Duke surprised Texas A&M in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel asked the defense to keep fighting after being down nearly three touchdowns, and they did. It was Manziel’s attitude and athleticism that brought the Aggies back.
It is evident that at an event such as the Under Armour All-America Game that the teams are balanced, and you cannot thrive and certainly not win on talent alone. Former Liberty County linebacker and current Ohio State Buckeye Raekwon McMillan found out that attitude is most important for success in college ball. “Raekwon’s decision to embrace [his position] as an outside linebacker… set the tone for practices. Everyone needed to understand the attitude they need to have towards the team concept,” former NFL Head Coach Herm Edwards says.
Winning almost every award a high school linebacker could garner, McMillan was the Okefenokee Technical College Defensive Player of the Year in addition to the Hinesville Ford Liberty Defensive MVP. The first day McMillan arrived in Tampa he was already named number one as outside linebacker. “As the number one middle linebacker, I came into the meeting room, and my name was under the OLB slot on the first day. My decision to go along with it dictated how my whole week went. Coach Herm (Edwards) told me that he was proud of me for playing out of the position and that my attitude will enable me to have a long career. Attitude—no matter how good you are—you have to have a great attitude because things aren’t always going to go your way,” McMillan says.
McMillan recorded five tackles total, four solo and one assist (including one for a three yard loss), for Team Nitro. McMillan’s former high school coach, Kirk Warner from Liberty County High School, was coaching tight ends for Team Nitro. “It was great and a little emotional. It’s hard to see the greatest player Liberty County has produced leave. But it was a blessing that I could be on the sideline with him for his last high school game. I told him that on each level he has to reset his goals to meet higher expectations. His work ethics will have to increase from high school to college to hopefully NFL. If he does those things and keeps God first, he will continue to make us proud in Liberty County,” Warner says.
Only a few days after the Under Armour All-American Game McMillan will enroll as a freshman at Ohio State University. “The highlight of the week was getting to play against great competition. Every great thing that you hear about it is true. They treat us players like kings during the week. It was an experience that I will never forget. It helped me get a feel for how fast the game will be in the future,” McMillan says.
Nitro lost 31-21 to Team Highlight. Camden County defensive back Kalvaraz Bessent was on the winning Team Highlight. Highlight lived up to its name, coached by former 49ers’ head coach Steve Mariucci. Former Seminole, Falcon, Brave, and Cowboy star Deion Sanders and Atlanta Falcons and Under Armour alumni Julio Jones were buzzing Highlight’s sidelines.
Bessent, who shocked everyone by breaking his verbal commitment to Alabama and committing to rival Auburn December 9th, says, “This has been a very good experience for me being around some of the most talented players in the country.” Bessent was very focused during pregame and the game against Team Nitro. He had an assist and broke up a touchdown pass in the third quarter. Bessent could be joining the final BCS National Champions in the fall.
Maybe the most important lesson instilled in the players that week was from former Chiefs’ and Jets’ head coach Herm Edwards. He said, “I hit them on this we grow up in a world where we are goal driven, but a goal without a plan is a wish. They need to have a plan for life. This football thing is not a career for anyone; it’s an opportunity. Every time you touch this football field and your name is on the back of this jersey, you represent yourself, the university, and your parents; don’t lose sight of that. This is a little bit of your life, and it’s not who you are—it’s what you do. You need to be men of integrity, where your words and lives match up, you need to live lives that make differences,” Edwards says.
SE-Bonus-1.14-Under Armour Game
In The Game Stars Represent Southeast Georgia On A National Stage
By John Wood
