By JOE DODD
Gilmer Buckeyes’ and future Texas Longhorn teammates G.J. Kinne and Curtis Brown will play in nationally televised football all-star games on Saturday, Jan. 6. Brown will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl starting at 12 noon on NBC. Kinne will play in the East Meets West High School All-American Football Game starting at 2 p.m. on ESPN-U.
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, while the East Meets West High School All-American Football Game will be played at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Brown will play cornerback for the West Team despite seeing limited playing time on defense the past two seasons. Brown started at cornerback as a sophomore on the Buckeyes’ 2004 state championship team before moving to receiver his final two seasons. As a receiver Brown totaled 1,944 yards on 103 catches and scored 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 918 yards and scored 9 touchdowns on only 63 carries. Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor said that Brown won’t have any trouble moving back to the defensive side of the football. “Curtis playing defensive back is like me and you riding a bicycle,” said Traylor. “He’s not going to forget. Curtis Brown is the greatest athlete I’ve ever coached.”
Brown is projected to play cornerback for the Longhorns, but said that he hopes to see action on both sides of the ball in the Army All-American Game. “I’m going to try to play offense some. They list me as a cornerback, so I don’t know,” said Brown, who is rated by Scout.com as the top recruit in the state of Texas.
There is no debate over what position Kinne will play. The senior transfer finished his high school career at Gilmer by throwing for 3,261 yards and 47 touchdowns, giving the quarterback 11,762 yards and 133 touchdowns passing for his career. Those numbers rank him third and second on Texas’ all-time list.
“He’ll learn the offense the quickest,” suggested Traylor. “He’s learning his third offense in a year. He’ll do well. G.J. loves to play football. He loves to compete.”
Kinne claims that his statistics don’t stand out when compared to the other football players participating in the All-American Game. “There are a lot of great players here. I don’t know how I compare to any of these guys, but I know there are a lot of great players here.”
Traylor said the exposure to other great players will only help Kinne and Brown. “Curtis called me on Wednesday and said, ‘Coach, I’m not the best player down here. There are guys here better than I am.’ And that’s saying something.”
Kinne shares Brown’s assessment, but doubts his teammate’s self-evaluation. “Curtis is pretty humble though,” stated Kinne. “He probably is the best player there.”
“I’m excited for both of those kids. It’s really good for both of them,” said Traylor. “They’ll both represent our program well. They’ll behave, and we’ll get more kids down there one day.”
Brown and Kinne are excited for the opportunity to represent Gilmer on national television. “A lot of people in Texas know about Gilmer, but now people across the nation are getting to know Gilmer,” Kinne said. “They’re starting to recognize how good football is in Gilmer. It’s a pleasure to be from Gilmer now.”
Gilmer Buckeyes’ and future Texas Longhorn teammates G.J. Kinne and Curtis Brown will play in nationally televised football all-star games on Saturday, Jan. 6. Brown will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl starting at 12 noon on NBC. Kinne will play in the East Meets West High School All-American Football Game starting at 2 p.m. on ESPN-U.
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, while the East Meets West High School All-American Football Game will be played at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Brown will play cornerback for the West Team despite seeing limited playing time on defense the past two seasons. Brown started at cornerback as a sophomore on the Buckeyes’ 2004 state championship team before moving to receiver his final two seasons. As a receiver Brown totaled 1,944 yards on 103 catches and scored 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 918 yards and scored 9 touchdowns on only 63 carries. Gilmer head coach Jeff Traylor said that Brown won’t have any trouble moving back to the defensive side of the football. “Curtis playing defensive back is like me and you riding a bicycle,” said Traylor. “He’s not going to forget. Curtis Brown is the greatest athlete I’ve ever coached.”
Brown is projected to play cornerback for the Longhorns, but said that he hopes to see action on both sides of the ball in the Army All-American Game. “I’m going to try to play offense some. They list me as a cornerback, so I don’t know,” said Brown, who is rated by Scout.com as the top recruit in the state of Texas.
There is no debate over what position Kinne will play. The senior transfer finished his high school career at Gilmer by throwing for 3,261 yards and 47 touchdowns, giving the quarterback 11,762 yards and 133 touchdowns passing for his career. Those numbers rank him third and second on Texas’ all-time list.
“He’ll learn the offense the quickest,” suggested Traylor. “He’s learning his third offense in a year. He’ll do well. G.J. loves to play football. He loves to compete.”
Kinne claims that his statistics don’t stand out when compared to the other football players participating in the All-American Game. “There are a lot of great players here. I don’t know how I compare to any of these guys, but I know there are a lot of great players here.”
Traylor said the exposure to other great players will only help Kinne and Brown. “Curtis called me on Wednesday and said, ‘Coach, I’m not the best player down here. There are guys here better than I am.’ And that’s saying something.”
Kinne shares Brown’s assessment, but doubts his teammate’s self-evaluation. “Curtis is pretty humble though,” stated Kinne. “He probably is the best player there.”
“I’m excited for both of those kids. It’s really good for both of them,” said Traylor. “They’ll both represent our program well. They’ll behave, and we’ll get more kids down there one day.”
Brown and Kinne are excited for the opportunity to represent Gilmer on national television. “A lot of people in Texas know about Gilmer, but now people across the nation are getting to know Gilmer,” Kinne said. “They’re starting to recognize how good football is in Gilmer. It’s a pleasure to be from Gilmer now.”
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