Troy White has a phenomenal gift. He can predict football plays before they happen. Any position. Any player. Any team.

When Troy's single mom gets a job working in public relations for the Atlanta Falcons, Troy figures it's his chance to prove what he can do. But first he has to get to the Falcons—and with tight security and a notoriously mean coach, even his mom's field passes aren't much help.

Then Troy and his best friends devise a plan to get the attention of star linebacker Seth Halloway. With Seth's playing and Troy's genius, the Falcons could be unstoppable—if they'll only listen.

Bestselling author and former NFL player Tim Green scores a touchdown with this exhilarating novel, his first for young readers. Football Genius is an action-packed adventure with gripping suspense, a hero you can really root for, and an insider's look at the world of professional football.

"'Adult author and former Atlanta Falcon Green (American Outrage) delivers a satisfying YA debut, using his own NFL experience to bring readers behind the scenes. Twelve-year-old Troy White's athletic ability and his preternatural talent for predicting football strategy are both going to waste (he's stuck playing second-string on his team), until frustration with a vicious bully on his team pushes him to 'borrow' an official NFL football from local Atlanta Falcons star linebacker Seth Halloway. As Troy languishes on his own football team and resents the father who abandoned him, he strives to alert the Falcons of his gift: 'Sometimes a kid's heart tells him to do something and he needs to listen, even if it means getting in trouble.' Acting as a mentor, Seth encourages Troy to come clean about his adventures ('The truth is more important than the trouble it brings') and to forgive his father's desertion ('All I know is, things happen. Unless you're the one they're happening to, you usually can't understand it'). Seth ends up dating Troy's mother and coaching Troy's team, giving Troy the chance to shine not only on the sidelines, where his play-predicting ability helps bring the Falcons to victory, but on the field as well. 'There was no rage fueling him now. It was something else, a blinding energy he never knew he had.' Non-sports fans will root for underdog Troy ('I want to do something. I want to be something. I thought this was my chance') and enthusiasts will thrill to the firsthand knowledge Green brings to the novel. Ages 10-up. (July)' Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Twelve-year-old Troy White has a gift: he can predict any football play before it happens. When his mom gets a job with the Atlanta Falcons, Troy is determined to prove just how much the team needs him on board, in this gripping story written by former star linebacker Green.

Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and a dozen suspense novels, including Exact Revenge and Kingdom Come. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round NFL draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors. Tim has worked as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and as an NFL commentator for National Public Radio, among other broadcast experience. He lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York. Football Hero is his second novel for young readers.