Team Mississippi Announced for All Star Classic

MISSISSIPPI TEAM ROSTER ANNOUNCED FOR ALL-STAR CLASSIC

The 37-member team of top Mississippi high school stars will battle Alabama in the annual talent showcase set for December 12 in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

MOBILE, Ala. (Oct. 21) - Many of the best collegiate football prospects in the Southeast, as well as the state of Mississippi, will display their talents in the 23rd annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, set for Saturday, December 12 in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The entire 37-member roster of high school stars and top collegiate prospects which will represent the state of Mississippi in the annual talent showcase was announced on Wednesday by the Mississippi Association of Coaches.

The Mississippi roster is filled with future SEC and major college players. The team includes 12 players who have already made verbal commitments to attend SEC and other FBS schools next year, 10 of the 12 members of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's Dandy Dozen list of the top collegiate prospects in the state and many other highly-recruited prospects who have yet to announce their college preference.

Mississippi State leads all schools with five commitments on the roster, while Southern Miss has four. Auburn, LSU and Vanderbilt have one apiece.

Among the top collegiate prospects on the roster are a pair of highly-recruited offensive linemen from Olive Branch - Shon Coleman, 6-7, 275-pound Auburn commitment, and Damien Robinson, a 6-7, 330-pounder who is considered by many the state's top collegiate prospect.

The roster also includes the son of former NFL star quarterback Steve McNair. Steve McNair, Jr., a talented wide receiver/tight end has been used as a versatile offensive threat throughout the season, will also be joined by two of his Oak Grove High School teammates - running back Jay Hughes and defensive lineman Vince Taylor, a Vanderbilt commitment.

The players were chosen by a special selection committee of the Mississippi Association of Coaches, which also includes the eight coaches selected to coach this year's Mississippi team in the All-Star Classic. The squad is comprised of at least one player from each of the state's eight districts and one player from each of the six classifications. All players are current high school seniors.

"We are very excited about the players that we chose for this year's team," said Anthony Hart, head coach at Lafayette High School who will serve as the head coach for the Mississippi All-Stars. "We did a lot of research, met three times as a staff and at other times in smaller groups to make sure that we did our homework and ended up with what we feel are the best players in the state on this team."

Madison Central High School, currently the state's number one ranked team in 6A, joins Oak Grove as the only schools with three players on the team, while South Panola, Harrison Central, Olive Branch, Ocean Springs and George County all have two apiece.

The quarterbacks are a pair of major college commitments in Taylorsville's Dominique Sullivan, a Southern Miss commitment, and Tylertown's Jameon Lewis, who has committed to play at Mississippi State in 2010.

Alabama holds a 15-7 edge in the annual series which began in 1988.

In addition to head coach Anthony Hart, assistant coaches for the Mississippi team include Kenny Burton of Ridgeland, Mike Davis of Lawrence County, George County's Al Jones, Malcolm Jones of McComb, Kosciusko's Stan McCain, Shannon White of North Forrest and Noxubee County's M.C. Miller.

Over the past 21 years, the All-Star Classic has built an impressive legacy of featuring close, exciting games, as well as the best home-grown talent from Alabama and Mississippi over that time -- players who have gone on to enjoy tremendous success at both the NCAA and NFL levels.

A total of 17 first-round NFL Draft picks and 116 overall draftees have played in the contest since its inception, an impressive list that includes stars such as Antonio Langham, Deuce McAllister, Jason Campbell, John Copeland, Cadillac Williams, Steve McNair, Willie Anderson, JaMarcus Russell and Andre Smith, the sixth pick of the 2009 NFL Draft.

The Mishkin Group, a Mobile-based sports marketing firm, assumed management of the All-Star Classic earlier this year, and plans on a host of changes to the event including expanded game day and game week events and activities for both players and fans.

This year's All-Star Classic Week in Mobile will run from December 7-12, with the game set for Saturday, December 12. Kickoff time is TBA.

For more information, visit the All-Star Classic's new website at almsclassic.com.

The complete 2009 Mississippi team roster:

Quarterbacks - Dominique Sullivan, Taylorsville; Jameon Lewis, Tylertown.

Running Backs - Nick Griffin, Perry Central; Jay Hughes, Oak Grove; Keon McGaughy, Shannon; Nicholas Parker, South Panola.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - Travis Dickson, Ocean Springs; Steve McNair, Jr., Oak Grove; Vincent Sanders, Noxubee County; Markese Triplett, Louisville.

Offensive Linemen - Shon Coleman, Olive Branch; Blake Hathcock, Kosciusko; Jordan Hollingshead, Brandon; Melvin Meggs, Petal; Wes Rea, Harrison Central; Damien Robinson, Olive Branch; Christian Schuetz, Southaven.

Athlete - Cramer Miller, Weir.

Defensive Linemen - Bryon Bennett, Madison Central; Devin Clark, South Panola; Carlton Martin, Madison Central; Vince Taylor, Oak Grove; Curtis Virges, West Point.

Defensive Ends/Linebackers - Patrick Black, Forest Hill; Kaleb Eulls, Yazoo County; Corvelle Harrison, Northeast Jones; Taurice King, Yazoo City; Tyrece McDonald, Madison Central; Justin Penn, Bassfield; Carlos Thompson, Simmons.

Defensive Backs - Furious Bradley, Harrison Central; Jamerson Love, Aberdeen; Sam Noblin, Ocean Springs; Asian Ruff, Itawamba AHS; R.J. Spivery, George County; Matthew Wells, Lawrence County.

P/K - Willie Scott, George County

Coaching Staff - Head Coach: Anthony Hart, Lafayette. Assistants: Kenny Burton, Ridgeland; Mike Davis, Lawrence County; Al Jones, George County; Malcolm Jones, McComb; Stan McCain, Kosciusko; Shannon White, North Forrest; M.C. Miller, Noxubee County.