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Right answers seal deal with QB
By
Sammy Batten
©2015 Bonesville.net
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Recruiting Class of 2016 Thumbnail Sketches...
Reid Herring headed to Greenville
last weekend ready to make a verbal commitment to play for the East
Carolina Pirates. But first the Raleigh, NC, quarterback had two
questions to ask ECU's new offensive coordinator, Dave Nichol.
Herring got the answers he wanted in
the tete-a-tete with Nichol prior to
the Pirates' annual spring game at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium. In return, East Carolina received the first pledge for its
football recruiting Class of 2016.
The 6-foot-3, 172-pound Herring
ultimately chosen the Pirates over offers from two Atlantic Coast
Conference schools, Boston College and Miami.
“I went into the weekend thinking I
was going to commit,'' Herring said Monday evening. “But first, I had a
just a couple of questions for Coach Nichol.''
And those questions were?
“I wanted to see the depth chart,
know who they were recruiting and know for sure I'd have a chance to
compete for the starting job,'' Herring said. “And I also wanted to know
if I were to get hurt that they'd still honor my 0(scholarship) offer.
“He (Nichol) pretty much answered
those before I even asked them.''
Herring is part of a strong rising
senior class of quarterbacks in the North Carolina high school ranks
that also includes Oklahoma commit Austin Kendall of Cuthbertson High,
Chazz Surrratt from East Lincoln, Dylan Parham of Southeast Raleigh
(N.C. State pledge) and Jamie Newman of Graham (Wake Forest). Newman and
Surratt also received offers from ECU.
But Herring is the one who has shown
the most interest in the Pirates since receiving their offer in April
2014. He's made multiple unofficial visits to Greenville over the past
year and became more excited about playing in ECU's “Air Raid'' style of
offense.
“It (offense) was very appealing,''
Herring said. “It's what we do here at Millbrook. I've watched what
Shane (Carden) has done and that was really eye opening.''
Carden, of course, just completed a
star-studded career running the most prolific offenses in ECU history
over the last three seasons. Though he certainly hasn't put up Carden
numbers yet, Herring has built an impressive resume at the prep level in
two years as the starter for Millbrook.
Taking over the starting job as a
sophomore, Herring passed for 2,149 yards in leading Millbrook to a 10-4
record and berth in the third round of the state 4-AA playoffs. A year
ago as a junior he completed 166 of 292 passes for 2,100 yards and 17
touchdowns for an 11-3 squad while earning all-league honors at
quarterback and punter.
Herring, whose father Scott played
for North Carolina in the 1980s, has been producing as a quarterback
since his first week he stepped on an organized football field as an
8-year-old. But he had to endure a few days at tight end first.
“One day during that first week me
and another player just decided to switch one day at practice,'' Herring
said. “I think they realized I had a pretty strong arm, and from that
point on I've been a quarterback.''
When asked about his best attributes
as a quarterback, Herring gave the perfect answer for a future ECU
quarterback.
“Probably my football IQ,'' he said.
“I have very good knowledge of the game. Plus, I have pretty good arm
strength and accuracy.''
Herring has also been putting his
“good arm'' to use on the baseball field for Millbrook as a pitcher and
shortstop the last two seasons. He is toying with the idea of giving
both football and baseball at try at East Carolina.
“I've talked to Coach Nichol about
it, but not (baseball) Coach (Cliff) Godwin,'' he said. “So I'm not sure
about that yet. I'll probably have to think about that a little more.
But I would definitely say it's a possibility.''
In the meantime, Herring will finish
off his junior season of baseball and start building toward a strong
senior year of football.
“It feels like there is a weight off
my shoulders now,'' Herring said. “Now I can completely focus on getting
better and stronger.''
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04/21/2015 02:59 AM |
