Jan. 2, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Three University of Kentucky football mid-year enrollees will get a chance to show off their talents in national all-star games this weekend as quarterback Drew Barker will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, wide receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass in the Offense-Defense All-American Game and running back Mikel Horton in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl.
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played Saturday, Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. According to the game’s website, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl is the nation’s premier high school All-American game, featuring the best 90 players in a classic East vs. West match-up every January in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
Barker recently completed one of the most prolific careers in Kentucky high school football history as a four-year letterman and three-year starting quarterback at Conner High School in Hebron, Ky. During his career, Barker completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 6,264 yards and 62 touchdowns, while also running for 3,931 yards and 51 scores. This season, Barker threw for 2,671 yards and 34 touchdowns to earn District Player of the Year honors. The four-star prospect by Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com attended the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp during the summer of 2013. Barker is the No. 1 ranked prospect in Kentucky according to Rivals.com and the No. 6 quarterback in the nation.
Barker, who was a finalist for the Kentucky Mr. Football Award, led his team to the state quarterfinals his sophomore season before finishing in the second round of the playoffs the past two years.
Horton will display his talents on national television before enrolling early at Kentucky as part of the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, which will air January 5 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. According to the bowl’s news release, Horton was one of 90 players in the nation chosen for the game not only because he is one of the most talented high school football players in the nation, but because he exemplifies the Marine Corps values of honor, courage and commitment. Horton will play for Team East.
Horton is a talented running back out of Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, who is a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, ranking him as the No. 12 running back in the nation. The four-year letterman and three-year starter rushed 178 times for 1,203 yards, an average of 6.8 yards per carry, and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He was also the team’s leading receiver last season with 19 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Horton, who was a first-team all-conference and first-team All-Southwest Ohio honoree as a senior, helped lead his team to the Greater Miami Conference championship.
Snodgrass will play in the eighth-annual Offense-Defense All-American Bowl on Friday, Jan. 3 at Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The game can be seen live at
www.o-d.com
.
Snodgrass is a highly regarded wide receiver that is considered a four-star prospect by all national recruiting services. Rivals.com ranks him No. 13 in the state of Ohio while ESPN.com praises him for his impressive speed, route running, ability to catch in traffic and a knack for getting yards after the catch. The native of Springfield, Ohio has been timed under 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at Springfield HS. Snodgrass caught 29 passes for 535 yards and six touchdowns as a senior and snagged 18 balls for approximately 400 yards as a junior. The strong seasons earned him Greater Western Ohio Conference twice and two-year special mention All-Southwest Ohio. Snodgrass, an honor roll student, was a three-year member of the track team, running the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
Barker, Horton and Snodgrass join linebacker Dorian Hendrix (Huber Heights, Ohio) and wide receiver T.V. Williams (McKinney, Texas) as mid-year high school enrollees. Head coach Mark Stoops announced recently two more mid-year enrollees in junior college defensive tackle Cory “C.J.” Johnson (Columbia, S.C.) and cornerback A.J. Stamps (Vicksburg, Miss.).
