It’s no secret that Jeremiah “JJ” Holloman is one of the best players on the Newton High School football team. It is also no secret that he has been the subject of major recruiting news, with college football powerhouses like Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama and many more currently knocking at his doorstep.

What is now known is that Holloman this week received one of the highest honors a high school football player can get — being named to the U.S. Army All-American team.

Some of the best players have played in the Army All-American bowl game. Players like Odell Beckham Jr., Teddy Bridgewater, and Andrew Luck are just a few of the big names to grace the field in this premiere sporting event in the last few years.

Ninety of the nation’s best football players from the east and west of the United States come together every January in San Antonio’s Alamodome for the U.S Army All American Bowl game, which is televised nationally on NBC. Many of the participants go on to have successful college and professional football careers, with several of the previous players being named Heisman Trophy winners and MVPs in the NFL. According to the official website of the bowl game, 330 U.S. Army All-Americans have been selected in the NFL Draft.

So what qualifies Holloman to be amongst that kind of company? That’s an easy one to answer.
Holloman is currently one of the top rated wide receivers in the country, with ESPN ranking him No. 15 at his position and No. 98 overall out of their top 300 players. In the 2015 season, he totaled 632 receiving yards with eight total touchdowns and 32 catches.

Through the first four games this season, Holloman has totaled 461 yards, with 360 being receiving yards. He is averaging 90 receiving yards per game and has six touchdowns off 20 catches.

The bowl game’s selection committee also thinks very highly of the Rams’ senior, praising him for his long arms and fluidity on the football field and calling him “one of the best perimeter blockers when not catching the ball.”
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank my family, friends, the coaches around me and players,” said Holloman during a press conference honoring his selection. “You guys always pushed me to help me become the best person I can be, and opportunities like this come in front of me and I’m able to take care of things.”

Just like others around him, Holloman knows what a selection like this means for his career.

“It’s really a humbling experience to be able to be selected for the Army All-American game,” he said. “It’s really an honor. I know people come here, and they really excel when they go to college and things after that, so it’s really big and means I have a lot in my future.”

Newton coach Terrance Banks was also honored, as he was named to the Coaches Academy and will be accompanying Holloman to San Antonio. If anyone knows what Holloman can do on the field, it’s Banks, as the two of them both came to Newton at the same time.

“I’m very happy for JJ and my whole football team,” Banks said. “Four years ago, I was welcomed here as the head football coach. Four years ago, my first senior class walked in, including Jeremiah and all of his teammates. It is truly a great day for Newton High School and for the community as whole. As we always say, it’s a great day to be a Ram.”

It’s no secret to Newton County what Holloman has to offer, and on Jan. 7, 2017, it will no longer be a secret to the rest of the country.