Elizabethton's Redd nominated for 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl

By Allen LaMountain
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
awlamountain@starhq.com

   Elizabethton High senior linebacker/tight end Vince Redd has been nominated to play in the third annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl, a national high school football all-star contest. The game will be played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on January 5th, 2003, and will feature the best senior high school players from around the country.
   Redd was one of 400 players selected for nomination and if selected to play will be pitted against the top competition the country has to offer. The game will be a classic format of East against West.
   Tom Lemming -- a well respected evaluator of prep football talent, and a contributor to ESPN Sports as well as the USA Today newspaper -- will select 78 out of the 400 nominated to play in the game.
   "Before I interviewed Vince I had heard about his reputation as being the top prospect in Eastern Tennessee. But once I watched him on film, I soon realized that I was talking with one of the nation's premier DE prospects," said Lemming. "On film Number 4 just explodes off the film."
   Cyclone head coach Tommy Jenkins was understandably proud of the recognition Redd has received and thinks that: "Vince is very deserving of being nominated. I think if he gets a chance to play in that game he'll do very well."
   Redd is being courted by Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee as a defensive line prospect, but Jenkins thinks that Redd could have an impact as an offensive player as well saying, "He has really worked on his hands and has turned himself into a good receiver at the tight end position. He's working real hard on that aspect of his game and it be quite a dilemma for the colleges who see him only as a defensive prospect."
   Lemming went on to point out that Redd is "a very smart and disciplined player that runs extremely well and possesses all the tools needed to become an All-American in college."
   Colonel Thomas Nickerson, Director of Strategic Outreach for the U.S. Army command, said: "The Army understands the importance of providing positive outlets for high school student-athletes and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl is one of many door-opening opportunities that the Army provides.
   "The Army is proud to showcase these elite high school student-athletes and the hope is that it empowers these young Americans to succeed."
   The game will be televised live at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN2.