The U.S. Army Player of the Year will be crowned during the U.S. Army Awards Dinner on January 6, 2011, in San Antonio, where the winner will be presented with the Ken Hall Trophy, modeled after Ken “Sugar Land Express” Hall, high school football’s all-time leading rusher.
The selection process began this fall as players were evaluated by coaches from around the country and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee. The 2012 U.S. Army Player of the Year Nominees include (in alphabetical order):
Nelson Agholor - ATH - Berkeley Prep - Tampa, FL
Dorial Green-Beckham - WR - Hillcrest High - Springfield, MO
Stefon Diggs - WR - Our Lady of Good Counsel - Olney, MD
Mario Edwards - DL - Billy Ryan High - Denton, TX
Johnathan Gray - RB - Aledo High - Aledo, TX
Darius Hamilton - DL - Don Bosco Prep - Ramsey, NJ
Tracy Howard - DB - Miramar High - Miramar, FL
D.J. Humphries - OL - Mallard Creek High - Charlotte, NC
Kyle Kalis - OL - St. Edward High - Lakewood, OH
Gunner Kiel - QB - Columbus East High - Columbus, IN
Noah Spence - DL - Bishop McDevitt - Harrisburg, PA
Shaquille Thompson - DB - Grant High - Sacramento, CA
Adolphus Washington - DL - Taft High - Cincinnati, OH
Trey Williams - RB - DeKaney High, Spring, TX
Jameis Winston - QB - Hueytown High - Hueytown, AL
T.J. Yeldon - RB - Daphne High School - Daphne, AL
“U.S. Army All-American Bowl players reflect the characteristics found in Army Strong Soldiers and they possess a mental, emotional and physical strength like no other,” said John Myers, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. “These 16 finalists have distinguished themselves even further through their on-field leadership. We are proud to have them wear our Army Strong colors and to recognize them as U.S. Army Player of the Year Award nominees.”
Former U.S. Army Player of the Year 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; and 2011-Demetrius Hart.
-Greg Powers-