Top 64 High School Players Selected for 2012 Champion Gridiron Kings on ESPNU

Champion Gridiron Kings, the nation’s elite high school football event featuring the best skill position players in the country, has chosen 64 student athletes to participate in team competition, skill challenges and performance training that take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. during the ESPNHS Games.
The top quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties are brought together from July 27-29 and divided into teams based on their region (West, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest). Champion Gridiron Kings, operated by ESPNHS, will air on ESPNU Sunday, July 29 at 7 p.m. ET and live on ESPN3.
2012 Champion Gridiron Kings roster highlights:
- 46 athletes listed in the ESPN 300
- Two prospects rated No. 1 at their positions in the ESPN 150
- Four Elite 11 QB’s
- SPARQ Rating National Champion, LB Mike Mitchell
- 21 states represented
- Florida has the most players represented of any state with 14
Team rosters and coaches:
Southeast
WR Alvin Bailey – Hometown: Seffner, Fla.
LB Larenz Bryant – Hometown: Charlotte, NC
RB Ryan Green – Hometown: St. Petersburg, Fla.
CB Vernon Hargreaves – Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
TE OJ Howard – Hometown: Prattville, Ala.
RB Alvin Kamara – Hometown: Norcross, Ga.
CB Will Likely – Hometown: Belle Glade, Fla.
S Leon McQuay – Hometown: Seffner, Fla.
LB Quinton Powell – Hometown: Daytona Beach, Fla.
QB Brice Ramsey – Hometown: Kingsland, Ga.
CB Sojourn Shelton – Hometown: Plantation, Fla.
WR Tony Stevens – Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
LB Matthew Thomas – Hometown: Miami, Fla.
WR LeVonte Whitfield – Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
CB Shaquille Wiggins – Hometown: Tyrone, Ga.
ATH Reggie Wilkerson – Hometown: Ocala, Fla.
Midwest
LB Alex Anzalone – Hometown: Wyomissing, Pa.
S Quin Blanding (’14) – Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
ATH Tyler Boyd – Hometown: Clairton, Pa.
CB Cameron Burrows – Hometown: Trotwood, Ohio
CB Devin Butler – Hometown: Washington, DC
RB Ezekiel Elliott – Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
LB Holland Fisher – Hometown: Midlothian, Va.
CB Kendall Fuller – Hometown: Olney, Md.
WR Paul Harris – Hometown: Upper Marlboro, Md.
TE Travis Johnson – Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
WR Jalin Marshall – Hometown: Middletown, Ohio
RB Taquan Mizzell – Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
QB Shane Morris – Hometown: Warren, Mich.
LB Jonathon Reschke – Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
S Jayme Thompson – Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
WR LaQuon Treadwell – Hometown: Crete, Ill.
CB Eli Woodard – Hometown: Voorhes, NJ
West
S Hatari Byrd – Hometown: Fresno, Calif.
WR Darren Carrington – Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
RB Justin Davis – Hometown: Stockton, Calif.
S Tahaan Goodman – Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
CB Chris Hawkins – Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
LB Myles Jack – Hometown: Bellevue, Wash.
TE Arshad Jackson – Hometown: Lovejoy, Ga.
WR Jermaine Kelly – Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
RB Craig Lee – Hometown: Redlands, Calif.
CB Lawrence Moore – Hometown: Fresno, Calif.
LB Kevin Palma – Hometown: Tulare, Calif.
WR AJ Richardson – Hometown: Harbor City, Calif.
LB Tyrell Robinson – Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
WR Dominic Walker – Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
QB Troy Williams – Hometown: Harbor City, Calif.
CB Priest Willis – Hometown: Tempe, Ariz.
Southwest
CB: Tony Brown (’14) – Hometown: Beaumont, Texas
CB Noel Ellis – Hometown: New Orleans, La.
LB Jermaine Grace – Hometown: Miramar, Fla.
S Marcell Harris – Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
LB Deon Hollins – Hometown: Houston, Texas
QB DeVante Kincade – Hometown: Dallas, Texas
LB Mike Mitchell – Hometown: Plano, Texas
WR Jake Oliver – Hometown: Dallas, Texas
LB Marcus Robinson – Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
WR Ra’Shad Samples – Hometown: Dallas, Texas
CB Maurice Smith – Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas
TE Durham Smythe – Hometown: Belton, Texas
RB Altee Tenpenny – Hometown: Little Rock, Ark.
WR Jacorey Warrick – Hometown: Houston, Texas
RB Dontre Wilson – Hometown: DeSoto, Texas
WEST COACHING STAFF |
Offensive Coordinator-Cody Hawkins (Quarterback/University of Colorado alum) |
Co-Offensive Coordinator-Matt James (Wide Receiver/Portland State University alum) |
Defensive Coordinator-Eugene Jackson (Defensive Back/University of Oregon alum) |
SOUTHWEST COACHING STAFF |
Offensive Coordinator-Jeff Blake (Retired NFL QB and East Carolina University alum) |
Co-Offensive Coordinator-Adrian Murrell (Retired NFL RB and West Virginia University alum) |
Defensive Coordinator-Michael Fletcher (Retired CFL LB and University of Oregon alum) |
MIDWEST COACHING STAFF |
Offensive Coordinator-Bucky Brooks (Retired NFL WR and University of North Carolina alum) |
Co-Offensive Coordinator-Natrone Means (Retired NFL RB and University of North Carolina alum) |
Defensive Coordinator-Chris Gizzi (Retired NFL LB and Air Force Academy alum) |
SOUTHEAST COACHING STAFF |
Offensive Coordinator-D.J. Shockley (Retired NFL QB and University of Georgia alum) |
Defensive Coordinator-Donovin Darius (Retired NFL DB and Syracuse University alum) |
Co-Defensive Coordinator-Ray Buchanan (Retired NFL DB and University of Louisville alum) |
Previous Gridiron Kings Highlights:
- 2011 – Southwest team captured the title ending the Southeast two-year run led by MVPs Matt Davis and De’Vante Harris each of whom signed with Texas A&M.
- 2010 – Every 2010 player is now a NCAA Div. I player
- 2010 and 2009– The Southeast squad crowned the Gridiron Kings Champions led in 2010 by Florida State University commits, and Champion Gridiron Kings MVPs Nick O’Leary and Karlos Williams.
- 2009 – Notable players include: Kenny Stills (started every game of 2010 season at Oklahoma) and Christian Bryant (started for Ohio State in 2010 as true freshman)
Additional ESPNHS Games information, along with the final numbered Champion Gridiron Kings roster will be available onsite.
ESPN WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COMPLEX ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which hosts more than 350 events a year, is the leading multi-sport venue for amateur and professional sports in the nation, accommodating 70 different sports and athletes from more than 70 countries. Designed to take youth sports to the next level, the 270-acre facility features multiple competition venues, including Champion Stadium, the HP Field House, the Jostens Center, the Hess Sports Fields, a track & field facility, a tennis complex and a baseball/softball sportsplex. It is also home to the ESPN Innovation Lab, a real-world testing ground for the ESPN Emerging Technology Group that develops ground-breaking on-air. In addition, the complex features 56 high-definition cameras and 40 high-definition video screens, including three jumbo screens, which can capture and display footage from any event taking place at the complex. The camera and video screens, as well as a 20-zone audio system, are controlled through the state-of-the-art HD and 3-D Production Center with direct links to ESPN facilities in Bristol, Conn., New York and Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.disneysportsnews.com for press releases, photos and videos. Follow us on Twitter at @DisneySports and on Facebook.
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