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New first teamers in secondary

By Al Myatt
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East Carolina has more starting experience in the secondary on its coaching staff than on the 2014 roster.

Coach Ruffin McNeill was a multi-year starter in the defensive backfield for the Pirates before graduating in 1980 and new defensive staff assistant Kyle Chase was a starter at strong safety as well during his career from 2003 to 2006.

Notable departures from a 10-3 team in 2013 include Damon Magazu, who started all 13 games at free safety as a senior with 41 solo tackles, 39 assists and five interceptions. Magazu announced his presence with a game-ending pick in overtime against N.C. State as a freshman and had a knack for making big plays throughout his career.

Also gone are Chip Thompson and Adonis Armstrong, junior college transfers who were in on 57 and 48 tackles respectively last season.

Thompson started 12 games at strong safety. Michael Dobson stepped up at that spot in the bowl game with 14 tackles and an interception when Thompson was sidelined. Armstrong made 13 starts at field corner.

All of that is history as Pirates defensive coordinator and secondary coach Rick Smith is inclined to say.

Josh Hawkins made four starts at the boundary corner opposite Armstrong, and Detric Allen made nine starts.

"The guys we have can step up," Allen said Tuesday. "We all can get the job done."

As much as any position group in the program, the secondary will show if the Pirates are to the point of reloading with quality depth as opposed to the less-desirable prospect of rebuilding.

"I think it is reloading," McNeill said Tuesday at media day. "I think we've done a good job of recruiting the kids that fit there."

McNeill also brought in Smith prior to 2013, a recruiting effort in a sense that helped ECU lower its points allowed from 31.6 points in 2012 to 24.8 last season.

Smith coached the DBs for ECU's 2008 and 2009 Conference USA championship teams during the Skip Holtz era. He went to South Florida with Holtz after the 2009 season.

ECU had five interceptions against Tulsa in 2008 when the Pirates claimed their initial C-USA title.

"One of the best secondary coaches I've been around," McNeill said of Smith. "I've been around some good ones. John Wiley (ECU associate head coach and inside linebackers coach) is one. Carlos Mainord (Texas Tech) is another one. I've been around some really good ones."

Wiley coached the secondary at Appalachian State before coming to Greenville with McNeill.

Smith has moved Allen to the field corner for the time being as Hawkins has fallen into temporary disfavor.

"If I had to play somebody at the boundary corner today, It would be Lamar Ivey," Smith said. "Another kid you can't count out is (DaShaun) Amos. Great young man. Instinctive, smart, tough, great work ethic. He'll be in that corner situation somewhere."

Allen was No. 1 on the preseason depth chart at the boundary corner. That list showed Domonique Lennon leading the competition at free safety and Terrell Richardson as the tentative starter at strong safety.

Depth at the field corner includes DaShaun Amos and Rocco Scarfone. DaShawn Benton is backing Allen at the boundary. Ivey was behind Richardson and Travon Simmons was second team at free safety.

McNeill noted that the team is sometimes split in practice to allow extra reps. Practically all of the secondary players have cut their teeth on the college level on special teams.

"Our kids earn their way on special teams," McNeill said. "Those reps count, too. Reps are reps and the reps are even more intense on special teams. You don't have first down, second down, third down. You've got one down. We need one play, one plus.

"I like the way that secondary is competing. One thing Rick has done, he's developed competitive depth back there. Every guy knows, you better play your A game when you've got a guy waiting to get his turn. I'm looking forward to watching those guys develop throughout camp."

Smith is more familiar with his talent than a year ago when he had just had one spring practice to get acquainted with personnel.

New regulations also permitted some contact between players and coaches over the summer.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you I'm not worried about the secondary," Smith said Tuesday. "Wherever Detric Allen winds up, he should be better. He played last year. Domonique Lennon didn't play very much last year but Domonique is a better athlete than Magazu. Is he a football player like Magazu? The jury is still out on that.

"Terrell Richardson can be better than Chip Thompson. Has he played? No. What's he going to do when the lights go on?

"The secondary will be more athletic than last year. Are they going to be better football players? You have to remember that Chip, Adonis and Magazu played together for two years.

"When I was hired nobody knew who Detric Allen was. He was on scout team. ... Right now, Josh is in the dog house with me. He didn't do what he was supposed to do this summer academically. ... Josh will be out of the dog house in two more days.

"We put great emphasis on our starters being leaders by example. You're either a positive example or you're a negative example. He had a great spring. (Hawkins) had a great offseason and this summer he got to feeling his oats a little bit and just lost focus and he was a poor example for my young players. He didn't go to class like he was supposed to. He didn't show up a couple of times for 5 a.m. study hall so he's been running five gassers every day after practice. When those are done, he's out of the dog house.

"With Josh and Detric I feel like we can be as good as we were last year at the corners. Then you've got Amos backing up, you've got Ivey backing up. You've got Benton, so I think we'll be OK there."

Smith has confidence in the eventualities at safety as well.

"Terrell Richardson is amazing to me," he said. "Last year, I didn't think he worked hard. I thought he was just kind of floating out there. All of a sudden last spring I said, 'Where did this kid come from?' He said, 'Coach, I knew I wasn't going to play last year.' He said, 'It's my turn.' I said, 'Good.' He had a great spring. Domonique's playing great. Those two together, I really feel great about the safeties.

"We moved Travon Simmons, a kid out of Atlanta, from corner to safety. I moved him because I thought he was just a football player. It makes sense to him. He understands. ... There was a kid we let walk on last year, a preferred walk-on out of Virginia named Bobby Faulk. Bobby had shoulder surgery and didn't get to go through spring but he's about 6-2. He's going to be in the mix at safety. I've got him working at strong safety right now. He might wind up being our back-up safety."

True freshman Cody Purdie is facing an adjustment from linebacker at New Bern High School but he has skills.

"I don't know where Cody Purdie is going to wind up," Smith said. "He is very, very talented. He's never played in the secondary. He's having a hard time right now with adjustments. He could possibly wind up at corner. He can run and he's a great kid."

Smith was defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Tulane when the Green Wave was unbeaten in 1997.

"I see some of the same type stuff happening here with our kids that happened there," Smith said. "Those kids loved each other at Tulane. That's why they went undefeated. ... I think when you have a guy like Jeff Connors (assistant athletic director for strength and conditioning), he works those kids so hard, it kind of binds those kids together. We had a great weight lifting coach at Tulane. He did the same thing. The kids worked so hard. When those guys are exhausted and they have to keep going they lean on each other and that builds togetherness."

The future is a mystery is the corollary when Smith asserts that the past is history.

There will be two-a-day practices, meetings, scrimmages and film sessions as the Pirates approach the nonconference portion of the schedule.

"I can't sit here and tell you if we're going to win 10 or nine or eight," Smith said. "All I can tell you is we're going to play our tails off one play at a time."

Allen said he felt like the defensive unit as a whole would be better than last year. Hawkins agreed.

"I don't feel worried at all," Hawkins said. "The secondary has come together. We definitely have a physical and fast defense."

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 08/06/14 01:36 AM.

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