SAN ANTONIO — The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is proud to announce that six athletes from the Knoxville area have been officially nominated for consideration to play in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Featuring the nation's best prep football stars, the game will be played on Jan. 6, 2007 noon (CST) in San Antonio's Alamodome. The live broadcast on NBC provides senior athletes a national platform to display their talents and compete against America's best. The nominations of Thomas Franklin, TE from Knoxville Catholic; Harrison Smith, S from Knoxville Catholic; Anthony Anderson, WR from Austin-East; Jared McGaha, OL from Powell; Kyrus Lanxter, WR from Alcoa; and Rae Sykes, DE from Alcoa make them six of 400 athletes being considered for final selection to play in this classic East vs. West match-up.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is one of the most anticipated prep events of the season. Each year, the Bowl highlights the most talented high school athletes in the country before they transition to the collegiate level. Past games have introduced America to stars like Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Chris Leak, Brady Quinn, and Adrian Peterson.

Of the 400 nominated athletes, 80 will ultimately be selected and invited to this year's Bowl. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee is comprised of Scout.com, the nation's #1 independent online recruiting network, Tom Lemming (CSTV), a well-respected evaluator of prep football talent and USA Today contributor, and SportsLink Inc., producer of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and National Combine.

"The U.S. Army is proud to recognize Thomas Franklin, Harrison Smith, Anthony Anderson, Jared McGaha, Kyrus Lanxter, and Rae Sykes as six of the nation's top 400 high school football student-athletes. The U.S. Army is committed to supporting high school football and all of the great coaches and athletes who participate," said U.S. Army Colonel Thomas Nickerson, Director of Strategic Outreach, U.S. Army Accessions Command. "The student-athletes selected to the team will demonstrate some of the key qualities exhibited within the Army, including leadership, teamwork, commitment to excellence, and a desire to make a difference as members of their teams."

The next step for these nominees will kick off on September 19, 2006, when the U.S. Army All-American Selection Tour begins. The tour will conclude in December after 80 U.S. Army All-Americans have been named to the team.