For the first time since they were preteens, Marcellus Barnes and Amari Jefferson will team up instead of competing against each other.
The two four-star athletes grew up playing on the same youth league teams before going their separate ways — Barnes to McCallie and Jefferson to Baylor — where both helped their football programs win TSSAA Division II-AAA state titles during their prep careers.
Now the Chattanooga standout will both play for the East squad in Saturday's All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The national all-star game for high school seniors will kick off at 1 p.m. Eastern and be televised on NBC.
Although Bradley Central's Boo Carter was also selected to play, he has already signed with Tennessee and began practicing with the Volunteers last month as they prepared for the Citrus Bowl.
"Me and Marcellus are very close," Jefferson said. "We played together for about four or five years, from the time we were 7 years old until we went our separate ways, so I'm really pumped to be teammates again.
"We're both very competitive on the field and would do whatever it took to win. We grew up competing, trying to win championships together, and then we went to rival schools and made each other better by going against each other. Even though we played at rival schools, he's one of my brothers, so this makes getting invited a lot more fun."
Barnes and Jefferson are the first players from the Chattanooga area to compete in the All-American Bowl since 2020, when running back Jahmyr Gibbs was coming off a stellar season for traditional Northwest Georgia power Dalton. Gibbs went on to play for Georgia Tech and then Alabama before being selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the NFL draft last April, and he helped them win their first division title in 30 years and earn their first playoff berth since the 2016 season.
Through the years, 17 former players who participated in the All-American Bowl have gone on to become Heisman Trophy finalists, and more than 450 have gone on to NFL careers.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Baylor receiver Amari Jefferson carries the ball after a catch during the Red Raiders' home win against Lipscomb Academy on Sept. 8. Jefferson, who helped Baylor win the TSSAA Division II-AAA state title in 2022 and return to the BlueCross Bowl this past season, has been selected for Saturday's All-American Bowl for high school seniors in San Antonio, Texas.Barnes, a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback, finished his senior season with 35 solo tackles, 25 assists, five interceptions — including one in the BlueCross Bowl state championship victory over Baylor on Nov. 30 at Finley Stadium — and eight pass breakups.
He will announce his commitment during Saturday's game, having narrowed his list of scholarship offers he's considering from a list of more than 20 schools to Georgia, Ole Miss and Syracuse.
Each of the national recruiting services — 247sports.com, On3.com and Rivals.com — recently predicted Barnes would commit to Syracuse, which hired former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as head coach on Dec. 4. Brown, who is ranked as the nation's top recruiter by 247Sports, had been Barnes' main recruiter while at Georgia.
"I've grown up watching this game and imagining how cool it would be to get to play in it on national television," Barnes said. "I had someone from 247sports call my phone to tell me I was invited, but I actually thought it was a prank at first. I almost hung up on them.
"I'm really looking forward to playing in it and finally making my announcement on where I will sign."
Jefferson helped Baylor win its first state title in 49 years in 2022, and he was named the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award winner for DII-AAA this past season after catching 74 passes for 1,401 yards and 20 touchdowns as the Red Raiders returned to the title game.
The 6-foot, 200-pound receiver, who has signed with Alabama, admitted that getting notified about the invitation was a dream come true.
"After my sophomore year, if you had asked me then if all of this could happen — to win a state championship, be named Mr. Football and get invited to the All-American Bowl — I would think it was possible but not likely," Jefferson said. "Then a lot of change came at Baylor with Coach (Erik) Kimrey, and a lot of exciting opportunities have followed.
"A couple of Alabama reporters messaged to ask if I was going to play in the game, and that's how I found out I was invited. I was really excited when I got the official word. Just knowing all the great players who have played in this game, it's an honor and it's a great way to cap my senior season of high school ball."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.