Michael Byrd was looking
for a college football program with supportive fans, good coaches and
that had early playing time available for a young tight end.
Byrd found that
combination in East Carolina.
�What drew me to East
Carolina was the fan base, the coaching staff and the players seemed to
be like good people to be around,�� Byrd said. �And another factor was
they were talking to me about immediate playing time.��
The 6-foot-4, 226-pounder
from Thomasville learned those things during an official visit to
Greenville for ECU�s October 8 victory over Virginia, and he decided
there was no need to look any further. Byrd fulfilled a major need for
the Pirates in recruiting this year by making made an oral commitment
before heading home on Sunday.
Since then, Byrd has been
helping the Thomasville Bulldogs to a perfect season � so far � and a
berth in the third round of the state 1-AA playoffs. A 27-yard touchdown
reception by Byrd was one of the highlights last Friday as the Bulldogs
knocked off West Montgomery 40-20 in the second round. They�ll play
Cherryville in round three on Friday.
This is Byrd�s third
season manning the tight-end position for the Thomasville varsity after
playing with the JVs as a freshman.
�He was a kid who
obviously when he came up here to the high school was a big kid for his
age,�� veteran Thomasville head coach Benji Brown said. �We actually
played him at defensive end on the JVs and he did a pretty good job
there.
�But it just so happened
we had a need at tight end when he came up as a sophomore. We knew he
was an athletic kid for his size, and he ended up having a knack for
blocking people. He also caught the ball really well. It�s just seemed
like a good fit.��
Playing for the
Thomasville varsity was the fulfillment of a childhood dream for Byrd.
He often attended the Bulldog games as a child, and later came to watch
cousin Jesse Tate play running back for Thomasville. Tate is now an
assistant coach at the school.
�I grew up in the Bulldog
tradition,�� Byrd said.
Brown used Byrd on a
part-time basis as a sophomore, playing him mostly in passing
situations. Because Thomasville is primarily a running team on offense,
Byrd didn�t accumulate many receptions as a junior when he moved into
the starting lineup on a full-time basis. He did catch 10 passes for 136
yards and two touchdowns to earn all-league honors.
But Byrd was utilize
mainly as a blocker, who helped pave the way for tailback Quan Warley to
rush for 3,034 yards and 43 touchdowns as the Bulldogs won the state 1-A
championship.
East Carolina began
showing an interest during Byrd�s junior year, as did other schools such
as Clemson, North Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
But the Pirates were the first to come through with a scholarship offer
last April.
Brown believes Byrd has a
great future ahead at ECU.
�I do think he�ll be able
to help them out in some capacity and he should be able to play pretty
quick,�� Brown said. �He�s a big, 6-foot-4, 235-pound kick with a lot of
room to grow and get stronger.
�Another thing about
Michael that a lot of people don�t know is that Michael is also a good
long snapper. He�s good enough to do that in college as well.��
Byrd is ready to do
whatever the Pirates ask.
�I�m a team player,�� he
said. �I told them I�d do whatever I could to make the team better and
get some victories.
�I�m a very aggressive
player, but I�m under control. I block well, I catch the ball very well
and I can run. Hopefully, I can put those to use at ECU.��
