BALTIMORE, Md — Thursday seemed like any other day for Dunbar High School senior Joshua Blackston. A day of classes, then off to football practice.
And while it was a bit chilly the offensive lineman, and Rutgers commit, hit the field with his team for practice. He says at one point he saw his parents at the field, "I was like 'huh, I don't know what's going on', so I didn't catch on."
When practice ended a representative from Under Armour gathered the team, "We are here to celebrate you Joshua, not only we at UA are excited but your teammates, your family, your coaches. We are excited because you are the first athlete from Baltimore City Public Schools to be selected to be apart of the UA Next All-America team."
The Under Armour All-America gathers the top football athletes from across the country for one game in Florida. Over 350 athletes have gone on to the NFL.
Joshua Blackston is the the first-ever Baltimore City student-athlete to play in the Under Armour All-American Game on January 2, 2025.
"It shows how bright my future is," said Blackston, "There's a lot of underdogs in my city. A lot of people that are underappreciated and not seen for their talents. For me to put my city, my school most importantly, Dunbar on the map, I'm very happy to do so."
Under Armour partners with Baltimore City Schools with its Project Rampart. They work with schools to elevate student-athletes by improving their performance in the classroom and their sport.
According to their website, it's in 23 Baltimore City Schools. Impacts over 33,000 students, and has a graduation rate, among 4-year student-athletes of 92.6%.
