A previous relationship with a member of
East Carolina’s coaching staff and a new friendship built by another
have helped the Pirates land two potential offensive stars in
recruiting.Dan Wideman, an
athletic quarterback from Emerald High in Greenwood, SC, and offensive
lineman Sean Allen of Hunt High in Wilson, NC, are two of the newest
members of ECU’s Class of 2006. Both gave oral commitments following
official visits to Greenville on Jan. 14.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Wideman played
at Emerald for head coach Mac Bryan, who also tutored ECU quarterbacks
coach Phil Petty at Boiling Springs, SC, High School between 1993-96.
The relationship Bryan had built with Petty back then followed him back
to the high school ranks this season as he took over the program at
Emerald.
“Phil and I became real close, and have
been through all this time,’’ Bryan said. “When I came back to this job,
Phil and I have talked just about every week.
“I remember a conversation with Phil
not long after I got here. I told him, ‘I’ve got a quarterback who can
make it happen.’ They certainly followed up and liked what they saw.’’
Wideman is a superb athlete and one of
the fastest in the state of South Carolina. He’s been clocked at 10.7
seconds in the 100 meters and is regarded as a leading contender to win
the state championship this spring in that event as well as the 200.
Just last Thursday, Wideman poured in 20 points for Emerald’s basketball
team, and in the weight room he’s able to power clean 275 pounds, which
is quite impressive for a prep quarterback.
But despite those physical talents,
Wideman wasn’t a hot commodity on the football recruiting trail this
fall. Prior to Bryan’s arrival, Emerald’s offense featured the running
game, which resulted in Wideman throwing for just 450 yards as a junior.
But Bryan changed that by switching to
a spread attack featuring four and five wide receivers.
The result was an incredible senior
year for Wideman in which he completed 261 of 450 passes for 3,797 yards
and 25 touchdowns. More impressive, perhaps, is the fact that Wideman
was only intercepted eight times in all those passes.
“He really has a knack for taking care
of the football,’’ Bryan said. “It’s really kind of shocking. You expect
a kid with that athletic ability and a strong arm to force the issue
more than he did.
“In one year, he went from being off
the (recruiting) radar to being the region player of the year and
playing in the North-South (All-Star game).’’
But that wasn’t all. Wideman also ran
the ball 181 times for 935 more yards and 17 scores in leading Emerald
to an 11-3 record and the first regional championship in school history.
Emerald would reach the state semifinals before losing.
Bryan expects Wideman to eventually
have a similar impact at ECU.
“If he doesn’t (make an impact), then
they’ve got some awful good quarterbacks,’’ Bryan said. “This boy is the
real deal. I sure wish I had him back. If I went back to the college
level to coach now — at any level — I’d take him with me. He’s a super
individual, an excellent leader and just loves the game.’’
A similar scenario occurred in Wilson
with Allen, a 6-4, 300-pound bulldozer who will only be 17 when he
enrolls at ECU next fall.
Hunt coach Randy Raper said Allen was
being recruited by a host of schools, including North Carolina, South
Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. But Allen was particularly
inspired by the ECU coaching staff, especially offensive coordinator
coach Steve Shankweiler.
“The coaching staff really impressed
him. He just fell in love with those guys,’’ Raper said. “He really
likes where they’re taking the program.’’
Allen has been a starter on the Hunt
varsity for the last three seasons. As a senior, he graded out at 90
percent on his blocking assignments as the Warriors went 12-2 and
advanced to the third round of the state playoffs.
“He’s a very knowledgeable young man,’’
Raper said. “He’s a smart kid who picks up things very quick. He knew
our offense so well he could have probably called the plays for us. He
knew every assignment for all the offensive linemen, so if they had
questions he could always answer it.
“Sean also has very good feet. He’s
very athletic for a kid that size. He’s very agile on his feet.’’
Although the Pirates have dipped into
the junior college ranks in this recruiting class to fill some immediate
needs on the offensive line, Raper believes Allen could help next fall,
if needed.
“It’s tough for a freshman to come in
and expect to start from the get-go,’’ Raper said. “But I think Sean has
the potential and ability to eventually play, and play early. But
they’ll do whatever is best for him, and for them.’’