You might call L.J. Porter a football prodigy.

While most players don’t receive college scholarship offers until their junior or senior seasons in high school, Porter was awarded one as a middle school running back. And the offer didn’t come from a lower division or middle-of-the-road program. It was extended by Southeastern Conference member and six-time national champion Tennessee.

“I was very shocked,” said Porter, now a senior defender at Hough High just outside of Charlotte. “I went down there for camp. I was the youngest guy there and I was able to show out and stand out. At the time I was a running back and they (Tennessee coaches) said I had a Derrick Henry kind of running style. Coach (Mike) Ekeler, he was a former linebacker coach there at Tennessee, (head) Coach (Josh) Heupel and Coach (Scott) Altizer (director of football operations) walked up to me and my family and let me know I had an offer at that age.”

More offers have come Porter’s way in the four years since, but it was East Carolina – not Tennessee – that eventually landed a verbal commitment from the 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker on August 1. He chose the Pirates after taking official visits to Appalachian State and Virginia Tech, and entertaining offers from Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, Elon, Georgia State, James Madison, Liberty, Miami of Ohio, Missouri, Old Dominion, Sacramento State, Troy, and yes, the Volunteers.

ECU joined the recruiting battle for Porter last winter while he was still enrolled at state independent school powerhouse Charlotte Christian School. Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Josh Aldridge stopped by the school in late January to extend a scholarship offer in person. “He said he liked me as a player on and off the field,” Porter said. “He liked the way I carried myself and the way I talked with him.”

The offer led to an official visit to Greenville on June 19 and put the Pirates in a final-four list released by Porter in mid-July that also included James Madison, Liberty and Sacramento State. But ECU became the frontrunner immediately after the official visit.

“I was able to bond with the players and coaches,” Porter said. “It was like a small world. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody was having fun. Football is fun. If it isn’t fun, you’re not enjoying it. And if you’re not enjoying it, why are you doing it. That was big for me.”

Although football is his focus now, Porter’s first love was baseball. It was natural for Porter to be drawn to the diamond because his father, Lindell Porter Sr., is a former pitcher and ex-head baseball coach at Chambers High in Charlotte.

“Him being a baseball guy, it was in my genes to play baseball,” said Porter, who played center field. “Baseball just came natural to me.

“But football was something I had to put the work in. I always played with older kids, so I wasn’t always the best player on the field. And that was a problem for me. I’m not trying to be third best. I wanted to be number one.”

By the time Porter reached Hickory Grove Christian School, he achieved that goal. Already a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder, he was practically unstoppable as an eighth grade running back against Hickory Grove’s middle school competition.

“I was literally touching the rock on every play,” Porter said. “I was scoring eight touchdowns in games and setting North Carolina middle school records. We only played three games, I think, because nobody would play us.”

Porter would move to Charlotte Christian as a freshman where he played for the varsity as a freshman. The Knights had a stacked offensive backfield at the time featuring three future college players in Kyron Jones (Georgia), Ryan Henley (Wake Forest) and Christian Vann (Gardner-Webb), so Porter shifted to safety. Appearing in nine games for a 10-3 squad that season, Porter made 58 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions.

Spending most of his playing time again at safety as a sophomore, Porter collected 92 tackles and nine tackles for loss in eight games to earn first-team All-Big South Conference honors. Second-team all-state honors from HighSchoolOT.com followed last season when Porter made 88 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions.

Despite his success at Charlotte Christian, Porter opted to transfer to another area power, Hough, for his final prep season. Porter produced 11 tackles and a sack as Hough defeated South Pointe, 14-10, in its season opener on August 22.

Moving to Hough has meant a change in duties for Porter. Primarily a safety at Charlotte Christian, he’s now being employed as a hybrid defender who lines up at different places.

“At Hough, I’m basically all over the place,” he said. “You’re going to see me down in the five (defensive end) or in the nine (edge) technique. You’ll see me at a linebacker position or playing the nickel. That is definitely one of my strengths and what I’ll be able to showcase – being able to play all over the field.”

East Carolina has recruited Porter to play a weakside linebacker spot.

“I’m more of a faster linebacker, a hybrid guy as they would call it,” Porter said. “I run a 4.4 (40-yard dash). That’s a big difference in my skill set as compared to other linebackers. But I also love contact. I thrive on it.”

The Pirates will get the chance to start working with Porter in the spring of 2026 as he plans to graduate early from Hough and enroll next January at ECU.