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Aaron Ramseur carries on tradition
By
Sammy Batten
©2016 Bonesville.net
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Few high schools in North Carolina
have produced more standout major college linebackers than Crest High
School in Shelby.
One of the originators of the Crest
linebacker legacy was Tim Ramseur, who as a senior in 1994 was a Shrine
Bowl all-star pick and the state 4-A defensive player of the year.
Ramseur went on to accept a scholarship to play for N.C. State, where he
lettered in 1996-97.
Ramseur's emergence began a streak
that over the next 13 years saw linebackers like Shamar Finney (Penn
State), Brandon Spikes (Florida) and Dwayne Maddox (N.C. State) develop
in the Crest program before moving on to the college ranks.
East Carolina's new head coach,
Scottie Montgomery, is very familiar with the Crest linebacker having
attended rival Burns High School where he played wide receiver on a
state championship team in 1994. Montgomery is hoping that local
knowledge pays off for his new team, which has received a verbal
commitment from the latest Crest linebacker star.
Montgomery secured the first recruit
of his ECU tenure last week when Crest's Aaron Ramseur gave a verbal
commitment to the Pirates. Aaron is the younger brother of Tim Ramseur
and has been a varsity starter the last two years as Crest has won
back-to-back state titles and compiled a 32-0 record.
“From the first time I saw him, there
was no doubt this kid could play football,'' Crest coach Will Clark
said. “He loved the game. I'd say he loves the little parts of the game.
He goes to work every day in practice and does what he's supposed to do.
He doesn't have many bad days. Every practice he's looking for ways to
get better. He always makes sure he's doing the little things right.''
ECU only began courting the younger
Ramseur after Montgomery came aboard as the replacement for Ruffin
McNeill, who
was relieved of his duties on December 4 after six
seasons. Charleston Southern and Toledo had previously extended
scholarship offers, but a stellar performance by Ramseur during the
Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all-star game in December caught
Montgomery's attention.
Ramseur was named defensive most
valuable player after helping the North Carolina squad defeat South
Carolina, 54-39, in the annual all-star game played in December.
“I think the Shrine Bowl helped him
tremendously because a lot of people were worried about his size,''
Clark said of the 6-foot, 215-pound Ramseur. “That (Shrine Bowl) showed
he could handle himself. We felt like he could play no matter what. But
he showed everyone else at the Shrine Bowl.''
After further evaluation, Montgomery
personally extended Ramseur a scholarship offer via telephone in early
January. He accepted on January 6 after discussing the offer with his
family, which is headed by his father, a local pastor and includes 10
siblings.
In addition to Tim, older brother
Kenneth played for Gardner-Webb in the 1990s, and brothers Josh and
Devonte are currently on college rosters. Josh is a redshirt freshman
nose guard at Gardner-Webb and Devonte is a sophomore defensive lineman
at Tuskegee.
“Two of Aaron's brothers graduated
from Burns where Scottie graduated,'' Clark said. “I think they were
close friends and their families know each other. It was one of those
type of things.
“Aaron is right at 6 foot and a lot
of people had problems with that. But I think Coach Montgomery wants
good football players, and that is definitely what Aaron is. He is
physical at the point of attack.''
Ramseur spent his first two high
school seasons at Montgomery's old school, Burns, where he played for
the junior varsity. He moved to Crest as a junior and produced 98
tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks an interception for a 16-0
squad that won the state crown.
The lone interception for Ramseur
that season came when Crest needed it most during a 24-3 victory against
Havelock in the state 3-A finals.
“His best play may have been that
interception in the state championship game last year,'' Clark said.
“They motioned a guy and we flipped the coverage. He dropped into the
right spot and picked the ball off. That was a big one for me because I
was the defensive coordinator at the time and that turnover pretty
quickly turned things in our favor.''
Crest's second straight drive to the
state title – this time the 3-AA – again featured Ramseur, who made 160
tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks and an interception in earning
first-team all-state honors. Included in those totals is 58 tackles made
during the state playoffs and a 20-tackle effort in a third-round
playoff game against Weddington.
It's the type of dynamic linebacker
play fans are used to seeing at Crest since Tim Ramseur set the standard
more than two decades ago.
Finney came next in the late 1990s,
earning USA Today All-American honors and the No. 1 ranking as the
state's top prospect as a senior. He went on to letter four seasons and
start his final two at Penn State under coach Joe Paterno.
Spikes followed in Finney's footsteps
at Crest by being named the state's top college prospect as a senior
before heading off to Florida where he helped the Gators win two
national championships between 2006-2008. Spikes was a second-round NFL
draft pick who spent five seasons in the league with the New England
Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
Then there was Maddox, a Shrine Bowl
all-star and conference defensive player of the year for the Chargers as
a senior in 2007. Maddox signed with N.C. State and logged 15 starts for
the Wolfpack between 2008-2010.
Clark hesitated to compare Aaron
Ramseur to any of the former Crest greats, but did see similarities
between him and a former star at Scotland High School. Clark served as
an assistant at the Laurinburg school when future N.C. State and NFL
linebacker Terrell Manning played for the Fighting Scots.
“He's made some plays that remind me
of Terrell,'' Clark said. “He's really quick, and physical. Boy, is he
physical.
“All I can say is we've had a run of
great linebackers at this place. Aaron is just adding to the list.''
East Carolina's recruiting Class of
2016 suffered several defections following McNeill's dismissal.
Offensive lineman
Justin Chase
from Chesapeake, VA, opted out of his pledge to the Pirates and joined
the N.C. State recruiting class, while Lynchburg, VA, defensive tackle
Rondre Knowles-Tener jumped ship for James Madison. A
third defensive lineman,
Jamil Dukes
from Mooresville, NC, also de-committed from ECU, but has yet to choose
another school.
So with those defections and
Ramseur's additions, the Pirates have 12 players verbally committed to
their recruiting class with less than a month remaining before national
signing day on Feb. 3.
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01/14/2016 12:47 PM |
