Christmas came about three
weeks early for Coach Skip Holtz and the East Carolina Pirates.
The Pirates not only
secured their first bowl bid since 2001 by beating N.C. State at the end
of November, they also pulled off two major in-state recruiting coups in
the first week of December.
Quarterback Rodney Cox
from Harnett Central High School in Angier and running back-cornerback
Tyrell Worthington of South Central High in Winterville became the most
prominent prospects yet to make verbal pledges to ECU.
Rodney Cox profile
Rivals.com rates Cox the
nation’s No. 20 dual-threat quarterback and the state’s No. 17 prospect
overall. Worthington is rated the nation’s No. 29 cornerback prospect by
Rivals and is No. 16 among North Carolina players.
Cox is one of those
athletes who immediately attracts attention because of his size
(6-foot-6, 228 pounds) and speed (4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash).
Schools such as Clemson, N.C. State and South Carolina had also offered
Cox scholarships before he decided to cast his lot with the Pirates.
N.C. State was the early
favorite to land Cox, but the dismissal of head coach Chuck Amato in
November led to a change of heart.
“Yes, that was a factor
for me,’’ Cox said. “I had been talking to Coach Amato the whole time
from the start of my junior year to the end of my senior season, then he
gets fired. Now they have Coach (Tom) O’Brien coming in, and he’s a man
I haven’t talked to before.
“That made me start
thinking that East Carolina’s program is on the rise. It’s close to
home, so all my friends and family can come up to see me in Greenville.
And Coach (Junior) Smith did a good job recruiting me.’’
Smith, ECU’s running backs
coach, received the commitment from Cox personally when he visited
Harnett Central on Dec. 4. Smith remained in town to watch Cox perform
in a basketball game that evening.
The decision capped a
stellar prep career that began for Cox as a running back on the junior
varsity as a ninth grader. The arrival of Marc Morris as head coach
following Cox’s freshman season signaled a major change in offensive
style at Harnett Central.
“I’d been playing running
back since my Pop Warner days,’’ Cox said. “I was fast and usually the
most athletic person out there, so they just gave me the ball and I ran.
“When I was a freshman we
were running a Wing T offense where the quarterback is just another
runner. But when Coach Morris came in and installed an offense that
really needed a quarterback who could run and throw — that’s when they
switched me to quarterback.
“I had some reservations
about it. But I worked hard over the summer and got the job done.’’
You could say Cox was a
natural.
He threw for 1,726 yards
and ran for 1,310 more to earn his conference’s player of the year
honors. Cox followed that up with a monster junior season in which he
ran for 2,295 yards and 32 touchdowns, while passing for 1,471 yards and
17 more scores.
Although slowed by a knee
injury during his senior season, Cox still sparked Harnett Central to a
12-1 record and a second straight Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference title.
The Trojans reached the second round of the state 3-AA playoffs.
Cox earned all-league
honors after rushing for 1,559 yards and 21 touchdowns, while passing
for 1,471 yards and 15 scores.
Because Cox is such a
great athlete it has been speculated that he might be converted to
another position at the college level. Cox said the Pirates are going to
give him a chance to play quarterback, but that he won’t mind if he’s
asked to shift to another position.
“I’m going to try to fit
into the program first,’’ Cox said. “I think I can be a pretty good
quarterback. But I’ll play where ever they need me.’’
Cox will make his official
visit to Greenville on January 6.
Tyrell
Worthington profile
The Pirates landed another
exceptional and versatile athlete in Worthington, a 6-foot, 180-pounder
with 4.47-second speed in the 40-yard dash. North Carolina, N.C. State
and Virginia Tech had offered him scholarships, but Worthington chose to
stay close to home.
“Greenville is like home
to me,’’ Worthington said. “I’ve spent a lot of time there and feel
comfortable with the school, the players and the coaching staff. I think
I can have a good career there.’’
South Central High School
opened just four years ago in the same county — Pitt — in which ECU is
located. Worthington entered the school as a freshman and played for
varsity football team in its inaugural season.
Head coach Kemp Ewing said
it was evident immediately that Worthington’s skills were superior to
the normal freshman.
“He is a poster child for
loyalty,’’ Ewing said. “He had the opportunity to go to another high
school in our area and he chose not to. He stayed with us and helped our
program grow.
“I’ve been around some
Division I kids before. Because of some of the things he did as a young
player for us we knew it would be a short time before people noticed and
started to recruit him.’’
Worthington was a
four-year starter at tailback and safety for South Central. He ran 140
times for 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior on offense, and
collected 96 tackles on defense.
As a senior, he produced
2,431 yards rushing, which included a 414-yard rushing effort in one
game against Havelock.
The Pirates haven’t
specified where they’ll use Worthington, but Ewing would prefer to see
him with the football in his hands.
“I think they’re still
kicking around some things, but I’d like to see him run the ball,’’
Ewing said. “He has great vision, great speed and great body awareness.
He knows where his body is at all times and he makes a lot of people
miss when they try to tackle him.’’
Worthington has no
preference about his position.
“I’ll play anywhere,
although I do enjoy running the ball,’’ he said. “I just want to help
them keep winning.’’
Worthington is in South
Carolina this weekend trying to lead the North Carolina squad to victory
in the annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all-star game. He’s playing
running back for the Tar Heel squad.
One hitch with
Worthington’s commitment could be his baseball career. A speedy center
fielder who hit .400 as a junior, he is expected to be selected in the
professional baseball draft next June.
“It’s not a matter of if,
it’s a matter of when,’’ Ewing said. “There were two or three major
league teams in here visiting him last weekend. A lot of teams are
showing interest in him.’’
Worthington said his
decision to attend ECU or play professional baseball will depend on
where he’s taken in the draft.
“If I get drafted high,
I’ll have to see what kind of money they’re offering,’’ he said. “If
it’s not that great, I’ll go to ECU and play football and baseball.’’
