Steve Spence came to East
Carolina twice in the past month to improve his football skills. Spence
left with an intense desire to return to Greenville as a member of the
Pirate football program.
Desire met reality on
Monday when Spence became the first member of ECU�s recruiting Class of
2007. The 6-foot-2, 221-pound linebacker from Norfolk, VA, made a verbal
commitment to play for the Pirates following a whirlwind recruitment
that began in earnest only last Wednesday.
Spence, who plays for
former ECU defensive lineman Dealton Cotton (90-92, 94) at Maury High
School, attended the individual skills camp run by Coach Skip Holtz�s
staff on June 14-16 in Greenville. The Pirates were so impressed with
his talent that they invited Spence back to participate in the inaugural
Beast of the East Passing Tournament on June 17.
�The talk was after my
second visit they might offer me a scholarship,�� Spence said Thursday.
�They didn�t offer then and there. But they did say, �If we can get you
here, we want you.�
�I went home and started
thinking about that. I started to think about the atmosphere there, the
facilities and how the coaches had talked with me honestly. I had a
relationship and a bond with them (ECU coaches) within the first couple
of hours of meeting them. So I called (defensive coordinator) Coach
(Greg) Hudson on Monday and told him I was feeling maybe I should go
ahead and do this. I was waiting on some other schools to get back to me
when East Carolina already offered everything I wanted.
�Coach Hudson talked to me
about getting my transcripts together, and said I had done the right
thing by calling, and he would stay in touch. It wasn�t very long before
my high school coach called to say they wanted to offer me. One thing
led to another. I called their coaches and they said they were willing
to offer tonight. I told them I was willing to commit.
�When I spoke with Coach
Holtz his reaction was almost like it was Christmas in June.��
Holtz had a reason to be
excited, according to Cotton, who has been the head coach at Maury for
two seasons.
Spence is expected to
start at Maury for a fourth straight season next fall. He joined the
varsity as a ninth grader and was a first-team offensive tackle and
second-string linebacker. The next two seasons he would become a starter
both ways.
As a junior, Spence earned
first-team all-district honors on the offensive line. He also
contributed about 60 tackles at linebacker for a squad that went 9-2 and
reached the first round of the state playoffs. The Commodores� lineup
last season also included Virginia Tech signee Kam Chancellor.
�He�s a physical kid who
is very mobile,�� Cotton said. �He works on learning the game. He wants
to know what�s going on with the calls and all that stuff. He�s one of
those tough kids who hates to lose, but at the same time he�s very
humble. He has a lot of good qualities about him.��
Delaware and James Madison
were also recruiting Spence and Cotton felt many others would get
involved in the near future. Despite close ties to ECU � Cotton was a
teammate of Pirate running backs coach Junior Smith � he didn�t try to
influence Spence toward Greenville.
�I�ll be totally honest. I
don�t think Steve even knew I was a player at East Carolina until I told
him at the camp,�� Cotton said. �I try not to be biased. I love East
Carolina. But I try to let the kids make their own decisions.
�I won�t take credit for
it, but I am very excited about his decision.��
Spence is carrying on a
family football tradition. His father, Steve Brantley, is a former
Norfolk prep star who started his son�s interest in the sport.
�My Dad didn�t really push
me or force me into football,�� Spence said. �But he did say, �Steve, I
did play football and this is what I did. They called me The Beast or
The Monster.� So I took that and ran with it on my own. I started
playing back in the fourth grade in recreation leagues.��
By the time he reached the
ninth grade at Maury, Spence was sure he wanted to play the sport for a
living some day.
�I went from this porky
kid playing the offensive line and in rec ball to this dude who had
sculpted his body into a linebacker,�� Spence said. �It just really
clicked for me. I want to be one of the best in the world, and I�ll do
whatever it takes to get there.��
