A childhood friendship and
relationships built since February have led Jacksonville, NC, linebacker
Austin Haynes to choose Greenville as his future home.
Haynes, a 6-foot-2,
207-pounder from Southwest Onslow High School, has become the second
player to make an oral commitment to join East Carolina’s football
recruiting Class of 2007. He follows Norfolk, VA, linebacker Steve
Spence, who
verballed to the Pirates in late June.
The decision by Haynes
came several days after he attended both ECU’s one-day senior prospect
camp and its regular three-day camp in late June.
“I went to their senior
prospect camp and they invited me back to the three-day camp,’’ Haynes
said. “A few days after that they offered me a scholarship. I verbally
committed right then and there.’’
Clemson, North Carolina
and N.C. State were showing interest in Haynes, but the Pirates were the
first school to come through with an offer. The decision to accept the
offer was an easy one for Haynes because of the friendship he’s
established with the ECU coaches and one he’s had for a while with
incoming Pirate freshman Dekota Marshall.
Marshall was a two-way
star at Southwest Onslow last season and signed with the Pirates as a
defensive back. He and Haynes have been friends since the sixth grade.
“It was pretty much an
easy decision for me once they offered because of Dekota,’’ Haynes said.
“We’re really close. We got together in middle school and we’ve been
hanging out together ever since. We push each other on the football
field.
“Dekota kept telling me
what a great place East Carolina was, and how great their coaches were.
Then I found out for myself. A lot of schools had called me once or
twice, but East Carolina has come to see me four or five times. Their
coaches are great people, and that’s what I want to be around, great
people.’’
When it comes to football,
Haynes has been blessed in that area.
His father, Arthur Haynes,
was a high school football and track star in Miami. Arthur Haynes had
opportunities to play in college, but instead chose to join the U.S.
Marine Corps. He spent 23 years in the Marines, rising to the rank of
master sergeant before retiring in Jacksonville.
The Haynes family spent
much of Austin’s early years living on the Pacific Island of Okinawa.
Life for American military children in Okinawa is significantly
different and included no football for a young Austin.
“There really wasn’t that
much to do in the way of sports, except basketball and run a lot,’’
Austin said. “I was into BMX and extreme sports. We had ramps and stuff
across the street to bike or use our roller blades. But I didn’t get
deep into football until I was in about the eighth or ninth grade.’’
The Haynes family returned
to the U.S. when Austin entered the sixth grade. He first attended
Hunters Creek Middle School before moving to the Southwest district.
“When I got to Hunters
Creek I was like this really skinny dude,’’ Haynes said. “But that
changed once I got to Southwest and got wrapped up in football there.
Southwest is a big football school.’’
Phil Padgett is the
long-time head football coach at Southwest Onslow. Under Padgett’s
watch, the Stallions have won state 2-A titles three times in the past
five seasons. He’s also produced a number of major-college players,
including Marshall and Kendric Burney (UNC-CH signee) last season.
Haynes played for the
Southwest junior varsity as a ninth grader before being pulled up to the
varsity the following year.
“We noticed in the ninth
grade he had a little more height and more size than most of those kids,
so we thought he had a chance to be good,’’ Padgett said. “But he really
wanted to be a good football player, and that’s what made the biggest
different for Austin.’’
Padgett has used Haynes
mainly at defensive end, but expects the Pirates will convert him to
linebacker.
“He’s really aggressive
and he likes contact,’’ Padgett said. “He’s worked really hard in the
weight room and is a very strong kid. He’ll do whatever it takes to make
it.
“Because of his height, I
would expect they’d use him at linebacker or a rush end.’’
With his college decision
finalized, Haynes is now focusing on his senior year at Southwest. He
hopes to improve upon the 93 tackles and 12 tackles for loss he produced
in 2005.
But more than anything,
Haynes wants another state title.
“That’s the big thing with
me,’’ Haynes said. “Now that Dekota and Kendric are gone, it’s time for
me to step up and be a leader. We have the talent to win it again, but
we have to put the work in, too. I hope I can set the right example this
summer so that work will get done.’’
