Jonathan Rose remembers watching the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and thinking, “That could be me.”

Next time, it will be.

“I appreciate the opportunity I have to showcase myself to the world,” Rose said this week after accepting his invitation to play in the 2011 bowl game on Jan. 8.  The Leeds High School senior is one of 90 football players from across the country to receive this year’s All-American designation.

The recognition is one of many the standout cornerback has received since signing with Auburn earlier this year and the second major accolade he’s received this month.  Shortly before officially accepting his invitation to the All-American Bowl, Rose was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic.

“These were both unexpected honors,” he said.  “I didn’t know they were even in the picture for me.  It’s nice to see that my hard work has paid off in this way.”

Representatives of the U.S. Army and All-American Games, the sports marketing and management company that owns the All-American Bowl, presented Rose with his game jersey on Monday. The annual East-West contest is set for Jan. 8 in San Antonio, Texas, and will be televised live on NBC.

Rose will be accompanied to the game by Leeds head coach Keith Etheredge, who has been selected to attend the U.S. Army Coaches Academy, where he will confer with NFL and NCAA coaches during game-week activities.

“This is not because I’m a great coach,” Etheredge said.  “This is just one of the perks you get when you have unbelievable players.”

Charles Rose, Jonathan’s father and a Leeds alumnus who played for Auburn in the mid-90s, attributed his son’s award to “hard work and great teammates.  If the team had struggled this year, they might not even have looked at him.  Proud is just a narrow word for how we feel right now.   Everybody says he’s following in his dad’s footsteps going to Auburn, and I guess he is, but we’d be proud wherever he went because he’d be furthering his education.”

As a high school All-American, Jonathan joins such notable college and professional standouts as Reggie Bush, Adrian Peterson, March Sanchez, Michael Oher, Percy Harvin, Terrelle Pryor, and Tim Tebow, all of whom made their national debuts in the All-American Bowl.  A total of 37 bowl alumni were selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, including eight in the first round.

For Jonathan, his selection came at what he called “the perfect time.  The team I’m playing for is undefeated, and the team I’ve committed to is undefeated, so this is all great.  I want to thank my family, my coaches, my teammates, the school, and the community for their support.”