Bonesville: The Authoritative Independent Voice of East Carolina

News & Features from ECU, the AAC and Beyond

  • Home
  • News & Features
  • Recruiting
  • Photos
  • Audio
  • Roundup
  • Comments
  • Legacy Archives

ECU Postseason Scoreboard

• ECU 2023 Football Schedule
• ECU 2022-23 Hoops Schedule
• ECU 2023 Baseball Schedule

— Recruiting Thumbnails —
Football: 2023 • Hoops: 2023-24

Football Recruiting
‘Sleeper’ QB Flinn bloomed under guru tutor

July 9, 2018 By Sammy Batten Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

The name Alex Flinn probably wasn’t familiar to even the most devoted followers of East Carolina’s football recruiting efforts when the Asheville quarterback made a verbal commitment to the Pirates on June 23rd.

Flinn had quietly picked up a scholarship offer from ECU in May, but his name didn’t really pop up on the recruiting radar until he took an unofficial visit to campus June 19th. Four days later the 6-foot-1, 212-pounder, who has only started one season at A.C. Reynolds High School, made his pledge to the Pirates and assumed the position of the biggest “sleeper” prospect in the Class of 2019.

But Flinn’s sudden development into a Football Bowl Subdivision prospect has been no surprise to Reynolds coach Shane Laws.

“I’ve watched him come up from our youth league and he’s always been a really strong quarterback,” Laws said. “We knew he had the potential to be the kind of player he is now. The problem was he was playing behind another really good quarterback. So, as a sophomore, he played some snaps, but wasn’t the starter. He actually played some tight end for us that year.

“But last year we moved the guy playing in front of him to another position so Alex could become the starter.”

Alex Flinn (Image source: 247sports.com)

The result saw Flinn go from throwing 38 passes as a sophomore to 447 last season. He completed 300 for 3,972 yards and 40 touchdowns while recording just 10 interceptions. Flinn also rushed 118 times for 451 yards and eight scores while leading Reynolds to an unbeaten run through the Western Mountain Athletic Conference and a berth in the state 3-AA championship game.

ECU offensive coordinator Tony Peterson and tight ends coach Shannon Moore took notice of the performance, which included Flinn out-dueling Sun Valley’s Florida State-bound quarterback Sam Howell in the state semifinals. Peterson and Moore immediately made Flinn feel like a priority in their recruiting efforts.

“Alex knew about East Carolina, but he had never been to campus,” Laws said. “The relationship he developed with their coaches through the recruiting process sold him more than anything. He felt they had a genuine interest and he was a high priority for them all along. Then, when he got on campus, he really felt at home. I think that was kind of it once he got the chance to get on campus and be around the coaches a little more.”

Flinn’s rapid rise from part-timer as a sophomore to major college prospect as a junior was influenced by a special addition to the Reynolds’ coaching staff. John Shoop, who spent two-and-a-half decades as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in the NFL and at the major college level, settled in Asheville with his wife after being let go from the staff at Purdue in 2015.

With son Sidney joining the Reynolds’ football team last season as a punter, Shoop accepted an offer from Laws to become the Rockets’ quarterbacks coach. Laws said Shoop has had a positive influence on Flinn, especially in the mental aspects of playing quarterback.

“Being coached by someone who has worked with NFL quarterbacks and great ones in college would help anybody,” Laws said. “But Alex is like a sponge. He absorbs everything John talks to him about. That has a lot to do with his growth.”

Shoop has told Laws that Flinn’s accuracy – he completed 67 percent of his throws in 2017 – reminds him of former Marshall and NFL quarterback Chad Pennington.

“They are similar in size and Chad was known for his accuracy coming out of high school,” Laws said. “Chad went on to become a great college quarterback and had a really good NFL career. I think John is saying that Alex has that kind of potential.”

Flinn’s “growth” manifested in some stellar performances during the 2017 season. He kicked off the year by completing 15 of 19 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns in a 50-9 opening rout of Southern Durham. Four times Flinn would top the 300-yard mark passing, including a season-high 368-yard, four-touchdown effort in September against Erwin. In back-to-back games Flinn passed for five touchdowns each against North Buncombe and West Henderson in October.

But it was the state semifinal against Sun Valley and its heralded passer Howell that was Flinn’s most impressive effort of the season. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 282 yards, rushed 15 times for 140 more yards and accounted for two touchdowns in a 28-25 upset.

“We were down at halftime,” Laws said. “Sun Valley is a really good team and had a really good defense. But Alex came out in the second half and made a lot of good throws, including some really tough third-down throws, that kept the chains moving. He had to escape pressure and get out of trouble several times, and turned some third-and-longs into first downs.

“Then, late in the game when we got the lead and were trying to hold onto the football, we had a lot of designed runs where he’d keep the ball. He showed his toughness when he kept getting five and six yards when everyone in the stadium knew we were going to run the football. He did everything in that game you could ask a quarterback to do.”

The Rockets would fall 27-17 to New Hanover in the 3-AA title game a week later with Flinn completing 28 of 49 passes for 229 yards in the setback.

Flinn’s exploits on the athletic field didn’t end with football season. He went on to earn a spot on the Asheville Citizen-Times All-Western North Carolina baseball team after batting .340 with four homers and a team-leading 35 RBIs.

Another honor came Flinn’s way in June when he received an invitation to the Hawaii Tiki Senior All-Star Bowl next December.

Flinn joins an ECU recruiting class that already included a quarterback in Bryan Gagg from Bradenton, FL. They’ll both become part of a Pirate quarterback corps in 2019 along with Reid Herring, Kinglsey Ifedi and Holton Ahlers.

“He understands what is in front of him,” Laws said. “Any Division I program he’d go to would be the same situation. He understands he has to be a really good player to beat out some of those guys to get on the field. But he’s smart and picks up things fast. I think he’ll be fine and will be in a situation where he’s competing on the field. Maybe not as a freshman, but pretty soon.”

RECRUITING CLASS OF 2019 THUMBNAILS…

RECRUITING CLASS OF 2018 THUMBNAILS…

ECU 2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE AND SCORES

Related

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Filed Under: FB Recruiting Class of 2019, Football Recruiting, News & Features, Recruiting

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News & Features

BASEBALL NEWS
Familiar nemesis helps Cavaliers edge ECU, 2-1

BASEBALL NEWS
ECU tells Sooners, ‘later’

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Pirates prep for regional

Baseball News
Pirates headed to UVa

Baseball News
Tulane tops Pirates in American final

Baseball News
Saturday sweep puts ECU in Sunday AAC final

Baseball News
13 proves lucky for ECU

VIEW FROM THE EAST
Schwartz scores in transition

Baseball News
Pirates oust Cincinnati

Baseball News
Bulls upset ECU in AAC Tournament

More News & Features

ECU Schedules

  • ECU 2021 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2020-21 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2021 Baseball Schedule

ECU Recruiting

  • Football Recruiting Class of 2021
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2020
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2019
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2018
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2017
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2021-22
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2020-21
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2019-20
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2018-19
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2017-18
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2016-17

Past Football Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2014 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2013 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2012 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2011 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2010 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2009 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2008 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2007 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2006 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2005 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2004 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2003 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2002 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2001 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2000 Football Schedule
  • Historical Schedules

Past Basketball Schedules

  • ECU 2019-20 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2018-19 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2017-18 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2016-17 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2000-2015 Basketball Archives

Past Baseball Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2001-2014 Baseball Archives

Recruiting Class Profiles

ECU Recruiting News
ECU snatches late addition from Hoosiers

ECU Recruiting News
Class of 2024 starts with prized receiver

ECU Recruiting News
Late pitch lures lineman with pedigree

Recruiting Evaluation Part 2: Defense
Report card: Quality talent fills big holes

Recruiting Evaluation Part 1: Offense
Report card: Pirates reload at skill spots

ECU Recruiting News
Towering lineman Neolian still honing skills (updated)

ECU Recruiting News
More help is on the way to ECU secondary

ECU Recruiting News
Portal delivers blue chipper RaRa Dillworth

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review (UPDATED)
Pirates tap transfer portal for more talent

AAC Early Signing Review
New members dive into AAC recruiting wars

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review
First wave of recruits just the beginning

ECU Recruiting News
Brown finds way to ECU through portal

ECU Recruiting News
Transfer safety McDaniel destined for ECU

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates land coveted Spartanburg quarterback

ECU Recruiting News
Swift ECU recruit ‘in a class of his own’

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates win out for Georgia prep linebacker

ECU Recruiting News
Linebacker with pedigree charts path to ECU

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates find a gem in Palmetto State receiver

ECU Recruiting News
Official visit swayed North Mecklenburg star

ECU Recruiting News
Physical Georgia receiver poses tough matchup

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates project lineman Durant as center

ECU Recruiting News
ECU spotted potential in Conley lineman

ECU Recruiting News
ECU lands fleet-footed Georgia defensive back

ECU Recruiting News
‘Football town’ helps draw Short to Pirates

ECU Recruiting News
ECU targets edge rushers

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, June 3, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, June 2, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, June 1, 2023

Writer Archives

  • Bonesville Staff
  • Brian Bailey
  • Sammy Batten
  • Bethany Bradsher
  • Brett Friedlander
  • Al Myatt
  • NFF
  • Greg Vacek
  • Danny Whitford

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, June 3, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Friday, June 2, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, June 1, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, May 29, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Sunday, May 28, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, May 27, 2023

More Web Roundups

Copyright © 2023 Bonesville.net · Website by Seaport Webworks. · Log in · Privacy Policy