Trio Of Tuscaloosa Gridiron Stars Named To AL/MS All-Star Roster

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Three Tuscaloosa-area high school football standouts have been selected to represent the state in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.

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Central High School teammates Jayden Travis-Williams and Tra'Von Hall will join Hillcrest High standout Jeremiah Beverly on the Alabama squad, bringing together three members of the Class of 2027 who have attracted attention from major college football programs.

The Alabama roster was selected by a committee of high school coaches who evaluated prospects from across the state.

"Our selection committee spends countless hours evaluating film, communicating with coaches across the state, and carefully considering each nominee," Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association Director J.T. Lawrence said. "Their dedication helps ensure that the players selected represent the very best of Alabama high school football."

According to recruiting profiles from 247Sports, Travis-Williams is a 6-foot-4, 310-pound offensive tackle who has committed to Coastal Carolina. He also holds offers from South Alabama, Mercer, Marshall and Troy, among other programs, with 19 offers listed on his recruiting profile.

Travis-Williams will help anchor the Alabama team's offensive line, which the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) says averages nearly 304 pounds per player.

Central High head coach Demario Pippen also said Travis-Williams excels off the field.

"He's got like a 3.8 GPA," Pippen told Patch. "Just a super smart kid."

Hall, meanwhile, is a 6-foot, 180-pound athlete who committed to Ole Miss on June 6.

The Falcons speedster is rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports. The recruiting service's composite rankings list Hall as the No. 707 overall prospect nationally, the No. 90 wide receiver in the country and the No. 28 prospect in Alabama for the Class of 2027.

Although he's spent plenty of time making big plays in the Falcons' passing game, the versatile Hall was selected as a running back for Alabama's all-star roster.

Hall has also been a threat out of the Falcons' backfield, including a hard-nosed 70-yard rushing score in a 38-21 win over McAdory Friday night in 5A Region 3 action.

"That kid’s phenomenal," Pippen told Patch. "He’s one of the best players that I’ve been around. I've played a lot of football, I've seen a lot of football, and he’s definitely one of the best players, if not the best player, I’ve been around."

When reflecting on the powerful touchdown run against McAdory, Pippen commented that Hall plays with a rare degree of intensity.

"He's been through a lot in his life and he just kind of takes it all out on the field," Pippen said. "He plays hungry and plays with a different type of hunger that I’ve never seen anybody else play with."

As the regular season nears its end in Pippen's fourth year at his alma mater, the young coach reflected on players like Hall and Travis-Williams, who have been with him since the beginning of this era of Falcons football.

"The biggest thing about those two is their mindset," Pippen explained. "The confidence that they have in themselves, that's the biggest thing I see. They both think that they’re the best in the nation at their position, regardless of what the rankings say. Both of those young men have been with me since I first got here, since their freshman year. So, it’s all just a testament to their hard work."

Rounding out the local selections for the all-star game is Jeremiah Beverly, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound edge rusher from Hillcrest who committed to Alabama on June 26.

Beverly is also a three-star prospect, according to 247Sports, with a composite rating of 0.8800.

He is ranked No. 655 nationally, No. 56 among edge rushers and No. 26 overall in Alabama.

The Crimson Tide commitment will represent Hillcrest and head coach Jamie Mitchell on a defense loaded with highly recruited prospects from across the state.

"This makes five years in a row that we’ve had a minimum of one, if not more, in the Mississippi All-Star Game," Mitchell told Patch."It’s the best of the best. I’ve been fortunate to coach in it on both sides. I coached in it on the Mississippi side and now on this side. And every time you go, you just realize how talented the state is."

Mitchell heaped praise upon his star edge rusher and said the all-star game will be a nice "dessert" for the talented prospect to close out his storied high school career before taking his talents to the SEC.

"He is as explosive of a player as you’re gonna find," Mitchell said. "He is a weight room phenom. And sometimes you get those kids, where the weight room strength doesn't transition to the field. That's not the case with him. He’s such an explosive, strong kid that it’s just hard at our level for anybody to match that. He’s a phenomenal talent."

Alabama enters this year's all-star matchup riding a six-game winning streak over Mississippi, having won 28 of the previous 39 meetings.

Alabama will be led by Helena head coach Richie Busby, who praised the depth and talent of this year's roster.

"The roster is loaded with future college stars and quality young men," Busby said.

The Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the University of South Alabama campus in Mobile.

Since its inception in 1988, the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic has featured numerous future college and NFL standouts, including Julio Jones, Jameis Winston, C.J. Mosley and Marlon Humphrey.

The game will be televised on the AHSAA TV Network through WOTM and Alabama Public Television, with streaming available through the NFHS Network.

It will also be broadcast statewide on the AHSAA Radio Network.

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