Eagles' Phillips invited to Army combine

Signal Mountain quarterback Reese Phillips has been invited to attend the U.S. Army national combine for high school junior football players.

photo Austin Gatewood of East Hamilton High attempts to sack Signal Mountain quarterback Reese Phillips in the 2011 season opener at Signal Mountain in August.

The combine, held in conjunction with the national all-star game for seniors, is scheduled for Jan. 4-6 at San Antonio, Texas.

"Reese can be as good as he wants to be," Eagles coach Bill Price said. "I've had a lot of good quarterbacks over the years, but Reese has the tools to play at a high level. He has great arm strength, which I guess is the key."

In his first season as a starter, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Phillips passed for 1,895 yards, completing 71 percent of his attempts for 21 touchdowns with just four interceptions. During his career he has played tight end, wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker, safety and cornerback in addition to returning punts.

"He could have put up unbelievable numbers in a pass-first offense, but this [wing-T] offense helps make him a complete quarterback," Price said. "He has worked under center, making three-step and five-step drops, and he has played out of the shotgun. He had some great receivers to work with this season, but he'll have good receivers next year, too."

Phillips has made unofficial visits to Vanderbilt and Duke and was invited to Notre Dame last weekend for its game with Boston College. However, he already had made plans to go to Duke.

"The teams I know of that are showing some interest would be those three and Georgia Tech and Tennessee," Price said. "I think that will change after the combine."

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