East Carolina became the
first major school to offer linebacker Rodney Paulk of Richland
Northeast High in Columbia, SC, a football scholarship back in March
2005. Paulk chose instead to accept a grant-in-aid from South Carolina.
The Pirate coaching staff
didn’t let that setback discouraged them. Instead, they repeated their
recruiting strategy with another member of the Paulk family, becoming
the first school to offer Rodney’s younger brother Leonard while he
attended ECU’s summer camp in June.
This time the Pirates got
their man.
Leonard Paulk, a
5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back, became the seventh player overall
and the first from out of state to join ECU’s recruiting Class of 2008
late last month. The Pirates are the only Football Bowl Subdivision
program to offer Paulk, who has been a starter the last two seasons at
Richland Northeast.
“It was all similar to his
brother,’’ said Richland Northeast coach Jay Frye. “They (ECU) were the
first ones to offer. Leonard really thought a lot of their coaches. He
knows their program is on the rise and he was just very impressed by
everything up there.’’
Leonard is the just the
latest product of a football-playing family that started with cousin Tim
Paulk. Tim Paulk was an All-Southeastern Conference linebacker at
Florida in 1990 and 1991 and was selected in the seventh round of the
1991 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
Next came Rodney, a
6-foot, 217-pounder who was rated one of the nation’s top linebackers as
a senior in 2005 at Richland Northeast. Rodney earned second-team
freshman All-American honors from The Sporting News last year with the
Gamecocks.
Leonard Paulk joined his
brother on the Richland Northeast varsity squad in ’05 as a sophomore,
working mainly on special teams. He earned a starting job last season at
safety, making 75 tackles, five pass breakups and five fumble
recoveries.
“Because everybody in my
family plays sports I grew up in a competitive environment,’’ Leonard
Paulk said. “My brother and I were always trying to outdo one another.
It didn’t matter what it was we were doing … track, wrestling, football,
basketball. Neither one of us likes to lose, and I think that’s helped
me become a better football player.’’
Frye said Leonard and his
older brother play with similar styles.
“Neither one of them is
afraid to stick his nose in there, that’s for sure,’’ he said. “Rodney
is probably a little bigger and stronger. But Leonard is still growing
and he’s getting bigger all the time. Leonard is not even 17 years old
yet. I think he turns 17 in November or December. When he matures he’s
going to be a strong kid, no doubt about it.
“But both of those kids
are aggressive and they have tremendous character about them. They’re
both excellent in the classroom and they are kids you don’t have to
worry about in regards to discipline.’’
Frye is using Paulk in a
variety of ways this season. Paulk has played safety, cornerback and
returned kicks.
“He has tremendous
instincts,’’ Frye said. “He does a great job breaking on the football.
He’s a good open-field tackler and he’s aggressive. He’s coming through
and making big plays for us.’’
Through the first six
games this season, Paulk had produced 54 tackles on defense and returned
a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.
“We’re not doing as well
as I hoped we would,’’ Paulk said. “But now we’re getting into region
play and I hope we can step it up now.’’
The Pirates have recruited
Paulk to play cornerback, according to Frye. But Paulk himself is ready
to play anywhere Coach Skip Holtz wants to use him.
“Anywhere I can help the
team,’’ Paulk said. “I think I can come in there and help them right
away. It doesn’t matter where I play. I just want to go there and help
them win.’’
Paulk is the fifth
defensive back prospect to commit to the Pirates.
[View
thumbnail sketches of other players verbally committed to join ECU's
recruiting class of 2008.]
