|
Recruiting report card: Offense
January push pays
talent dividends
Direct Links:
Offensive Report Card |
Defensive Report Card
By
Sammy Batten
©2016 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
Recruiting Class of 2016 Thumbnail Sketches...
Less than a month remained before
college football's national signing day by the time new East Carolina
head coach Scottie Montgomery finalized his staff in early January.
Faced with those time constraints,
Montgomery and company hit the road for a whirlwind tour that would
convince 11 players to become Pirates on February 3rd. Those prospects,
combined with 11 others recruited by previous staff under coach Ruffin
McNeill, resulted in a surprisingly solid class that meets some very
pressing needs in the program.
On offense, that meant replenishing a
blocking corps that saw five prominent players complete their
eligibility in November.
“We went after the offensive line
position for one reason and one reason only,'' Montgomery said on
signing day. “We had a lot of graduation at that position and wanted to
attack it. Offensive linemen are the bedrock of every great football
program and we were able to sign five of them.''
The Pirates also secured six
skill-position players on offense, including a surprise addition at
running back on signing day.
So Montgomery and his staff get an A
for effort in their first foray into acquiring players for ECU and some
fairly high marks for talent.
Here are our annual class grades and
program evaluation by position, as well as a look ahead to what the
Pirates' needs may be for the recruiting Class of 2017. Please note that
all class designations referred to below indicate the player's status
for the 2016 season.
QUARTERBACK → B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The injury to Kurt
Benkert last preseason and Cody Keith's decision to leave the program in
September left the Pirates seriously thin at the quarterback position in
2015. They wound up using backup Blake Kemp and converted wide receiver
James Summers at quarterback during the regular season. So there was
already a major need to sign at least one quarterback, even before Kemp
decided to transfer in January. Summers is also expected to return to
wide receiver this spring, adding to the need.
WHO SIGNED:
Reid Herring
from Raleigh's Millbrook High School became the first prospect to make a
verbal commitment to ECU's recruiting Class of 2016 last April. The
6-foot-3, 175-pounder chose the Pirates over other offers from Atlantic
Coast Conference programs at Boston College and Miami and stuck with
that pledge despite some reservations when the coaching change occurred.
He completed a three-year varsity career as Broughton's career passing
leader with 6,307 yards and 88 touchdowns. Herring's father, Scott,
earned a letter playing under Mack Brown at North Carolina in 1988. Reid
is also a talented baseball player, who could have gone to Harvard as a
diamond performer.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Herring has a
high football IQ, so he tends to make smart decisions, picks things up
quickly and displays poise in the pocket. He doesn't have a rocket arm,
but is efficient and accurate with his throws. He's mobile enough to
avoid the rush even though scrambling for yards isn't his thing. Herring
may be an even better fit for the offense Scottie Montgomery installs at
ECU than he was for the previous “Air Raid'' attack.
“The previous staff did a great job
of already identifying him (Herring), who we knew well all over the
ACC,'' Montgomery said. “He can throw the football. I'm exceptionally
excited about him and I'm looking forward to working with him at the
quarterback position.''
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Three-star
Avery McCall was offered by the previous ECU staff not long after he
threw for 128 yards to help Dillon, SC, High School win the state AA
title as a freshman. As recently as last March, McCall ranked the
Pirates among the top three schools he was considering. But somewhere
along the way the interest between ECU and the dual-threat quarterback
evaporated. McCall, despite reported offers from Oregon State, South
Carolina and Tennessee, decided to stay close to home and signed with
Coastal Carolina, which is transitioning to the Football Bowl
Subdivision.
WHO'S BACK: Junior Kurt Benkert, who
was to be the new starter in 2015, is expected to be recovered from the
right-knee injury that set ECU's quarterback woes in motion last season.
But Benkert is still relatively inexperienced with only three college
games under his belt, and will be learning a new offensive system. That
means Benkert will probably start spring practice all even in the
quarterback competition with senior transfer Philip Nelson and redshirt
freshman John Jacobs.
Nelson has the most collegiate
experience among the Pirate quarterbacks, having logged 16 starts in the
Big Ten Conference for Minnesota during a two-year stretch in 2012-13.
He threw for 2,179 yards and 17 touchdowns before leaving the program
prior to his junior year.
Jacobs will be learning his third
offensive system in as many seasons, so he'll be a longshot in the
competition for the starting job. But he has talents as a passer and
runner that will make him a factor at ECU in time.
Those three, along with walk-ons
Jason Connella (sophomore) and Ray Smith (sophomore), are expected to
handle the quarterback duties this spring while Summers competes for a
starting job at wide receiver.
WHO'S GONE: Despite all the offensive
troubles and criticism directed toward him at times last season, Blake
Kemp actually put together an impressive year. The lefty completed 69.3
percent of his 375 passes, delivered the sixth-most number of
completions (260) in a single season at ECU, and accumulated 2,653 yards
and 16 touchdowns through the air. Kemp probably saw the handwriting on
the wall with a healthy Benkert and eligible Nelson back in the
quarterback picture, so he left in hopes of landing at another school
closer to his Arizona home.
NEEDS FOR 2017: Nelson's done after
the 2016 season and Benkert has two years of eligibility, making adding
at least one quarterback to the roster in the '17 recruiting class
imperative. With the large number of quality quarterback prospects at
in-state high schools next year, the opportunity to sign two may be
available. The previous staff had already extended scholarship offers to
Hendon Hooker of Greensboro's Dudley High and Kingsley Idefi of
Charlotte Vance, but Montgomery may have others in mind.
RUNNING BACK → B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Three additions in
early 2015 significantly enhanced the depth and talent of ECU's running
back corps. But before Virginia Tech transfer Chris Mangus played a down
for the Pirates he was dismissed from the program for violating team
rules last April. The loss of Mangus and last season's leading rusher
Chris Hairston to graduation meant ECU was in the hunt for at least two
running backs in the '16 class.
WHO SIGNED: When you talk about
clutch athletes, they don't come much better than
Johnnie
Glaspie from in-state small-school power Wallace-Rose Hill High
School. Glaspie was the most valuable player in the state 1-AA
championship game for two years running, including a 261-yard,
five-touchdown rushing performance in the final game of his prep career.
A three-year varsity career ended with Glaspie racking up 3,358 yards
and 56 touchdowns rushing on 373 carries. He chose ECU over offers from
Appalachian State, North Carolina, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
Creating excitement on signing day
was the last-minute decision by
Hussein Howe from Jacksonville, FL, to join the Pirate
recruiting class. Howe became the last component to the class when he
selected ECU over offers from Louisville and Maryland. The 5-9,
175-pounder was a four-year varsity starter and part of two state 2A
championship teams at University Christian High School. Huessein racked
up 5,026 career rushing yards along with 86 touchdowns, and capped his
senior year by gaining 191 yards on 22 carries in the state championship
game.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Both Glaspie
and Hussein are explosive athletes with excellent speed. Glaspie has
been timed at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and is the type of elusive
back who makes you afraid to take your eyes off of him because he
creates excitement each time he touches the ball. Hussein (11.9 over 100
meters) may be the most versatile of the pair because of his potential
to be used not only at running back, but as a slot receiver to catch
passes or run jet sweeps. Together, they have the potential to create a
lot of big plays out of ECU's backfield in the future.
Montgomery gave special teams
coordinator Shannon Moore credit for landing Howe. Moore tapped into
connections he made while coaching at Florida International the last two
years in that recruiting process.
“Relationships is what this business
is about,'' Montgomery said. “Shannon had some great relationships in
that area, so we used them. I love him (Hussein). He's one of those kids
that I think has a very good chance to be special here.''
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: The Pirates
actually had one of the nation's top 2016 running backs verbally
committed while he was still a sophomore in high school. ECU was the
first school to offer Abdul Adams in April 2014 as a 10th grader at
Wilson High in Washington, DC. He accepted while attending the annual
spring football game in Greenville later that month. But Adams would
take back the pledge to ECU in November as his stock began to attract
offers from traditional national powers such as Alabama and Notre Dame.
By the time he transferred down to Hillside High in Durham for his
senior year, Adams was a consensus four-star prospect. Even though he
played at Hillside under new ECU running backs coach Antonio King, Adams
wound up signing with Oklahoma to play for ex-Pirate offensive
coordinator Lincoln Riley.
WHO'S BACK: Juniors Anthony Scott and
Marquez Grayson are both experienced backs, although only Scott saw
significant playing time last season. Scott was the team's third-leading
rusher behind Chris Hairston and quarterback James Summers with 207
yards on 49 carries. Grayson was third in team rushing in 2014 with 289
yards and five scores, but played in just four games last year (13
carries, 88 yards) after working himself back from a suspension and foot
injury. The Pirates also took the redshirt off Shawn Furlow, who
appeared in 10 games and gained 15 yards on nine carries.
All of those players are scheduled to
return, but the most attention this spring will be on sophomore Derrell
Scott. Scott was rated one of the top running back prospects in the
nation as a senior at nearby Havelock High in 2013 and eventually signed
to play at Tennessee. An injury limited him to just two games and 11
carries as a freshman for the Volunteers, but it was a bit of
homesickness that led Scott to transfer back to ECU last fall. He sat
out 2015 under NCAA transfer rules and will be the leading candidate to
win the starting backfield job this spring.
Sophomore walk-on Devin Anderson is a
special teams standout who also carried five times for 45 yards last
season.
WHO'S GONE: Chris Hairston did a
respectable job as the starter in 11 of 12 games in 2015, despite
playing behind an offensive line that struggled with injuries and
consistency. Hairston led the Pirates with 754 yards rushing and eight
touchdowns on 165 carries. He departs having played in 48 games for ECU,
including 14 starts, and with 1,468 career yards rushing.
NEED FOR 2017: Derrell Scott, Furlow,
Glaspie and Howe give ECU an exciting, explosive quartet of runners to
rely on for at least the next two seasons. But if for no other
contingency other than serving as a backup in case of an injury or if
somebody in that groups transfers or changes positions, signing at least
one running back is the smart move.
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END → B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The needs changed a
bit when Montgomery took over as head coach because ECU's offense will
be different, but the numbers didn't change. Three signees was the
objective, although the emphasis originally was for most of those to be
pure wideouts. Tight end or H-back types may be emphasized more under
Montgomery.
WHO SIGNED:
Tahj Deans
(6-2, 185) from just down the road from ECU in the town of Bailey was
the second player to make a verbal commitment to the Class of 2016. The
cousin of former NFL defensive great Julius Peppers was a two-way star
at Southern Nash High who entertained offers from Appalachian State and
Georgia Southern before picking the Pirates. Deans made 65 receptions
for 1,074 yards and nine touchdowns during his prep career while
starting on both sides of the ball.
Two of the last recruits landed by
Montgomery and company were tight ends
Anthony Whatley from Atlantic Coast High in Jacksonville, FL,
and Eric Weber
of Blythewood, SC, High.
Whatley was originally committed to
Marshall, but reversed that decision 24 hours before signing day and
cast his lot with the Pirates. Appalachian State and Central Florida
also offered the 6-3, 240-pounder, and Miami was making a play for him
as signing day approached. Whatley grabbed 20 passes for 170 yards and a
touchdown during his senior season.
Weber is a high school teammate of
new ECU defensive line coach Deke Adams' son. Mainly smaller schools
were after Weber (6-2, 220) before Adams was hired by Montgomery. But he
obviously made an impression on Adams after grabbing 36 passes for 458
yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons.
“One of the first chances I had to
talk on the phone (with recruits) was with Tahj Deans,'' Montgomery
said. “He was real close to us and (offensive coordinator) Coach (Tony)
Peterson and I went to watch him play basketball. He has this great
ability to get off the floor and move around.
“We have recruited two big-time tight
ends. We had a battle for one of them (Whatley) that we didn't know
until a couple of days ago we had a chance to come out and win.''
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Deans is the
guy who makes the leaping catches with defenders hanging all over him.
As Montgomery mentioned above, he has a great vertical jump and doesn't
shy away from contact.
Weber and Whatley have the ability
operate in small spaces like the red zone, play with their hand down as
true tight ends or line up in the slot to make plays down field. Because
ECU has just one scholarship tight end on the roster in Stephen Baggett,
early playing time will likely be available for one or both freshmen
next fall.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Dre Massey, a
record-setting high school quarterback from Mauldin, SC, actually signed
to play wide receiver for the Pirates in February 2014. But Massey ran
into admissions issues at ECU and had to enroll instead at Holmes
Community College. He remained committed to the Pirates until Lincoln
Riley departed as offensive coordinator before the 2015 season, at which
point he re-opened his recruitment. By the end of his sophomore year at
Holmes, Massey was one of the nation's top junior college receiver
prospects and eventually signed with Florida.
WHO'S BACK: Ten receivers who caught
at least one pass last season are back, including James Summers who
caught a 7-yard pass while appearing in 10 games at quarterback. Summers
is expected to be back at his intended position of receiver in spring
practice.
The 6-3, 220-pound Summers will join
a pass-catching corps returning senior Isaiah Jones (98 catches, 1,099
yards, five touchdowns last season), junior Trevon Brown (41-496-4),
senior Dayon Grayson (33-448-3), junior Quay Johnson (16-134-1), senior
Jimmy Williams (15-137-2) and senior Brandon Bishop (15-158-1).
Also seeing action in 2015 at
receiver or on special teams were senior DaQuan Barnes (6-49-0),
sophomore Curtis Burston and sophomore Malik Gray. Looking to establish
himself in the receiver competition this spring will be one of last
year's top signees, redshirt freshman Deondre Farrier.
Sophomore Terrell Green, who missed
last year due to injury, could also be an asset in 2016 if he's healthy.
The lone returning scholarship tight
end is junior Stephen Baggett, who played in all 12 games and caught
five passes for 40 yards last season.
WHO'S GONE: The only real loss in
this area was a big one. Tight end Bryce Williams evolved into a
dependable receiver over the course of his ECU career and departs after
finishing second to Isaiah Jones in team receptions (58-588-4). Williams
may be heading toward an NFL career, so his loss will be felt.
NEED FOR 2017: A large chunk of the
receiver corps – seven to be exact – will complete their eligibility at
the end of the 2016 campaign. Those losses will be significant since
they include Jones, Grayson and Summers, who could well be three of the
top four playmakers in the passing game next fall. All that makes
receiver a major priority for ECU in 2017. Signing three or four
wouldn't be too many.
OFFENSIVE LINE → B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Five players
completed their eligibility in 2015, four of whom were starters at
various times of their careers. Those departures made offensive line the
biggest recruiting priority on offense in this cycle. Three or four
blockers for this class was an absolute necessity.
WHO SIGNED:
Jack Doyle
(6-4, 260) from Wake Forest, NC, was considered too light by many
recruiters to play major college football. But those coaches ignored the
fact that Doyle’s brother, Ryan, was about the same build in high school
and developed into a 307-pounder who started three seasons at Maryland.
After Doyle, the Pirates added four
300-plus pound offensive lineman in
Sean Bailey (6-6, 336) from Cumming, GA,
Jarred Dorton (6-6, 345), a junior college transfer from
Bakersfield, CA,
Cortez Herrin
(6-3, 330) from Saluda, SC, and
D’Ante Smith
(6-4, 310) of Grovetown, SC.
Bailey was a dominant tackle at
Lambert High where he executed 85 pancake blocks and graded out at 90
percent on his assignments as a senior. ECU beat out Cincinnati and
Purdue for Bailey.
Dorton was a first-team
All-California Region III pick at tackle for Bakersfield College last
season. Buffalo was Dorton’s only other offer.
The previous coaching staff recruited
Herrin, who committed before the start of his senior season and is
already enrolled at ECU. An offensive guard at Saluda High, he
participated in the annual South Carolina North-South All-Star game as a
senior.
Appalachian State had snared a verbal
commitment from Smith last July. But ECU’s new staff swooped in late to
flip the first-team all-area and all-region player from Grovetown High.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: The Pirates
filled pressing needs at tackle and, by signing five players, bolstered
the depth along the offensive front. Dorton probably should compete for
the starting job at left tackle next fall and Herrin could become a
factor in the guard rotation due to the head start he’ll get by
participating in spring practice.
Doyle will require a redshirt year to
mature more physically, but his upside is immense. Bailey and Smith have
potential to be starters in the future.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Tackle Justin
Chase from Chesapeake, VA, joined the ECU recruiting class last June.
But the 6-6, 265-pounder backed out of that pledge when McNeill was
dismissed and quickly committed himself to N.C. State.
WHO’S BACK: Junior Brandon Smith
returns after starting 11 of 12 games at right tackle in 2015. Next to
Smith, senior J.T. Boyd logged 12 starts at right guard.
Another veteran who made five starts
at center last year before being sidelined by injury is junior Christian
Matau. If Matau can make a healthy return, he could start at center or
left guard.
Sophomore Garrett McGhinn (12 games),
sophomore Messiah Rice (3) are other tackles who saw playing time last
season, while senior walk-on Bladen Gatling (4) was third on the depth
chart at right guard when the year ended. Soph Kyle Erickson played in
11 games, too, but most of his time came on special teams.
Others trying to make their mark for
the first time will be junior tackle Justin Sandifer, sophomore tackle
Des Barmore, redshirt freshman tackle Dalton Montgomery, redshirt
freshman guard Darius Anderson and sophomore center Eric Lenzen.
WHO’S GONE: Tackle Ike Harris, guard
Tre Robertson, guard Quincy McKinney and center C.J. Stuyk made 85
career starts between them, while tackle Stewart Hinson played in 26
games as a backup.
Harris was the program’s most
experienced blocker (36 starts) and played the critical left tackle
spot.
NEEDS FOR 2017: J.T. Boyd will be the
only significant graduation loss after the 2016 season, so this area
won’t be a priority for the ‘17 class. But grabbing two or three is
always a good practice for an area that tends to attract more injuries
each year than almost any other.
OVERALL OFFENSIVE GRADE → B+
The Pirates filled their needs nicely
at quarterback, running back, offensive line and tight end. Another wide
receiver would have helped, but overall this is a solid, talented group
that will see some of its members making contributions as early as next
fall.
OVERALL OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
GRADE → B
It's hard to imagine any staff with
the limited amount of recruiting time this one had could do any better.
They held on to an important core of players committed to the previous
staff, then added 11 of their own in a one-month period. Major needs
were addressed in the secondary and on the offensive line. Overall, it's
an impressive debut for the Montgomery era at East Carolina.
Direct Links:
Offensive Report Card |
Defensive Report Card
E-mail Sammy Batten
Sammy Batten's Archives
Copyright 2016 Bonesville.net.
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed without specific written permission, and then only in
accordance with the terms and restrictions of that permission. Contact
editor@bonesville.net for more information about permissions and
restrictions on use and about syndication opportunities.
02/10/2016 01:38 AM |
