[jwplayer 7werh9Jm-XNcErKyb]
On Wednesday, yet another Michigan football commitment received their jersey to participate in January 2021 All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
Five of Michigan’s 2021 commits have received invites to play in the prestigious all-star game, and this week, Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro four-star defensive end Quintin Somerville joined QB J.J. McCarthy and Xavier Worthy in having received his All-American Bowl jersey, locking him into the game. LB Junior Colson and K/P Tommy Doman Jr. are the other future Wolverines set to participate in the January contest.
Shortly after receiving his jersey, Somerville spoke to WolverinesWire about the honor of his All-American Bowl invite, sharing why it’s such a special moment for him to know he’ll soon compete with the best-of-the-best.
“Coming from Arizona, you get to see every couple years a guy going to this game,” Somerville told WolverinesWire. “In the past, Andrus Peat – who plays for the Saints now. Guys like Christian Kirk, who played in Under Armour and Byron Murphy. The same with me. You just dream of this every day playing football in Arizona. It’s just a dream come true.
“I said it on my Twitter earlier, just spoke it into existence. But that’s like actually true. Since Day One of high school, me and the other – the tackle that got the jersey invite with me – we just been talking about this since day one. It’s really just incredible how it all came to fruition.”
[lawrence-related id=28741,28739,28736]
This was a moment that Somerville has long been awaiting, with this particular game being something of a dream for him to play in. He harkens back to having watched it before, while also keeping an eye on the yearly Nike event that serves as something of a feeder to the annual San Antonio contest.
“Since I was a young guy, I used to watch The Opening every year,” Somerville said. “And, of course, this game – dreaming of playing with the best of the best. I’m shocked still. I’m getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. This is just a dream come true to me.”
Beyond that, what makes this game so special for Somerville?
A big part of it is knowing that he’s putting on for his home state, one that isn’t seen as a national incubator of talent like many others across the nation. As one of three contributors coming from the state of Arizona this year, Somerville is excited to show the nation that players from The Grand Canyon State can contend with anybody.
“Coming from Arizona, we don’t get a lot of national recognition,” Somerville said. “Not only me, but Bram (Walden) as well. We’re just looking to prove ourselves on a national scale and go to work and show everyone what we can do.”
The All-American Bowl will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Jan. 9 and will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
[vertical-gallery id=28134]