Maxwell “Bunchie” Young, 2017 Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year, was the surprise star of the NFL 100 commercial that kicked off Super Bowl LIV.
“Young’s blazing speed was shown throughout the commercial as the football and track-and-field star ran a kick return past various NFL stars and legends,” si.com writes.
After being seen by millions of people in the commercial, the 13-year-old budding athlete has caught the interest of college recruiters. He’s also received a scholarship offer from the University of Illinois to play football.
“It was just so loud,” Bunchie said about the Super Bowl crowd.
“And the players were looking up to see my Super Bowl commercial and it was really crazy,” he added.
When Eyewitness News met up with the 7th grader at KIPP Scholar Academy, a Los Angeles public charter school, Bunchie explained how the commercial took a few months to shoot and he had to keep the project super secret.
“I couldn’t tell nobody. Everybody and their mom had to sign a (non-disclosure agreement.) It was so secretive. You couldn’t tell nobody,” he said.
As his Hollywood star rises, his tight-knit family makes sure to keep the kid grounded.
“We spend a lot of time together. And we talk. I keep that communication base with him,” said his dad, David Young.
“I just wonder sometimes where God is leading us,” he added. “He likes doing this. He likes doing the commercials, but it’s like, hey, man as long as you keep God first. I just want you to be a successful man.”
Bunchie chimed in with, “Might be acting, it might be football, who knows? It might be something else, who knows?” he said. “But really, since I was a little kid, I always wanted to play football, go to the NFL, but who knows?”
Scroll up to learn more about Bunchie via the video player above.
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