East Carolina’s quarterback room seems to be fully stocked for the next couple of seasons, thanks to the additions made during the Class of 2024 recruiting cycle.
But that hasn’t stopped the Pirates’ pursuit of quarterback talent as they turn their attention to the Class of 2025. At least 11 high school quarterbacks have acknowledged scholarship offers from ECU via posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. The 11 hail from 10 different states and feature a pair of four-star rated prospects.
Below is a brief bio of each quarterback and a look at what schools are competing with ECU for their services.
TREY BLAKENEY, Hough HS, Charlotte, NC (6-2, 190) – In Blakeney’s first year as a starter at one of N.C.’s premier 4-A programs, Blakeney earned first-team All-Queen City 3-A/4-A Conference honors. He completed 127 of 199 passes for 1,543 yards and 19 touchdowns and added another two scores rushing for the league champions. ECU was the first school to offer Blakeney back in July 2022. He’s since also received an offer from Charlotte.
ETHAN DRUMM, The Bolles School, Jacksvonille, FL (6-2, 200) – Drumm split time as a junior with Coastal Carolina signee D.J. Moore. In eight games, he completed 19 of 37 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns. He threw for 556 yards and four scores as a sophomore. Also a right-handed pitcher on The Bolles School baseball squad, Drumm received a football offer from East Carolina on Jan. 23, 2024. He also has offers from Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern and Valdosta State.
KSAAN FARRAR, Green Run HS, Virginia Beach, VA (6-3, 215) – ECU offered Farrar on Feb. 2 after new offensive coordinator John David Baker viewed a throwing session with Farrar. “K2” led Green Run to a 12-1 record and the Class 5 Region A finals as a junior by throwing for 3,086 yards, rushing for 577 and accounting for 43 touchdowns. Liberty and Marshall have also offered Farrar, who was also a second-team all-region pick in basketball this season.
C.J. INGRAM II, Hawthorne HS, Hawthorne, FL (6-5, 195) – Ingram was named Georgia’s Class 1R Player of the Year as a junior after leading Hawthorne to a second straight state title. He completed 128 of 199 passes for 2,618 yards and 38 touchdowns during the championship drive. Ingram is also an outstanding basketball player, who averaged 24.7 points through the first 20 games of his junior season. ECU offered Ingram in January 2023. He also holds offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Campbell, Charlotte, Edward Waters, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Jackson State, Marshall, Tennessee Tech, Troy, South Florida and Western Kentucky.
ZACHARY LAWRENCE, Butler HS, Matthews, NC (6-1, 195) – A two-time All-Southwestern 4-A selection, Lawrence completed 138 of 230 passes for 1,892 yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior as Butler finished 12-2. Lawrence received his earliest scholarship offer from ECU on Jan. 13, 2023, and followed up by attending the Pirates’ football camp in June. He has since taken unofficial visits to ECU (Nov. 4), James Madison and Minnesota. Those schools along with Boston College, Coastal Carolina, Charlotte and Marshall have offered.
LANDYN LOCKE, Rockwall HS, Rockwall, TX (6-4, 180) – Even though Locke committed to Wisconsin in June 2023, the Pirates still extended a scholarship offer to him on Jan. 24, 2024. It’ll be hard to pry him away from the Badgers, however, since his older brother, Braedyn, is also a quarterback on the roster. The younger Locke is rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports.com.
JACK MORAN, The Hun School, Princeton, NJ (6-5, 215) – Even though he split time with Texas A&M signee Miles O’Neill last season, Moran still passed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games. A varsity player at The Hun School since his freshman year, Moran has appeared in 17 career games with 67 completions in 100 attempts for 1,237 yards and 11 scores. He received an offer from ECU on Jan. 16, 2024. The Pirates join Charlotte, Connecticut, Marshall, Maryland, Old Dominion and Temple in pursuit of Moran.
LUKE NICKEL, Milton HS, Alpharetta, GA (6-2, 205) – The younger brother of Michigan State quarterback Jack Nickel produced a banner junior season in 2023. Nickel completed 277 of 419 passes for 3,914 yards and 39 touchdowns. The performance helped earn him four-star status from On3.com and Rivals.com. East Carolina jumped in with Nickel back in January 2023 with an offer. But in August he made a verbal commitment to Miami.
BRENNEN WARD, Gahanna Lincoln HS, Columbus, OH (6-3, 200) – Ward picked up all-state honors as a junior after completing 155 of 229 passes for 2,482 yards and 21 touchdowns. He’s pulled in scholarship offers from Akron, Ball State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, Syracuse, Toledo, Virginia and Western Michigan. ECU joined the pursuit with an offer on Jan. 17, 2024. Ward has already made multiple recruiting trips to Missouri and has also visited Virginia.
CUTTER WOODS, Westside HS, Anderson, SC (6-3, 195) – This Class 4-A all-state pick led Westside to its first state championship since 1969 as a junior. Woods contributed 248 yards passing, 56 rushing and accounted for three touchdowns in the championship game. ECU added its name to a lengthy offer list in early February, joining Appalachian State, Auburn, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Indiana, James Madison, Miami Ohio, Middle Tennessee State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
MATT ZOLLERS, Spring Ford HS, Royersford, PA – A four-star prospect according to Rivals.com and On3.com, Zollers earned 6A all-state honors as a junior. He completed 182 of 290 passes for 2,917 yards and 37 touchdowns, while also contributing 431 yards and seven touchdowns rushing. ECU offered Zollers in January 2024, but in early February he named Georgia, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Missouri as his favorites.
Next up, we’ll take a look at the running back prospects being recruited by East Carolina.
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