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View from the 'ville Thursday, March 2, 2006 By Al Myatt

Positions up for grabs as spring drills kick off

�2006 Bonesville.net

East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz said on the eve of spring practice that the Pirates wouldn't release a depth chart until after the first scrimmage.

With the number of injuries, position changes, graduation losses, mid-year transfers, grayshirts and redshirts the ECU coaching staff is dealing with, it's easy to understand why a two-deep listing has been deferred.

"I can say I know where we are in terms of the tackle positions, the quarterback and even where some of the backups are, but there are several positions that we just don't know yet," Holtz said Wednesday. "When you look at the center position, that position will be done by committee this spring. There may be five or six different guys playing there as we have to put a lot of people there to find out where the best chemistry is going to be and where that is going to work."

Rising senior offensive lineman Drew Sutton will be out of spring ball because of a surgical procedure on his ankle. Freshman offensive lineman Stephen Heis has had shoulder surgery and will miss at least the first portion of the offseason workouts. Knee surgery has shelved senior offensive lineman Lance Neisz, who will likely be out the first week or two.

Premier Pirate receiver Aundrae Allison has been cleared to run straight ahead but has not been released to do a lot of lateral movement. He will likely miss any work within a team context for about two weeks. Allison injured a knee in the last game of the 2005 season against UAB.

There are some dings on the defensive side as well. Stalwart lineman Marcus Hands had shoulder surgery and is out. Defensive end Craig Harper is out with a medical condition. Linebacker Pierre Bell is out the entire spring from foot surgery. Knee injuries have sidelined linebackers Ryan Howard and Julius Hill.

There are also new faces in new places.

Fred Hicks is among the candidates at center, moving from the defensive front. Former New Bern quarterback Davon Drew, who now weighs 242 pounds, will be lining up at tight end.

"He really looks good, putting on weight," Holtz said. "I think he has a chance to help us there."

With personnel losses at fullback, the Pirates have moved a pair of former quarterbacks, Patrick Dosh and Kort Shankweiler, to that position.

"I see both of them playing a little more of an H-back role than I do a true I fullback," Holtz said.

There also have been a pair of moves made on the defensive side with Johnnie McCoy moving from linebacker to defensive end. Speedy Jerek Hewett has relocated from receiver to the secondary.

"He moved over to help us offensively last year, but his heart has been at defensive back the whole time," Holtz said of Hewett. "So I made a promise to him that I'd give him an opportunity to go back to the secondary.

"You look at Kasey Ross on one side and what Kasey Ross has done, I think having some speed with a guy like Jerek Hewett to be able to put him on the other side really gives you some weapons over there on the defensive side of the ball," Holtz said.

There may be more personnel moves in the weeks ahead.

"As we go into spring, I'm sure there will be more as we get into this," Holtz said. "Anytime we move a player, we move them to give them an opportunity to climb up the depth chart, to give them an opportunity to get on the field and contribute.

"Every one of these moves is going to give these young men an opportunity to step on the field for us."

Holtz said he is really excited about how linebackers Orlando Farrow, Danny Muhwezi and Fred Wilson, who all transferred in at midyear, have adjusted in winter workouts.

"They move very well," said the ECU coach. "Fred Wilson is about 252 pounds. I think we've got three guys who look the part. I don't know if they can play, but we're going to look pretty daggone good in a uniform when we walk out onto the football field."

With Bell out, that will only increase the reps for the newcomers in the spring.

Offensive lineman Andrew Farr, another midyear arrival, also has been working hard, but Holtz said he will need to get bigger.

"I don't see him making an immediate contribution," Holtz said.

Spring ball will also be a showcase for young players who were redshirted in Holtz's first season in Greenville.

"I think we redshirted some excellent football players," said the Pirates coach, who was 5-6 in 2005 with wins in the last two games.

He mentioned Kyle Johnson and Alex Taylor as young receivers to keep an eye on. Van Eskeridge and Chris Mattocks are young defensive backs who have shown potential.

"I'm really anxious to see some guys coming out of that (2005 signing) class," Holtz said.

Offensive lineman Terence Campbell and defensive end Scotty Robertson, who has gone from 208 pounds as a recruit to 242, are among those who could develop for the Pirates.

"You talk about (strong safety/linebacker Jeremy) Chambliss, you can go through this class that we just redshirted and I really think there's a lot of talent in that class," Holtz said. "Those guys are going to have a tough row to hoe to get into the two deep because of the number of upperclassmen but that's what spring ball is going to be for them.

"You roll the balls out and give them an opportunity to compete and see where they are right now," Holtz said.

That guy Yanowsky is back

Don Yanowsky has been named tight ends and special teams coach at ECU. He replaces Greg McMahon, who accepted a position with the New Orleans Saints as assistant special teams coach on Feb. 10.

His new assignment at East Carolina will mark his second stint with the Pirate program after being hired as defensive line coach in 2001 and 2002 by former Pirate defensive coordinator Tim Rose.

Yanowsky sustained a serious head injury after he was first hired at ECU. He was getting family members off of a patio area in Memphis with a thunderstorm approaching when a huge tree limb fell on him.

Most recently, Yanowsky spent three seasons as a member of the Duke staff, the last two as the Blue Devils' offensive line coach. A veteran coach with over 20 years of experience, Yanowsky spent the 2003 season guiding Duke's outside linebackers while coordinating all special teams efforts.

ECU head coach Skip Holtz indicated Yanowsky's knowledge and experience with special teams was an influential consideration in his hiring.

Whimper leaves Indy with a bang

The position switches East Carolina coach Skip Holtz and staff have instigated going into spring ball might receive more credence based on the projected draft status of Guy Whimper, who played one season on the offensive front for the Pirates after moving from the defensive line to tight end in 2004 � and finally to offensive right tackle in 2005.

The Website nfldraftscout.com has Whimper projected as a fourth or fifth round pick and an upward arrow indicates that the stock of the Havelock product is rising. Despite his relative inexperience at offensive tackle, Whimper is rated No. 14 among 111 players at the tackle position. He is rated 167th of 1,739 total NFL prospects.

Whimper was in on 712 snaps for the Pirates in 2005 and had 31 knockdown blocks.

Scouts at the recent combine in Indianapolis might have been checking their stopwatches after the 6-foot-5, 304-pound Whimper churned 40 yards in 4.97 seconds.

Size and speed are highly-favored commodities in the NFL.

"I think Guy really helped himself at the Hula Bowl," Holtz said after the all-star game earlier this year.

Whimper's high school and college teammate, Chris Moore (6-0, 230), is listed at 4.74 seconds for the 40 and is rated the No. 36 prospect among 81 inside linebackers, which would likely mean free agency will be his possible route to the pros.

Groome-ing the Armada

Doug Groome of the Charlotte chapter of the Pirate Club reported a successful caravan (Pirate Armada) to Greenville for the Keith LeClair Invitational last Friday, including the group's fund-raising effort in the battle against Lou Gehrig's disease.

"We raised $1,849.00 to help pillage ALS," Groome reported. "Last year was around $900.00. Next year's goal is $3,600.00. Hopefully the Pirate Club and ECU baseball got some recognition from it also."

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02/23/2007 12:29:58 AM
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