Upper Deck to release USA Football set
By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Football Editor
The International Bowl is becoming a tradition. It’s an annual competition pulling in football players under the age of 19 from across dozens of countries.
USA Football assembles its own team to compete against the International Federation of American Football, which is comprised of 64 countries.
This is a place many people look for breakout players, a chance to see the start of a future star.
The fourth annual International Bowl will be held Feb. 5 in Austin, Texas.
And players for United States will have cards coming out on Dec. 18 with the releases of 2012 Upper Deck USA Football.
“It’s a super-limited product with the best football prospects in the country,” Upper Deck wrote in an email.
While some players on the checklist are unknowns to many football fans, many of these guys are some of the best recruits in the country.
However, it also contains several college freshman such as the University of Georgia’s Todd Gurley, who led the Bulldogs with 1,288 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 199 carries in 13 games this year.
The 19-and-under team – many of those playing in the International Bowl – will be featured on autograph and memorabilia subsets in UD’s USA Football.
Past sets include players such as Jaxon Shipley (University of Texas wide receiver) and George Atkinson III (Notre Dame running back).
Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Football. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here.
Funny how Buster says its a 2 to 3 star game, as the checklist features players like gurley 5 star qb and dual sport star Jameis winston, Se’von pittman 4 star d end on rivals and part of urban meyers big signing class, 4 star rb/wr daje johnson, 5 star dt malcom brown under armour all american game, 4 star lb noor davis who also won the high school butkus award and played in the under armour all american game, 4 star de ifeadi odenigbo who also played in the under armour all american game. Also in the insert checklist is tarean folston who is a top recruit in this years class. So please don’t say this is a two to 3 star game when there are many all americans and top recruits that played for the usa u19 team this year, and if you dont like upper deck don’t buy it.
Also Susan could you please pass to topps the idea to make a box set for the public to buy, instead of just 3 card give away packs for the under armour all american featuring action photos of the players playing in the game. Leaf has done it for the army game, so I think topps should do it as well for the under armour game. thank you
Team USA does a great job identifying top players who aren’t all recruiting site darlings but the best football players. They actually hold tryouts to separate the players from the hype. Also among past teams: David Wilson (Va. Tech, NY Giants RB), Tyrann Mathieu (LSU, DB), Jordan Lynch (Northern Illinois, QB), Jordan Poyer (Oregon State, CB), Oday Aboushi (Virginia, LT), Brian Winters (Kent State, LT), Jack Mewhort (Ohio State, LT), Adam Shead (Oklahoma, OG), Joe Bergeron (Texas, RB), Kenny Williams (Texas Tech, RB), Kevin Hogan (Stanford, QB), Alex Carter (Stanford, DB), Stephon Tuitt (Notre Dame, DT), Devin Funchess (Michigan, TE).
The World Team hasn’t been too shabby either with Jessie Williams (Alabama, DT) and Bjeorn Werner (Florida State, DT) among its past players.