Bakari Hamilton Invited to UA Next All-America Game
While most people have no idea what their winter holiday plans will be at this point, class of 2026 linebacker Bakari Hamilton and his family already know what they’ll be doing—they’ll be in Orlando playing football. That’s because Hamilton has been selected for the 2022 UA Next All-America Game alongside 74 other of the top current 8th graders in the country, by Under Armour.
The journey to being selected for the UA Next All-America Game started back in March when he attended the invite-only Under Armour All-America Camp. At the camp he performed in combine testing in addition to one-on-one drills to show off his ability. At the end of the day, he beat out nearly 200 other middle schoolers to take home the Golden Ticket and automatic invite to the big game.
“I was so excited to receiver the Golden Ticket,” Hamilton said. “I put it on Twitter and said ‘we’ll see you in Florida.’ It was a great feeling.”
If you look at Hamilton, who lives in the weight room, the invite should come as no surprise. At 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds he’s a force on both sides of the ball playing both running back and linebacker—but in the game he’ll be playing his favorite position of strong side linebacker.
“I try to model my game after Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis,” Hamilton said.
While those two linebackers are all-time greats, Hamilton is starting to rack up honors and awards with the hope of rivaling those two monsters of the midway. He’s played in a number of all-star games over the last few years highlighted by the D1 Spects All-Star Game and True-Talent All-Star Game where he came away with the MVP award.
Hamilton attends the Trinity Christian School in Sharpsburg, Ga. and currently plays for the Ross Elite Longhorns. If the words Ross and Longhorns start to jog your memory, it’s because the team is spearheaded by former Texas Longhorn defensive back, Aaron Ross. Ross, who doubles as Hamilton’s trainer, knows a little bit about playing football at a high level, as he was named an All-American at Texas before being drafted in the first round by the New York Giants and winning two Super Bowls with the team.
“Aaron is great,” said Bakari’s father. “Bakari is the defensive captain and calls the defense. In fact, he and Ross (Aaron) are on a zoom training at least once a week.”
While the Longhorns have a lot of talent on the roster, Hamilton still stands out on film.
“I’d say my biggest strengths on the field are my football IQ, my ability to tackle and most importantly the leadership I bring.”
The next-level recruiting hasn’t officially started yet, but Hamilton has already unofficially visited North Carolina. In addition to the Tarheels, he already has a few other schools in mind.
“At the next level, I’m interested in playing for Alabama, Georgia and Texas,” he said. “Those schools always have top notch competition at every position.”
However, before colleges potentially come knocking on his door, Hamilton is ready to close out his youth career and start focusing on what he wants to accomplish on the high school level.
“First and foremost, I want to continue my academic excellence in the classroom and at school. After that, the goal is to help my school win a state championship.”
After wrapping up his regular fall season, Hamilton will begin to take the first steps towards accomplishing the goals he’s outlined for high school by testing himself against other elite competition at the UA Next All-America Game. Hamilton has proven over, and over again, that preparing to be a student-athlete at the highest level is a full-time job and he knows there’s no time to rest.
“Although you may be a beast, you always have to continue to train and work on your skills.”