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Recruiting report card: Offense
Running backs,
receivers push Pirates over the top
By
Sammy Batten
©2015 Bonesville.net
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Landing the kind of big-play athletes
on offense during recruiting East Carolina needed would have hit a snag
at many schools that lost an offensive coordinator and offensive line
coach at a critical time in the process.
But with its “team'' approach, the
Pirates survived the January departures of coordinator Lincoln Riley to
Oklahoma and offensive line coach Brandon Jones to California to add a
talented group of skill players on college football's National Signing
Day last Wednesday.
Nine of the 17 recruits head coach
Ruffin McNeill announced as the newest Pirates are offensive players,
and six play skill positions.
“We feel we have a group that can
give us that long-play capability,'' McNeill said on signing day.
The athleticism of those players
earns McNeill and his staff high marks for their offensive recruiting
Class of 2015. Here's our class grades and program evaluation by
position, as well as a look ahead to what the Pirates' needs may be for
the Class of 2016.
Please note that all class
designations indicate the player's status for the 2015 season.
QUARTERBACK → GRADE B
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The late addition
to last year's class of JUCO transfer
Blake Kemp
lessened the need to sign two quarterbacks in 2015. But the Pirates
still needed to land at least one in this class with record-setting
Shane Carden heading off into the sunset following the Birmingham Bowl.
WHO SIGNED: East Carolina discovered
Carden in Texas, thanks to the coaching staff's connection with former
Texas Tech quarterback B.J. Symons. They went out West again to land
John Jacobs
in Shawnee, Oklahoma, who had an indirect relationship to the ECU
program. Jacobs has been tutored by well-known quarterback coach Joe
Dickinson, who also worked at the high school level with current Pirate
quarterback Cody Keith. Jacobs, a sturdy 6-foot-2, 220-pound lefty,
passed for 4,056 yards and 45 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,653 and 23
scores over the last two seasons at Shawnee High School. He chose ECU
over offers from Troy and UAB (before program was disbanded).
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Jacobs is the
typical “Air Raid'' quarterback. He makes good, fast decisions, gets the
ball out of his hand quickly and has very good mobility. Jacobs has been
mainly a touch passer in high school and that serves him well on deep
balls. But he'll need to develop a bit more zip when he arrives at ECU.
The Pirates landed another system guy in Jacobs who will provide depth
at quarterback initially, but could develop into a potential starter in
time.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Kendall Hinton
was a dual-threat quarterback from Southern Durham High School, who the
Pirates had a lot of contact with early. Hinton came to Greenville for
Junior Day in 2012 and stopped in again in December 2013, leaving
impressed and with a scholarship offer. By early April 2014, Hinton had
ECU among his top three along with Duke and N.C. State. That prompted
then-ECU offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to stop by Southern Durham
later in April. But by June, Hinton had eliminated the Pirates and wound
up choosing Wake Forest over N.C. State.
WHO'S BACK: Mainly a trio of
relatively untested quarterbacks at the college level will battle to
replace record-setting Shane Carden for the starting job. The guy
clearly out front of the competition heading into spring practice will
be red-shirt sophomore Kurt Benkert. Benkert served as Carden's backup
all last season, for what that's worth. It didn't mean much actual
playing time because Carden took 90 percent of ECU's snaps. But Benkert
did see action in three games, completing eight of 10 passes for 58
yards. Junior lefty Blake Kemp was red-shirted last season after
transferring in from the junior college ranks, where he was known for
his steady play and strong leadership. The wild card in the competition
to replace Carden, however, could be junior Cody Keith. Keith was
sidelined for the final six games of 2013 and all of last season due to
issues with his right elbow that required surgery. He saw action in
three games in '13 during which he completed seven of 11 passes for 57
yards before being shut down. When healthy, Keith probably has the
strongest arm among the returning quarterbacks and program sources say
he was slinging it around pretty good in practice at the end of the
regular season. The NCAA has already granted Keith a sixth-year medical
waiver, so he has two years of eligibility remaining. How he performs in
spring practice, though, will determine if he can be a factor in the
quarterback race for 2015.
WHO'S GONE: Shane Carden is
statistically the best quarterback to ever wear the purple and gold.
Carden set practically every school single-season and career record for
passing and most of the ones for total offense over a brilliant
three-year as ECU's starter. That's not bad for a guy who was a
last-second addition to the recruiting class right after McNeill and
Riley arrived at East Carolina in 2010.
NEED FOR 2016: There will be no
senior scholarship quarterbacks on the ECU roster in 2015, but both
Keith and Kemp depart after 2016 so replacing one of them in the next
class makes the most sense. The Pirates have reportedly already extended
scholarship offers to four quarterbacks in the junior class – highly
regarded Chazz Surratt from East Lincoln High, Avery McCall from Dillon,
SC, Reid Herring of Raleigh's Millbrook High, and Travis Ramseur from
Statesville.
RUNNING BACKS → GRADE A+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The Pirates were
only scheduled to lose one scholarship running back to graduation after
the 2014 season, but two more complete their eligibility in '15.
Replacing one or all three was the goal, depending on the quality of
players available.
WHO SIGNED: East Carolina wound up
with three of the best backs in North Carolina, albeit from different
years. Technically,
Chris Mangus was part of last year's recruiting class
because he transferred from Virginia Tech to East Carolina last fall.
But it wasn't until well into September that McNeill confirmed Mangus
was enrolled at ECU. That was big news because the 5-foot-11,
180-pounder was rated the state's fourth-best running back by Rivals.com
behind Georgia signees Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall and Duke's Jela
Duncan, and No. 30 in the nation as a senior at Raleigh's Broughton
High. Mangus opted to leave Virginia Tech after two seasons due to a
crowded backfield picture. The No. 1 running back in the state in 2013
was Havelock's
Derrell
Scott, who wound up signing with Tennessee. But after one
season with the Vols, Scott decided he wanted to play closer to home and
chose to enroll at ECU last month. Finally,
Shawn Furlow, who Rivals.com rated the state's No. 6
running back in a deep class for 2015, signed with the Pirates, too.
Together, the trio amassed 14,017 yards rushing in high school.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Mangus, who
will be eligible next fall, is an all-around back who can run with and
catch the football. In fact, there is a strong possibility the Pirates
may use him at an inside receiver position at times. Furlow is a
read-and-react back who is capable of running with power or speed. He
does have a nice burst, but essentially is a guy who always seems to be
moving the chains forward. Scott is the home-run hitter. He has the kind
of speed, agility and moves that made me compare him to former North
Carolina star Gio Bernard as a senior at Havelock. Of course, Scott will
have to sit out the 2015 season under NCAA transfer rules, but he'll
have three years of eligibility remaining during which I predict he'll
become one of ECU's most productive backs ever.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Bryce Love of
Wake Forest was one of the state's top three running back prospects and
regarded as one of the top all-purpose backs in the nation. He had a
built-in connection with the Pirates because his older brother, Chris,
is a walk-on running back-receiver at ECU. The younger Love took that
interest seriously, listing the Pirates among his favorites throughout
his recruitment. That interest seemed legitimate early as Love attended
Junior Day in Greenville in March 2013 and took at least three other
unofficial visits to ECU. But at the finish, Love wound up choosing
Stanford over North Carolina.
WHO'S BACK: Four very experienced and
talented backs return in 2015 for ECU, led by senior Chris Hairston.
Hairston ranked second in team rushing with 528 yards on 79 carries for
an impressive 6.7 per-carry average last season and was the starter for
the Birmingham Bowl against Florida. Sophomore Marquez Grayson was the
Pirates' No. 3 rusher with 289 yards on 47 carries (6.1 per carry) and
scored five times. Grayson was suspended for the Birmingham Bowl for
violating team rules and his status for spring practice hasn't been
determined. But in all likelihood Grayson will be back for the 2015
season. Anthony Scott displayed the promise that made him one of ECU's
recruiting coups in the Class of 2014 by gaining 268 yards rushing (4.9
per carry) in his rookie season. Junior walk-on Cory Hunter also played
in 13 games last season on special teams, but did log seven carries for
18 yards and a score.
WHO'S GONE: Breon Allen had a
productive two-year run with the Pirates after transferring in from the
junior college ranks. Allen tallied 1,180 career yards and 11
touchdowns, including a team-high 869 yards and eight scores as a
senior. Unfortunately, Allen's career ended on a sad note when he
suffered a torn MCL in the practices leading up to the Birmingham Bowl
and was unable to suit up for his final college game.
NEED FOR 2016: Signing Furlow, Mangus
and Scott beefed up ECU's depth at running back enough that there isn't
a pressing need for the Class of 2016. That might explain why
Washington, DC, area running back Abdul Adams, who gave a verbal
commitment to the Pirates before start of his junior season last April,
backed off that pledge in November. Adams is one of six rising senior
running backs ECU has offered in the '16 class, so you can probably
expect at least one will wind up signing next February.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS →
GRADE A+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: As long as there is
an “Air Raid'' style offense being run at East Carolina, receivers will
always be a priority in recruiting. Two to four was the objective this
time around with two starting receivers graduating at the end of 2014
and a third departing the following year.
WHO SIGNED: One of Lincoln Riley's
final contributions to the Pirate Nation was securing a commitment from
Deondre
Farrier from Orlando, FL, in early December. Farrier was
a one-time commit to both South Florida and the University of Florida
before Riley and his replacement Dave Nichols sold Farrier on stepping
in to help replace record-setting Justin Hardy. Farrier produced some
Hardy-like statistics as a senior at Lake Nona high School, making a
county-record 118 catches for 1,850 yards and 22 touchdowns. One state
north of Florida the Pirates also snared
Justin
Strozier, who collected 36 catches for 915 yards and 12
touchdowns at Woodland High in Stockbridge, GA. Greensboro native
James
Summers passed for 2,874 yards, ran for 1,687 and
accounted for 46 touchdowns in two seasons playing quarterback at Hinds
Community College the last two seasons. But ECU is going to convert the
6-3, 210-pounder into a wide receiver. Summers is an athlete very
similar to a previous prep-quarterback-turned-receiver for the Pirates,
Jamar Bryant. Off-the-field issues kept Bryant from reaching his
potential at ECU, but he was a physically strong, agile athlete who had
star potential. The same is true of Summers.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: The Pirates
have landed a true playmaker in Farrier. He's the kind of athlete who
can take a bubble screen and turned it into a 60-yard scoring play in
the blink of an eye. I can see him breaking into the receiver rotation
next fall and giving ECU the kind of deep threat Davon Grayson was in
his freshman year. Like Farrier, Strozier projects as an outside
receiver where he, too, has the ability to beat people deep. But barring
injury, I would expect the Pirates to red-shirt Strozier. The same may
be true for Summers while he learns the ropes of being a receiver. But
once he gets a handle on the intricacies of the position, Summers could
be the next Cam Worthy.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY:
Taz
Richardson from Mauldin, SC, wasn't exactly a big catch,
but he did grab the attention of ECU's coaching staff as a junior while
playing with Pirate recruit Dre Massey. Richardson caught 70 passes for
1,068 yards and nine touchdowns that season to earn a scholarship offer
from ECU. He made a verbal commitment to the Pirates in May, but some
off-the-field issues in November led to ECU and Richardson parting ways.
Richardson wound up signing with Tusculum.
WHO'S BACK: There's an abundance of
experienced receivers on ECU's roster with 10 players who caught at
least one pass last season scheduled to return. Five of those had 14 or
more receptions, starting with junior Isaiah Jones with 81 for 830 yards
and five touchdowns. Jones is the most likely candidate to take over as
the Pirates' go-to receiver in the wake of Justin Hardy's graduation
because he's the most consistent of the returnees. Sophomore Trevon
Brown (14-264-4) showed great potential as a big-play maker last season,
but his development was slowed by an injury. A healthy Brown could make
a run at the school's single-season touchdown receiving record. The same
could be said about junior Davon Grayson. Grayson's career started out
with a bang in 2013 when he caught four touchdown passes in his first
six games. But a knee injury derailed the stellar start and he didn't
seem to be quite the same player upon his return in 2014, even though he
caught 25 passes for 257 yards. Bryce Williams (6-6, 250) is also a nice
large target to have around the goal line (18-237-4), while former
walk-on Jimmy Williams (22-254-1) provides another steady pair of hands.
But the receiver talent doesn't end
there as senior Cedric Thompson (2-10), juniors Brandon Bishop (1-19-1)
and DaQuan Barnes (DNP), sophomores Terrell Green (1-8), Stephen Baggett
(2-27) and Quay Johnson (9-57) have all seen significant playing time
with the Pirates. Barnes, yet another of McNeill's recruited walk-on
discoveries, was expected to play a significant role last season after
making nine catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in 2013. But instead a
back injury forced him to the sidelines for the entire season. Barnes'
status for spring practice is uncertain at this time, but he should be
back for the 2015 season. Red-shirt freshman Curtis Burston has also
been reinstated after being suspended indefinitely along with two
defensive teammates after an off-the-field incident in October. He,
red-shirt freshman Malik Gray and sophomore tight end Darren Dowdell
will also be battling for playing time in the receiving corps.
January rumors that former ECU
receiver Danny Webster might be returning to the program as a walk-on
don't seem to have much traction, according to my program sources.
Webster was dismissed from the program in February 2014 due to a series
of off-the-field issues. When he wasn't in trouble, though, Webster was
a very productive receiver for the Pirates with 95 catches for 894 yards
and seven touchdowns in three seasons. However, it appears his return is
not imminent.
WHO'S GONE: Just the greatest pass
catcher in the history of the Football Bowl Subdivision. Justin Hardy
went from walk-on to an all-star performer who set the FBS career record
with 387 catches. Like Carden in the passing statistics, Hardy broke
practically every school receiving mark and was simply one of the
nation's best for four straight seasons. Another former walk-on, Cam
Worthy, also emerged over his final season as a big-play performer for
the Pirates. Worthy hauled in 55 balls for 1,016 yards and four
touchdowns as a senior, a performance that earned him an invite to the
prestigious NFL Combine later this month along with Hardy and Carden.
NEED FOR 2016: Bryce Williams and
walk-on Cedric Thompson are the only two seniors on the 2015 roster, but
Grayson, Jones and Jimmy Williams will be gone after the '16 campaign.
Look for ECU to attempt to secure replacements for at least three of
those players. One prospect to keep an eye on is 6-5, 195-pound Diondre
Overton from Greensboro's Page High School. He's the younger brother of
Pirate linebacker Montese Overton and is one of seven junior receivers
reportedly with scholarship offers from ECU already. The younger Overton
caught 65 passes for 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior.
CENTER → GRADE C
WHAT THEY NEEDED: ECU tends to
develop rather than recruit pure center prospects. But with four players
in the program who have worked at center, including two who are
underclassmen, signing one in this class wasn't a huge priority.
WHO SIGNED: None of the three
offensive line signees have worked at center, but massive Georgia
product
Darius Anderson
(6-3, 330) has the right makeup for the position. Anderson, however, is
expect to begin his ECU career at guard.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: ECU either
didn't help itself at all, or made an average addition depending on
future position changes. We're going with the average assessment in
grading the position.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: About the only
true center ECU showed any interest in was Brandon Kennedy from
Wetumpka, AL. The Pirates offered the four-star prospect, but there
never seemed to be any serious consideration from Kennedy, who wound up
signing with Alabama.
WHO'S BACK: Senior C.J. Struyk and
junior J.T. Boyd both have extensive playing experience at ECU. Struyk
actually started 11 of 13 games at center in 2013, but after battling
back from a shoulder injury appeared in just four games last season as
the backup to Taylor Hudson. Boyd started 11 of 13 games at right guard
in 2014, but has worked at center in the past. Hoping to enter the
competition at center this spring is sophomore Christian Matau and
red-shirt freshman Erik Lenzen. Matau's progress at ECU has been slowed
by knee problems, but if the 6-3, 315-pounder can rebound enough to land
a backup job it would be a big boost to the Pirates' depth on the
offensive line.
WHO'S GONE: Taylor Hudson started all
13 games at center in 2014 and earned first-team All-American Athletic
Conference honors. Hudson appeared in 39 games during his ECU career
with 22 starts between the guard and center positions.
NEED FOR 2016: The Pirates have
already offered at least one pure center prospect in 6-2, 295-pound
Keenan Murphy from Crosby, TX. In addition to ECU, Murphy also has early
offers on the table from Colorado, Memphis and Texas Tech. Based on this
offer, it looks like the Pirates would like to take at least one center
in the 2016 class.
GUARD → GRADE B
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Both starting
guards from 2014 and their backup will be returning, but two of those
players will be seniors next fall so signing at least one was the
priority.
WHO SIGNED:
Darius “Pancake'' Anderson was one of the top
offensive line prospects in Georgia at Mundy's Mill High School in
Jonesboro. He was a three-year starter at Mundy's Mill and earned
all-metro, all-county and all-region honors as a senior. Anderson
committed to ECU over offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State,
Florida International, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Middle Tennessee
State, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Western Kentucky.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Anderson's
nickname is self explanatory. He is a 6-3, 330-pound human bulldozer who
dominates in one-on-one situations. Best of all, he has a nasty
attitude, which sometimes takes time for young blockers to develop.
After a red-shirt freshman year, look for Anderson to quickly establish
himself on the ECU depth chart.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Leeward Brown
from Miramar, FL, was first committed to Miami. But after backing off
that pledge, Brown took a serious look at ECU, which had offered him
right after signing day in 2014. The 6-3 345-pounder listed the Pirates
in his three favorites along with Louisville and West Virginia in
November. But as signing day drew closer, that interest faded and he
eventually signed with Tulane.
WHO'S BACK: Junior J.T. Boyd, who was
mentioned above as a potential center starter, manned the right guard
spot most of the 2014 season and junior college transfer Quincy McKinney
started all 13 games on the left side. Tre Robertson, who'll be a senior
in 2015, was the backup for both guard spots and the starter at right
tackle. Two other guards who have seen plenty of action for ECU are
senior Will Foxx (eight games in 2014) and sophomore Larry Williams (13
games). Red-shirt freshman Kyle Erickson will try to work himself into a
backup role next fall. Sophomore Christian Matau could also figure into
the picture at guard.
WHO'S GONE: The Pirates didn't lose a
single player at the guard spots to graduation.
NEED FOR 2016: ECU will suffer some
of its biggest graduation losses at guard after the 2015 season with
Foxx, McKinney and Robertson completing their eligibility. Replacing at
least two of them in recruiting would seem essential, but the lack of
early offers on the table could be a sign the staff feels it has enough
interchangeable parts in the program to make do for now.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE → GRADE B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Tackle didn't seem
to be a major priority at the start, so signing one was about all that
was expected.
WHO SIGNED:
Justin
Sandifer spent the last two seasons helping protect ECU
signee James Summers while he was playing quarterback at Hinds Community
College. The 6-5, 310-pounder earned all-state and all-region honors as
a sophomore at Hinds with SEC schools like Florida, Georgia and
Mississippi State in pursuit of his services. But Sandifer wound up
selecting the Pirates at the end of the process, due in large part to
the fatherly personality of head coach Ruffin McNeill. Another late
addition was
Dalton
Montgomery from Corinth, TX, who was recommended to the
ECU staff by Oklahoma offensive line coach Bob Bedenbaugh, who
previously worked at Texas Tech. Montgomery was a two-time all-district
pick at Lake Dallas High School.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: The Pirates
should be able to plug Sandifer right into one the tackle spots, either
as a starter or second teamer. That will allow the Pirates the
flexibility to move Tre Robertson back to guard and J.T. Boyd to center,
if needed. Either way, Sandifer is one of those instant impact guys.
Montgomery was No. 1 academically in his high school class and was
recruited by several Ivy League schools. So we know he's smart. But
according to his prep coach, Montgomery also has a “mean, nasty streak''
that should serve him well as his body starts to fill out once he's in
Greenville.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY:
Victor
Johnson, from North Augusta, SC, gave a verbal commitment
to ECU in June after attending football camp in Greenville. But by
September he had decided to take back that pledge and almost immediately
committed to Appalachian State.
WHO'S BACK: Seniors Ike Harris and
Dontae Levingston manned the tackle spots for much of the 2014 season,
while senior Stewart Hinson (10 games) and Brandon Smith (5 games)
worked in backup roles. Harris, who has logged 25 starts over the last
two seasons, should be an all-star candidate in 2015. Red-shirt freshmen
Des Barmore, Erik Lenzen, Messiah Rice and Garrett McGhinn are other
holdovers looking to make their mark at tackle.
WHO'S GONE: Similar to the guard
position, the Pirates didn't lose any tackles to graduation.
NEED FOR 2016: Three tackles depart
after 2015 – four if you include Tre Robertson – so this should be an
area of major focus for ECU. Two would seem to be the minimum number
they'd attempt to sign. Austin Hester, a 6-5, 305-pounder from Columbus,
GA, is already on ECU's radar. The Pirates have offered along with
Cincinnati so far.
OVERALL OFFENSIVE GRADE → GRADE A
I'm really not sure if East Carolina
could have done much better with the Class of 2015 when it comes to
offensive talent. The running back and receiver groups are as good as
they come, and the Pirates met every pressing need. As a result, the
overall offensive grade for the recruiting Class of 2015 is a major A.
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02/16/2015 03:52 AM |
