Melquise Stovall’s selection as the first Army All-American in the history of Paraclete High (Lancaster, Calif.) made a lot of people proud.
For Stovall, he was happiest to see the proud look on the face of one person in particular Tuesday when the Selection Tour presented by American Family Insurance came to town.
“I know my mom was very proud of me to get up there and be able to see all that,” Stovall said. “The entire thing was amazing. … It was a privilege and an honor for me.”
That feeling extends to playing in the Army Bowl.
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“Growing up, you see all the NFL players and college players who played in it,” Stovall said. “It’s a dream to be in it and an honor to play for our troops.”
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A four-star recruit, Stovall is ranked as the No. 4 all-purpose back in the nation by the 247Sports Composite and provides his current – and future – coach with a lot of options. For Paraclete, Stovall is used as a running back and wide receiver on offense, a free safety and corner on defense, and a punt and kick returner on special teams.
“I’m open to any position,” he said. “I prefer slot receiver, but I can play running back. I see myself as an offensive athlete. I can play defense, but I prefer to play offense in college.”
College coaches have pitched to Stovall that he play running back and slot receiver in college; some have said just running back and others have said just slot receiver. How a college coach wants to deploy him will have a “big” impact on his college decision, he said.
“I want to go somewhere where I feel comfortable with the offense,” he said. “I would like to play mainly slot receiver and then running back when needed.”
Stovall said he has eight schools on his list and hopes to narrow the list to as few as four with the intention of announcing at the Army Bowl. He intends to graduate early in order to be on campus in the spring. Stovall took his first official visit to Notre Dame and said his next could be to Utah.
He also has taken unofficial visits to Arizona State, Cal, USC, UCLA and Washington.
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