R.J. Washington DE Fort Worth, Texas Fossil Ridge High School E.J. Woods FS Culver City, Calif. Crespi Carmelite High School High School Sports on ESPN The ESPN networks have covered high school sports since the 1980’s, including boys’ and girls’ basketball, football and lacrosse competitions. Notable prep events televised in recent years by the ESPN networks have included top athletes such as LeBron James (St. Vincent-St. Mary’s), Sebastian Telfair (Abraham Lincoln High School) and Greg Oden (Lawrence North), and top 25 football programs such as De La Salle High School (Calif.), Hoover High School (Ala.) and North Fort Myers High School (Fla.). Other featured events have included the McDonald’s All-American High School Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Games, the Jordan Brand All-American Classic and the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic. ESPNU has also increased coverage of high school sports with more live games and college recruiting studio shows, including ESPNU Recruiting Insider and its annual National Signing Day show in February. In 2006, ESPN acquired Scouts, Inc. to produce more in-depth scouting information primarily for high school, college and pro football across ESPN’s media assets. In addition, year-long recruiting coverage is available at Recruiting Insider on ESPN.com, which provides in-depth national news and information about the top prep athletes from across the country and the collegiate athletic programs recruiting them.
ESPN is really making a push to capture this market too, can't say I think they'll fail - this all star game is getting bigger names every year and they are showing HS games on tv more often. Wouldn't be surprised if they bought out Scout or made a huge upgrade/investment with Scouts Inc.
This will actually be the first ESPN All Star game but they already have pull with the kids for obvious reasons. Scout was just recently purchased by Fox (Rupert Murdoch) which also just purchased MySpace. CF recruiting and 4th graders........what a combo.
They've got "The big names" for sure. Hate to even ask but, of the 40, how many bastids gave USC a verbal?
They had one last year I believe, it was sponsored by ESPN but may not have been called the ESPNU game. *edit* I think I may have been thinking of the Scout All Star game, I thought it was the Scouts. Inc All Star game but I looked it up.
Scout's version is the Army All America game played in The Alamodome a.k.a. The Notre Dame/Tom Lemming show. These two games are the same week and so will be in direct competition with each other for top players.
As of now, there's only one name on that list that is close to a verbal. However, I anticipate that the next 40 will have SEVERAL names of current commits like Matt Meyer, Matt Kalil, and Tyron Smith.
This is actually the one I saw last year that I thought was Scout. Inc...had a brain fart, I knew scout ran the AAA game.
