ORLANDO, Fla. – Lakota West senior outside linebacker Xavier Peters had quite the experience in the Sunshine State this week.
Peters shined on a national stage in the Under Armour All-America Game Thursday night at Camping World Stadium in helping his Team Spotlight to a 23-21 win in a contest televised live on ESPN2.
"It was very nice," Peters said.
Peters, a University of Kentucky verbal commit, unofficially had three tackles, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry for his team, which was coached by Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
The highlight of the night for Peters was his kickoff return in which he hurdled over the kicker near the sideline. The highlight was tweeted by the official Under Armour account and had more than 17,000 views as of Friday morning.
2018 is off to a fast start. 💨 @UAFootball uafootball knows all about that speed. Congrats to team Highlight on their 23-21 “W” tonight. #UAAllAmerica pic.twitter.com/W3XD5BJFuG
— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) January 5, 2018
Peters became the third Lakota West player to play in the nationally-televised all-star game, joining Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly (2011 game) and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks (2010).
“He had a better game than Jordan (Hicks) in my opinion,” Lakota West coach Larry Cox told WCPO.com. “He showed more skill.”
Peters, who is 6 feet 4 and 227 pounds, spent this past week in Orlando for the game. Cox was an assistant coach.
“His energy is infectious and everybody loved him,” Cox said. “He told me, ‘Coach this is the greatest experience.’”
Florida State showed interest in Peters after the game and inquired whether the Firebirds standout would like to take an official visit. Cox said no decisions have been made about that just yet.
The NCAA's regular signing period starts Feb. 7.
Peters, a second-team all-district selection in 2017, was first-team all-Greater Miami Conference. He was the second-leading tackler at defensive end (78 tackles) and tied for second in sacks (6) this past season.
One of the area’s most recruited players in the 2018 class, Peters also considered the University of Southern California, Texas, Oregon and Penn State before he made a pledge to UK.
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