The U.S. Army High School All-American game has a special tradition of allowing previously uncommitted high school seniors to choose their favorite school on national television.

Prior to this season, Minnesota never had a recruit participate in the All-American game or announce in front of a national audience. On Saturday, all of that changed.

Four-star quarterback recruit Marqueis Gray of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis put on a new Minnesota Gophers hat during the second quarter of the prestigious game, giving his new team national exposure.

Gray picked the maroon and gold hat over hats from Michigan State and Oregon, solidifying a high-prized verbal commitment for Tim Brewster.

“I picked Minnesota, because I love the city, the coaches and the players,” Gray said during the NBC telecast. “I think it’s a great place to spend my college career.”

The number two ranked dual-threat quarterback, ranked by Rivals.com, has a unique combination of arm strength, speed, agility and size at 6-foot, four-inches and 204-pounds.

Gray is the sixth four-star and 25th overall commitment for Minnesota this year, which currently has the Gophers ranked No. 25 in the nation in recruiting. This ranking does not include Gray’s numbers as of yet, which means the Gophers could possibly get near the No. 20 ranking when all said and done.

The Indiana native threw for 1,113 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 603 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior in 2006.