Football Recruiting
Report
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
By Sammy Batten |
|
Recruiting report card: Offense
Receivers and tackles lift the grade on
ECU's offensive haul
Recruiting Class of 2014 Thumbnail Sketches...
By
Sammy Batten
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Assessing East Carolina's offensive
football recruiting Class of 2014 is easy as 1, 2, 3 ... and 4, 5, 6 and
7.
The Pirates signed seven wide
receiver/tight end prospects and seven linemen among the 15 expected to play
offense in the class. The large numbers at those positions aren't a surprise
since ECU's "Air Raid'' offense employs multiple groups of receivers, while
the offensive line needed replacements for three starters who completed
their eligibility after the 2013 season.
Some eleventh-hour additions really
helped make ECU's offensive class one of the best — if not THE best — in
four years under Coach Ruffin McNeill. These were four uncommitted players
who decided to play for the Pirates on signing day.
The first major victory occurred at
approximately 8:59 a.m. on national signing day when a letter of intent
arrived at ECU from Virginia Beach, VA, running back Anthony Scott. Scott
had been the Pirates top backfield target throughout the recruiting process,
but held off on announcing a final decision between ECU, Old Dominion and
Virginia Tech until signing day.
Just minutes later, at 9:05, came the
letter from Hutchinson Community College offensive guard Quincy McKinney,
who had kept the ECU coaching staff on pins and needles as he waivered
between the Pirates, Louisville and N.C. State.
At 9:45, the name of Terrell Green
appeared on ECU's signing list. Green was sort of a late target for the
Pirates and not many were aware they were pursuing him, but the Charleston,
SC, wide receiver looks like he may be a real steal.
The final "surprise'' for the Pirates
occurred at 11:45 when junior college offensive lineman Dontae Levingston
faxed in his letter from Santa Monica College in California.
Now that the entire class is signed,
sealed and delivered, here's our offensive position-by-position analysis and
a look toward what the Pirates may be looking for as they recruit the Class
of 2015.
QUARTERBACK D+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The Pirates want to
sign a quarterback almost every year, but it became a slightly bigger
priority last October when Shane Carden's backup, Cody Keith, was shut down
for the season because of a chronic problem in his throwing elbow. Keith's
situation moved true freshman Kurt Benkert up to the No. 2 spot behind
Carden on the depth chart and left ECU with only two scholarship
quarterbacks available. So signing at least one quarterback in this class
became a much higher priority.
WHO SIGNED: No one specifically for the
quarterback position. Three wide receiver signees — Dre Massey, Malik Gray
and Quay Johnson — were all high school quarterbacks. Gray or Massey might
be able to serve as quarterbacks in the pinch, but are not full-time
solutions for the future.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: They really
didn't, which is why the grade for this category is so low.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: This is also why
the grade in this category isn't an F. The ECU coaching staff gets an A+ for
effort in trying to sign
John Wolford from Jacksonville, FL,
and
Shawn Stankavage from Raleigh. Both
made verbal commitments to the Pirates with Wolford going first last
September. But when the record setter who broke many of Tim Tebow's marks in
Florida began weighing the prospects of redshirting behind Carden next year
or playing immediately at Wake Forest, he switched to the Demon Deacons in
December. Plan B for ECU was Stankavage, the son of former North Carolina
quarterback Scott Stankavage. An underrated prospect whose only other offer
was from Wyoming at the time, Stankavage gave the Pirates his pledge on
December 20. But on the heels of that commitment, he went on an official
visit to Vanderbilt and returned home with a change of heart. Stankavage
signed with the Commodores and left ECU without enough time to really pursue
any other options.
WHO'S BACK: Well, just one of the best
and most underrated quarterbacks in the entire nation. It was pure travesty
that Shane Carden failed to the make the list of finalists for the Davey
O'Brien Award in 2013. The O'Brien is given annually to the nation's top
quarterback and you can't tell me there are 16 ones better than Carden. In
earning Conference USA Most Valuable Player honors, Carden completed 387 of
549 passes for 4,139 yards and 33 touchdowns. If that wasn't enough of a
contribution to ECU's 10-win season, Carden added 10 rushing touchdowns to
his production. The Pirates are truly blessed to have Carden for one more
season, but the lack of experience behind him is alarming. The only other
quarterback on the roster with game experience is junior Cody Keith, who
appeared in three games last season as Carden's backup before elbow issues
sent him to the sidelines. I'm sure the coaching staff will test Keith again
during spring practice, but we probably won't know for sure if he'll be
available in 2014 until next fall. Redshirt freshman Kurt Benkert hasn't
played a down yet, but he's already gone through a spring practice and a
full season in the system watching Carden. So while he isn't the athlete
that Carden is, Benkert has the potential to run the offense effectively.
The quarterback wild card in ECU's system is redshirt freshman B.J. Beecher.
Beecher, from Concord, NC, is a lanky 6-foot-7, 215-pounder who failed to
generate a lot of scholarship offers from major-college programs despite
passing for more than 10,000 yards during his prep career at Concord. ECU
enticed him to Greenville as a preferred walk on, but as he continues to
develop physically it wouldn't surprise me to see him make a gradual rise up
the quarterback depth chart.
WHO'S GONE: No one. The Pirates are
expected to return every quarterback on their roster, from the scholarship
guys to walk-ons.
NEED FOR 2015: Missing out on Wolford and
Stankavage, combined with Carden's pending graduation after the 2013 season,
has moved the quarterback position up to No. 1 on ECU's recruiting priority
list for 2015. According to Rivals.com, the Pirates have already extended a
scholarship offer to 2015 in-state quarterback prospect Kendall Hinton from
Durham's Southern High School. But I'm willing to be there be multiple
offers extended to quarterbacks by ECU before spring practice starts. With
the state of North Carolina seemingly unusually rich in senior class
quarterback talent, don't be surprised if the Pirates wind up signing two
next February.
RUNNING BACK B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The Pirates signed two
running backs a year ago, but one of them, JUCO Terrell Lane, never
reported. His absence, and the presence of three scholarship backs on the
2013 roster who were seniors or juniors made grabbing two players here the
preferred number for 2014.
WHO SIGNED: ECU grabbed its No. 1 running
back target in Anthony Scott, a 5-foot-9, 180-pounder from Green Run High
School in Virginia Beach, VA, on signing day. Scott was selected by the
Virginian-Pilot newspaper as its Beach District Offensive Player of the Year
as a senior when he ran for 1,313 yards and 22 touchdowns, while also
grabbing 37 passes for another 915 yards and eight scores. He narrowed his
list of college possibilities to the Pirates, Old Dominion and Virginia
Tech, the latter of which tried to persuade him to come to Blacksburg as a
greyshirt and sit out a year before being awarded a scholarship. But on
signing day Scott opted to sail with the Pirates, who want him in uniform
immediately.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Scott is one of
those slippery backs who defenders never really seem able to get a solid
tackle on when he's running with the football. He's not the fastest guy in
the world, but he's much stronger than his size might indicate and the guy
has terrific hands that make him an effective receiver out of the backfield
or in the slot. If any of the returning backs falter in preseason practice,
Scott could find himself playing a major role in the ECU backfield as a true
freshman.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: East Carolina
offered two all-purpose backs in its own backyard, but neither Havelock's
Derrell Scott or Marcelias Scott from Warsaw gave the Pirates much
consideration before signing with Tennessee and N.C. State respectively.
WHO'S BACK: Breon Allen, who'll be a
senior in 2014, came on strong after a slow start as Vintavious Cooper's
backup down the stretch and finished second in rushing with 311 yards and
three touchdowns on just 62 carries. Junior Chris Hairston also showed he's
a capable back when healthy, especially during an 18-carry, 94-yard rushing
effort against Middle Tennessee. Hairston's carries diminished after Allen
began to emerge in the second half, but he still finished with 186 yards and
three touchdowns. Junior walk-on Cory Hunter (7 carries, 27 yards) was also
seeing some significant action through the first three games last season
before having his season ended with a knee injury. Anxious to start
competing for playing time this spring will be redshirt freshman Marquez
Grayson, a bigger, more durable back who could be an asset in short-yardage
situations and more.
WHO'S GONE: Vintavious Cooper enjoyed a
brilliant two-year run with the Pirates after transferring in from Southwest
Mississippi Community College. Cooper piled up 2,242 yards rushing and
scored 20 touchdowns as a two-year starter and earned second-team
All-Conference USA honors as a senior. He saved his best for last, gaining
198 yards on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns in
ECU's Beef "O'' Brady's Bowl victory against Ohio.
Along with Cooper, fullback/tight end Zico Pasut and
defensive-lineman-turned-fullback Jimmy Booth also completed their
eligibility in 2013.
NEED FOR 2015: Allen completes his
eligibility after the 2014 season, while Hairston and Hunter are seniors in
2015. The Pirates may be looking to replace all three in one class based on
the number of early offers they've apparently made to running backs. They'll
take at least two, but three isn't out of the question.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS A-
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Between three and five
was the original need before a rash of losses put a dent in the Pirates
depth chart. First, sophomore Jabril Solomon was ruled ineligible in August
after a promising freshman year in which he caught 17 passes for 410 yards
and a touchdown. Then, in October, Danny Webster and Quataye Smyre were
similarly penalized for violating team rules. While there is a possibility
that Solomon may return, Smyre is not enrolled this semester and Webster’s
arrest on DWI charges just last weekend have put his future with the program
in real jeopardy. A knee injury that cut short the stellar start to freshman
Davon Grayson’s career cost the Pirates another receiver after the first six
games. Those losses, and graduation departures led ECU to pursue an even
higher number of receiver prospects.
WHO SIGNED: In alphabetical order, here
we go. We’ll start with
Steve Baggett from Beaufort, SC, a
6-foot-5, 225-pounder who caught 29 passes for 556 yards and seven
touchdowns as a senior. Appalachian State and Charlotte also offered
scholarships to Baggett. Next, a repeat signee from Wilmington, NC, Trevon
Brown originally was part of the Class of 2013. But Brown failed to enroll
after his high school transcript was submitted to the NCAA’s Clearinghouse
too late. He’s the career leader in receiving yards at New Hanover High with
2,601 yards, including 1,182 as a senior. ECU was his only offer out high
school.
Curtis Burston of Apex, NC, played
just seven games as a senior at Middle Creek High, but still managed 40
catches for 759 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Shrine Bowl all-star also had
offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Furman and Old Dominion.
The next three guys were all prep
quarterbacks.
Malik Gray, from, Inman High in
Chapman, SC, amassed 1,876 yards passing and 667 rushing as a senior. The
Pirates were Gray’s lone major-college offer.
Quay Johnson from Knightdale, NC,
chose ECU over Appalachian State, Charlotte and Old Dominion.
Dre Massey racked up more than 4,800
yards of total offense and scored 62 touchdowns as a senior at Mauldin, SC,
High. Marshall was Massey’s other scholarship offer.
Finally, Terrell Green of Charleston, SC,
made 36 catches for 775 yards. Green’s lone offer came from the Pirates.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Baggett, of
course, is the H-back/tight end guy. He’s got excellent hands and moves
pretty well for a big fellow, which will allow ECU to line him up in the
slot at times. Brown, Burston and Green are big, physical receivers who’ll
provide difficult matchups for smaller corners. Gray, Johnson and Massey are
the agile, quick, playmakers capable of turning short throws or jet sweeps
into long gains. Burston and Brown are already enrolled for the spring
semester and should insert themselves into the receiver rotation
immediately.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY:
Markell Boston is a two-way
performer from East Coweta High in Sharpsburg, GA, who decided to cast his
lot with ECU on Jan. 19 for the chance to play wide receiver at the
major-college level. But Boston almost immediately began hedging on the
pledge by making an official visit to Alabama on the weekend after he
committed to the Pirates. But when SEC member Auburn came calling with an
offer to play safety, Boston made the switch and signed with the Tigers.
WHO’S BACK: Seven players who caught
passes in games last season are scheduled to return, including three who
started at least half the regular-season games. The contingent will be
headed by All-American candidate Justin Hardy. Hardy, who'll be a senior, is
on the brink of re-writing the ECU records books for receiving. The former
walk-on earned first-team All-C-USA honors as a junior when he made an
amazing 114 receptions for 1,284 yards — both school single-season records —
and scored eight touchdowns. The heir apparent to Hardy now seems to be
Isaiah Jones, son of the ex-Pirate linebacker great Robert Jones. Isaiah
made a strong case for C-USA Rookie of the Year honors when he ranked second
to Hardy in team receptions with 62 catches for 604 yards and five
touchdowns as a true freshman. Another true freshman, Davon Grayson, started
the first six games and hauled in four touchdown passes before a knee injury
sent him to the sidelines for the season. Grayson is likely to sit out
spring drills as he recovers from the injury, but should be ready to resume
action next fall. A trio of walk-ons who saw considerable action also return
in senior Cam Worthy (19-295-2), junior Cedric Thompson (4-38-0) and
sophomore Jimmy Williams (5-66-0). And let's not forget tight end/receiver
Bryce Williams. The transfer from Marshall was an effective weapon in the
passing game for ECU in his first season, especially near the goal line. He
caught 20 passes for 220 yards and five scores on the year. Redshirt
freshman Darren Dowdell is another true tight end who could work as an
understudy to Bryce Williams. Although he's not currently enrolled at ECU,
there is still hope that Jabril Solomon may return to the program at some
point. Solomon had an impressive freshman year in 2012 when he led the
Pirates with an average of 24.1 yards per catch.
WHO'S GONE: Starters Lance Ray and Reece
Wiggins both made solid contributions as seniors. Ray caught 28 passes for
273 yards and three scores, while also serving as a reliable kick returner.
Wiggins made 26 receptions for 372 yards and four touchdowns, including
three scoring receptions in his final game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
NEED FOR 2015: The big numbers at
receiver secured this year, combined with the loss of just two seniors after
the 2014 season in Hardy and Worthy, means this area won't be a priority.
But with that said, you can still expect the Pirates to pursue three or four
more at the inside and outside receiver positions.
CENTER C+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: All three players on
the depth chart at center for the Beef "O" Brady's Bowl are expected back
next fall as is another potential center in redshirt freshman Christian
Matau. Only one of the returnees will be a senior in 2013, so the magic
number here was probably one.
WHO SIGNED: You can never really be
exactly sure where some of the line signees will wind up playing, but when
he committed
Kyle Erickson from Fayetteville, NC,
noted center was one of the positions he's been recruited to play at ECU.
Erickson, a 6-4, 280-pounder, was a two-time All-Cape Fear region selection
and as a senior was named to the North Carolina squad for the Shrine Bowl of
the Carolinas (he didn't play, however, due to an injury).
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Erickson is a
smart, football savvy player with a great work ethic. He's been tutored by
former ECU offensive lineman Brian Rimpf at Jack Britt High School and his
father, Kevin, was also a college center. He'll need time to develop
physically and train himself more on making the shotgun snaps. But Erickson
has the tools to become a starter at some point in his college career.
Whether that'll be at center or guard may be the only question.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Andrew Marshall
from Cumming, GA, was rated the nation's No. 9 center prospect by Rivals.com.
ECU extended a scholarship offer to Marshall around May and he stayed open
to the Pirates for another month before focusing on Atlantic Coast
Conference schools. Marshall eventually decided to stay close to home and
play for Georgia Tech.
WHO'S BACK: The three players who took
every snap at center for ECU last season are scheduled to return. Original
walk-on, C.J. Struyk, went from special teams performer to start 11 of 13
games at center as a sophomore. But the last start of the year against Ohio
in the Beef "O" Brady's Bowl went to Taylor Hudson, who had been the starter
through the first half of the 2012 before an injury sent him back to a
reserve role. Hudson will be a senior next fall. No. 3 on the center depth
chart for the bowl game was J.T. Boyd, who was also a backup at right guard.
Boyd, a rising sophomore, appeared in eight games. Redshirt freshman
Christian Matau worked as the scout team center for much of 2013 and could
be another center candidate.
WHO'S GONE: The Pirates don't lose anyone
to graduation at the center position.
NEED FOR 2015: Even with Hudson
completing his eligibility at the end of the 2014 season, ECU seems well
stocked at center for a couple of years. If they sign a pure center, it'll
be because he's special.
GUARD C+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: With both starters on
track to graduate after the 2013 season, finding two to three potential
replacements was fairly critical for the Pirates.
WHO SIGNED: ECU signed a player capable
of stepping right into the starting lineup in Quincy McKinney from
Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he earned second-team All-Jayhawk
honors. McKinney is originally from Columbus, GA, and signed out of Carver
High School with South Carolina in 2011. But he failed to meet NCAA academic
entrance requirements and spent that year at Fork Union Military Academy in
Virginia. McKinney signed with N.C. State following a semester at Fork Union
and spent two years with the Wolfpack before leaving school in May 2013. He
wound up at Hutchinson and comes to Greenville with two years of eligibility
remaining. Erickson may also be included with the guard signees, but without
him the Pirates came up a bit shy in meeting their need.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: McKinney has
Division I experience already and is expected to contend right away for one
of the two starting guard jobs that are open due to graduation losses.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: The fact the
Pirates only offered a handful of guard prospects kind of kills my theory
they were looking for two or three players at the position. Outside of
McKinney, they really didn't get any serious consideration from other guard
prospects.
WHO'S BACK: Rising senior Drew Gentry has
seen plenty of action in a reserve role at guard the last three seasons and
played in all 13 games last year. The only other guards returning with
playing experience are rising senior Kiefer Neal (six games in 2013) and
walk-on senior Jonathan Powers (two). A wild card at guard for ECU could be
junior Marquise Wallace. Wallace began his college career at West Virginia,
but eligibility concerns prompted his departure before the end of preseason
drills his freshman year. He tried but failed to get into Marshall from
there, so he wound up spending two seasons at Lackawanna Community College.
He signed with ECU out of Lackawanna, but after being touted for possible
early playing time by Coach Ruffin McNeill on signing day never played a
down in 2013. Wallace is a powerful athlete who plays with great tenacity,
which could make him a candidate for playing time at guard next fall.
WHO'S GONE: Will Simmons made 38
consecutive career starts at right guard and Jordan Davis 33 at left guard
for the Pirates. Simmons earned first-team All-C-USA honors, while Davis was
a second-team choice in 2013.
NEED FOR 2015: Gentry, Neal and Powers
all finish up after the 2014 season and need to be replaced. Since ECU
signed a big class of tackles this time around watch for three to four guard
prospects to be part of the 2015 class.
TACKLE B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Two or three seemed to
be the numbers ECU needed at tackle early last year. But despite some
significant depth at the position those projections apparently weren't in
the ballpark.
WHO SIGNED:
Des Barmore (6-6, 295) was a
two-time, first-team all-city pick in Columbus, GA, and also received
scholarship offers from Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette and San Diego
State. From Fort Lauderdale, FL, the Pirates landed Erik Lenzen (6-5, 265),
a three-year letterwinner at Cardinal Gibbons High (Bowling Green, Florida
International, South Alabama offers). Another Floridian,
Garrett McGhinn (6-6, 270) from
Tallahassee, had Appalachian State, Florida A&M, Florida International and
South Alabama on his final list. South Carolina Shrine Bowler
Messiah Rice (6-5, 255) from
Orangeburg entertained Appalachian State and Charlotte offers. Finally,
Dontae Levingston, a transfer from Santa Monica College in California picked
the Pirates over multiple scholarship offers, the most notable of which were
from Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Levingston could
challenge for a starting job, but is more likely to work at a No. 2 spot on
the depth chart in the beginning. Barmore, Lenzen and McGhinn will all
require some physical growth before getting on the field. Rice is in the
same boat as the latter three physically, but may be the best overall
athlete in the bunch. Give strength and conditioning coach Jeff Connors a
year or two with these guys and they'll be beasts.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Will Richardson
was one of the state's top blocking prospects in a thin class of offensive
linemen. Richardson, from Burlington's Cummings High, received an early
offer from the Pirates. But his interest was minimal. Richardson committed
to Virginia, but switched to N.C. State by signing day.
WHO'S BACK: Ike Harris moved from a
reserve role in 2012 to the starting left tackle job last season, where he
opened 12 of 13 games. Harris should be an all-star candidate as a junior in
2014. Tre Robertson stepped in to make six starts last season when Adhem
Elsawi missed time last season at right tackle and should head into spring
practice as the starter there. Juniors Stewart Hinson (five games in 2013)
and Chaz Lowery (5) are other scheduled to return with playing experience.
Ready to join the mix this spring will be a trio of redshirt freshmen in
Ryan Revia, Brandon Smith and Larry Williams.
WHO'S GONE: Adhem Elsawi transferred to
ECU after spending a year at Campbell University and became a three-year
mainstay on the offensive line for the Pirates. Injuries limited him to
eight starts in 10 games at right tackle as a senior, but Elsawi still
earned C-USA honorable mention honors and was an all-league academic pick.
NEED FOR 2015: With all the rookies in
the 2014 class, the Pirates should be well stocked at tackle for the next
two years. That doesn't mean they won't recruit one or two, but it's not the
most pivotal need.
OVERALL OFFENSE GRADE B
Missing on a quarterback and a bit more
help at the guard positions hurt the final grade, but strong talent at
receiver and at tackle pulled it back to honor roll status.
E-mail Sammy Batten
PAGE UPDATED
02/12/14 08:37 AM.
|