UA All-American: Rashad Roundtree
This experience was new to Rashad Roundtree.
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The 6-foot, 189-pound safety from Lakeside High School in Evans, Ga., isn't
quite used to the lights and cameras just yet. Roundtree was on stage to accept
a ceremonial jersey indicating his inclusion in the Under Armour All America
Game. Only around a hundred of the nation's top players ever get such an
invitation each year. With the auditorium filled with his teammates, friends,
teachers and family, Roundtree put on the Under Armour jersey over his
multi-colored bow tie and took the podium to speak.
"First I would like to thank American Family Insurance and Under Armour for
presenting me with this jersey," Roundtree said. "This has been a huge honor, I
want to think all my friends and family for coming out and supporting me, I
couldn't have gotten this far without y'all."
Roundtree made sure to show that this ceremony wasn't just about him. He would
go on to thank his teammates and family three more times before his two-minute
speech was over.
His mother, Angela Roundtree, said that she still looks at her son the same way
as she did before all the lights and cameras starting rolling.
"We are just trying to keep him settled, keep him as a seventeen year old, and
make sure he still does his house work," she said.
Her son knows that he will be playing in the Under Armour All America Game on
Jan. 2, but he still hasn't decided where he will spend the next four years
playing college football. Roundtree said Georgia, Ohio State,
"Probably the school coming at me the hardest is Georgia, just being the
in-state," Roundtree said. "You know they send the most mail, they call me the
most times, so it's getting kind of crazy."
Urban Meyer has had luck in the past in the Peach state, and is trying
again with Roundtree. Roundtree said that he would like to attend the Ohio
State-Michigan game this year.
"Ohio State is a real big one," Roundtree said. "I took a visit up there and all
the players seemed to have their heads on straight, one goal in mind, looked
like a real team."
Loyalty is big to Roundtree, and Duke isn't ready to give up just yet.
"Duke was the first team to offer me so they still stay in contact," Roundtree
said. "You really have to be a special player to play at Duke, you have to have
the academic level and the personality to just be a Duke football player."
Of course, any Georgia five-star recruit will hear from Nick Saban and
the Crimson Tide.
"Alabama it speaks for itself. Great program… Ranked number one, you really
can't beat Alabama," Roundtree said.
After being asked who was his leader, Roundtree said, "Not really favoring one
right now, we're just kind of still trying to decide which one will be the best
for me."
The "we" in this scenario is his mother, after all Roundtree did pick his mother
to receive the American Family Insurance Dream Champion Award, given to the one
person responsible for helping him get this far in life. Whatever decision
Roundtree makes will be well thought out and discussed numerous times with his
family.
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