There are thousands of high school football players, but Isaac Rochell is one of the Top-400 in the country.

Rochell, a senior DE/LB for Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy, is one of 400 seniors across the country nominated for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection process.

“This is such an honor for Isaac,” ELCA head coach Jonathan Gess said. “It speaks well that he is getting the recognition for all of his hard work.”

Gess said he is not surprised Rochell was selected for this honor.

“He has the size, range, power and skills for the next level,” Gess said. “He can play both sides of the ball. He is so athletic and you put that together with his size and it is quite a package.”

Gess said Rochell has been noticed nationally for his skills, but he is more than that for the Chargers.

“He adds spirituality to this team,” Gess said. “He is a great guy who lives his life the right way. He has been a great witness to the kids.”

Gess said he would be proud to watch Rochell represent not only his school, but the state of Georgia in San Antonio, Texas Jan. 5.

“This would be an awesome opportunity for him,” Gess said. “He would be representing the whole state. I just know that he would love to go and represent his teammates well. He knows without them, he would not be getting this recognition. It really is a team honor, as well.”

Rochell went to all the junior skills camps on college campuses and found out what the recruiting process is all about. He ended his recruiting early by committing to Notre Dame this summer.

Gess said Rochell did a good job of staying humble throughout the recruiting process when he was treated like a “rock star.”

“He never got a big head about it and through it all he continued to be one of the hardest workers on the team,” Gess said.

Gess said Rochell’s journey to this point in his football career has been interesting.

“He started off on the basketball court, but when I saw him the first time I knew I had to get him out there on the football field,” Gess said. “We brought him in during his freshman year and he absolutely exploded in the time between his freshman and sophomore years. Ever since then, he has been a rock for us.”

The Army bowl pits 50 athletes from the East against 50 from the West.