Football Recruiting Report
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
By
Sammy Batten |
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Report Card: ECU's 2012 Crop
of Newcomers
After further
analysis, grade goes up a notch
Jump to:
Offense | Defense |
Overall
By
Sammy Batten
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
East Carolina red-shirted
19 players from its recruiting Class of 2011 to build depth and
stockpile talent for the future. A year later, the Pirates focused on
securing immediate help at specific positions.
Seven junior college
prospects, including two of whom are already enrolled at ECU, plus one of
the nation's top-ranked safety recruits headline the 19-player class Coach
Ruffin McNeill and his staff added since the national signing period began
last Wednesday. More players could join that group as McNeill stated on
signing day he planned to take at least 20 in the Class of 2012.
So next fall will see an large
influx of new talent at ECU as last year's red-shirts combine with a 2012
class in which more than half the players will be expected to make an impact
during the 2012 season.
Now, as a way to get the know
the new class better and look ahead to next season, here's our annual
position-by-position report card.
Coaches don't like these
things, and that's understandable. They know more about the recruits, their
talents and personalities than anyone else.
Obviously, I don't spend as
much time studying as they do. My research is based on limited film study,
interviews with the players themselves, with their coaches and those who
have coached against them. So consider this a method of providing fans a
first impression, and not the final judgment on how good this class could be
when all is said and done.
We all remember the ECU
recruiting Class of 2005 that hardly anyone gave more than a passing glance.
That group included virtual no-names like Aundrae Allison, Terrence
Campbell, Van Eskridge, Dominique Lindsay, Scotty Robinson, Jay Ross and C.J.
Wilson who would go on to form the core of back-to-back Conference USA
championship teams.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK (Grade: D)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Because
there isn't a proven quarterback on the roster at this point, signing one
was a fairly important objective.
WHO SIGNED: None.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Well,
in one way the Pirates did help themselves by missing on a quarterback
signee, which is why the grade is a D instead of an F. By not adding on this
year, they may have created a more attractive situation for one of the
numerous quality rising senior quarterbacks in the 2013 in-state recruiting
class.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Kanler
Coker from Flowery Branch, GA, seemed to be a great find for the Pirates
when he committed in early December. After spending his first two preps
seasons in a running offense, the 6-foot-4 Coker had excelled at running and
throwing in the spread attack after transferring to Flowery Branch. But in
January the new coaching staff at North Carolina put a full-court press on
Coker and convinced him to sign with the Tar Heels.
WHO'S BACK: Rising junior Rio
Johnson was the No. 2 quarterback in 2011, completing 20 of 29 passes for
157 yards in four games. Johnson will compete for the starting job with a
guy the ECU coaches really like, sophomore Shane Carden, senior Brad Wornick
and red-shirt freshman Cody Keith. As we've said before, Keith is a wild
card in the group. Highly touted out prep school, he struggled with an ankle
injury as a true freshman and really hasn't gotten an opportunity to show
what he can do yet at ECU. Spring practice will be his chance.
WHO'S GONE: A great one in
Dominique Davis. In just two seasons, Davis became the school career record
holder in completions (727), touchdown passes (62) and finished fourth in
passing yardage (7,192).
NEED FOR 2013: This will be a
“must'' position in the next class, especially considering the amount of
in-state talent at the position. Signing one should be a major focus.
RUNNING BACK (Grade: C+)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The top
three rushers return, plus UNC-Chapel Hill transfer Hunter Furr becomes
eligible, so any signee in this category was a bonus.
WHO SIGNED: Three days after
signing day the Pirates picked up Vintavious Cooper, a 5-foot-9, 200-pound
quarterback from Southwest Mississippi Community College.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Cooper
was the starting quarterback for two seasons at Southwest, where he led the
conference in rushing this season with 1,273 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Needless to say, he won't play QB at ECU. But with 4.4 speed and excellent
agility, he's a good fit for the running back position. It shouldn't take
long for him to make the transition to running back at ECU, but with the
talent returning at that position the Pirates will have the luxury of
red-shirting Cooper.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Jela
Duncan produced 2,307 yards rushing as a senior at Mallard Creek High, the
fourth-highest total ever in Charlotte area history. Duncan followed that up
with a 100-yard rushing effort in the Shrine Bowl all-star game. ECU was his
leader most of the way, but both Duke and Wake Forest closed the gap in the
final weeks. The Blue Devils surprised many by snaring Duncan at the finish
on signing day.
WHO'S BACK: The top three
rushers from last season all return in junior Torrance Hunt (489 yards, 2
TDs), senior Reggie Bullock (428-4) and junior Michael Dobson (221-3).
Injuries hindered Bullock after a strong start, so look for him to reclaim
the starting job. Junior Hunter Furr transferred to ECU from North Carolina
last fall. Furr is a former state sprint champion from Winston-Salem, who
never received a fair chance to show what he could with the Tar Heels. He
and promising red-shirt freshman Chris Hairston will push the veterans for
playing time.
WHO'S GONE: None.
NEED FOR 2013: Only Bullock
graduates after the 2012 season, but Dobson, Furr and Hunt are all gone
following 2013. The same for Cooper, if he's not red-shirted next season. So
with the possibility of five running backs departing over the next two years
the number of targets here should be at least two.
WIDE RECEIVER (Grade: A+)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Three was
the magic number to replace three graduating seniors.
WHO SIGNED: South Carolina
Shrine Bowl all-star member Jabril Solomon from Hemingway and in-state
dynamo Quatay Smyre, from Statesville, were early members of ECU's class.
Junior college All-American Lance Ray came aboard in early December,
choosing the Pirates over Kansas State.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Ray, a
product of Quincy, FL, is a Southeastern Conference-type athlete. How do we
know? Because he spent two seasons at Arkansas, including one as the
Razorbacks chief kick returner, before off-the-field issues sent him
tumbling down the depth chart. Ray made the difficult decision to leave and
spent last season becoming one of the nation's premier JUCO receivers at
Northwest Mississippi Community College. Ray will immediately become one of
the fastest athletes in Conference USA and should step right in to replace
Lance Lewis as ECU's major deep threat. Smyre is another speed merchant, but
lacks Ray's size. He's a 5-10, 165-pound slot receiver who also excels at
kick returns. Solomon is yet another track star with 10.5-second 100-meter
dash speed, but he's not a finesse receiver. The 6-2, 180-pounder is such a
physical player that schools like Clemson, N.C. State and Nebraska offered
him scholarships to play defensive back.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: The
Pirates offered several other receivers, but really landed the guys they
wanted. That's just another reason they get an A+ in this category.
WHO'S BACK: Rising senior
Andrew Bodenheimer, junior Derrick Harris and sophomore Justin Hardy were
all starters in the final game of 2011. Hardy, who joined the program as a
walk on, emerged as a true star last season when he led the Pirates with 64
catches for 658 yards and six touchdowns. Bodenheimer, a possession-type
wide out, was third in receiving (46-484-0). Three others are scheduled to
return who caught 23 or more passes, including Harris (23-168-1). Sophomore
Danny Webster (43-418-1) was one of the few true freshmen to see action, but
a knee injury ended his season prematurely with two games to play. Junior
Reese Wiggins (29-432-3) is the third plus-20 catch player. The experience
doesn't end with those players, however. Senior Dayon Arrington (2-14),
one-time starter Justin Jones (6-41-4), junior Zico Pasut (1-16) and junior
Mike Price (2-16) also caught passes in 2011. Sophomore Torian Richardson,
and redshirt freshmen Antonio Cannon and Donte Sumpter are talented players
waiting for their big breaks to come.
WHO'S GONE: Lance Lewis broke
the school record for career TD catches with 22, and also finished third in
receptions (149) and yardage (1,716) in just two seasons. Solid contributors
Michael Bowman and Joe Womack also depart via graduation.
NEED FOR 2013: This will
always be an area of focus in recruiting for the Pirates due to their
offensive style. Arrington and Bodenheimer are the only two scheduled to
graduate after the 2012 season, but with five others ready to set sail after
2013 you can expect ECU to seek at least four replacements in the next
class.
OFFENSIVE LINE (Grade: B-)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Injuries
decimated ECU's offensive line in 2011, so for insurance just in case it
happens again signing three blockers was important.
WHO THEY SIGNED: The Pirates
exceeded expectations by signing four offensive linemen. Two hail from South
Carolina: J.T. Boyd from Fort Mill and Shrine Bowl all star Jonathan
McLaughlin from the ECU stronghold of Mauldin. Ryan Revia from Roanoke, VA,
and junior college transfer Keifer Neal rounded out the group.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Neal is
a massive 6-5, 310-pounder, who could challenge for a starting job at the
vacant left tackle spot. Boyd and Revia are promising projects who'll need
time to mature before getting on the field. McLaughlin, too, needs to add
some size, but he's probably most ready to play among the true freshmen.
Above all else, the Pirates boosted their depth along the offensive line
with this group.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Kameron
Davis, a 6-6, 280-pound tackle from Oakland Park, FL, took an official visit
to East Carolina last September and had the Pirates on his list of three
finalists along with South Florida and West Virginia. Davis decided in the
end to stay closer to home and play for former ECU head coach Skip Holtz at
USF.
WHO'S BACK: Because of all the
injuries last season, ECU is expected to return six players who logged
starts last season. Only junior right guard Will Simmons, however, started
all 12 games. Junior Jordan Davis (11 starts at right guard), junior Adhem
Elsawi (7 starts at right tackle), junior Grant Harner (8 starts at right
tackle), sophomore Drew Gentry (1 start at tackle) and senior Josh Clark (6
starts at center) are others who were in the starting lineup at one time or
another. Sophomore Taylor Hudson also appeared in seven games subbing at
both guard spots. Four prospects from the
Class of 2011 who were red-shirted
are now ready to fill in up front: Issac Harris, Stewart Hinson, Chaz Lowery
and Tre Robertson. Sophomore Mack Helms, who was slated to be the center
starter entering 2011 before an injury sent him to the sidelines, is yet
another talent boosting ECU's depth.
WHO'S GONE: Steven Baker
started the majority of games at left tackle last season and Hugh Parker
made two starts at center. Often-injured Doug Polochak, who made four
starts, has also graduated.
NEED FOR 2013: The Pirates
appear to have come out of last year's injury issues deeper than ever on the
offensive front. But that won't prevent them from going after two to three
blocking prospects this year.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE (No grade)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The Pirates
probably have more defensive linemen than they need at this point on the
roster, and only one of the 12 on scholarship graduates after the 2012
season. It wasn't necessary to sign anyone at those positions this time
around, so no need to punish ECU with a grade on this one.
WHO SIGNED: None.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: None.
WHO'S BACK: Juniors Derrell
Johnson and Matt Milner return at the end positions in the 3-4 as does
senior nose guard starter Michael Brooks. Junior Lee Pegues, sophomore
Crishon Rose, sophomore Terry Williams and junior Jimmy Booth have all seen
extensive playing time, too. Two players from
last year's recruiting class
expected to make an impact up front next fall are juniors John Lattimore at
end and Leroy Vick at nose guard. Both players were expected to make
contributions last season as junior college transfers, but were derailed by
injuries. Red-shirt freshmen include Jeton Beavers, Johnathan White and
Terrell Stanley.
WHO'S GONE: None.
NEED FOR 2013: Brooks is the
lone senior. Five others in the junior class, however, make it necessary to
sign two here.
LINEBACKER (Grade: A)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The
linebacker corps is a fairly young group, which seemed to indicate this
wouldn't be a major focus. One or two signees seemed like plenty.
WHO SIGNED: The Pirates picked
up four in-state prospects in Quandarious Crump of Lexington, Drayvon
Fairley from Red Springs, Reece Speight of Wilson and Shrine Bowl all-star
Dre Scarborough from Beulaville. Receiver/linebacker Dayon Pratt hails from
Washington, DC, and junior college transfer Gabriel Woullard is a product of
Valencia, CA.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF:
Scarborough was the most physical linebacker in the state. His high school
coach compared him to former N.C. State star Nate Irving, which is quite a
compliment. The ECU staff believes they got a steal in Speight, who may have
been overlooked by other schools because he played defensive end in high
school. Fairley and Pratt are splendid athletes who are going to need time
to mature physically. Both are tall, fast, lean athletes with super
potential. Crump is another fantastic athlete, but he missed most of his
senior season after tearing the MCL and ACL in his knee. Plus, he could be
headed to the JUCO ranks for a semester before enrolling at ECU, if he
sticks to the plan he described to us about a month ago. Woullard is a beast
of an inside linebacker and should compete for playing time early.
WHO'S BACK: Senior Chris
Baker, junior Justin Dixon, sophomore Maurice Falls, sophomore Jake Geary
and senior Marke Powell made starts at the outside positions last season,
while senior Daniel Drake, sophomore Jeremy Grove and junior Kyle Tudor did
the same in the middle. Grove will be an all-star candidate in 2012 after
ranking among the nation's top tacklers last season with 122. Red-shirt
freshmen Zeek Bigger and Montese Overton will add even more athleticism to
the linebacker corps.
WHO'S GONE: Cliff Perryman
finished eighth in team tackles and was a starter at outside linebacker.
NEED FOR 2013: After this
year's haul, ECU shouldn't need big numbers here. They'll take a couple if
they can find two really good ones.
SAFETY (Grade: A)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Adding two
would make ECU four-deep at each safety position.
WHO SIGNED: Godfrey Thompson
from Jackson, MS, signed with the Pirates and enrolled for the spring
semester from Hinds Community College. Lucas Thompson from Winter Garden,
FL, was rated the nation's No. 6 safety prospect by ESPN.com.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: The
Pirates signed two players who can come in and compete for playing time
immediately. Godfrey Thompson will have a head start because he'll
participate in spring practice. Watch for him to challenge for the starting
job at strong safety. Lucas Thompson plays with the tenacious attitude of a
linebacker, but can also defend the pass. He has the potential to become an
all-star caliber athlete at ECU.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: None,
really. The Pirates nailed their main two targets, although they did offer
three-star Jordan Moore from Lithonia, GA. But Moore didn't express any
serious interest in ECU beyond the initial scholarship offer.
WHO'S BACK: Junior Damon
Magazu has developed into an all-star performer at free safety where he made
80 tackles and four interceptions last season. Senior Justin Venable and
red-shirt freshman Rocco Scarfone will serve as Magazu's backups. Sophomores
Lamar Ivey and Desi Brown saw action last season at strong safety. They'll
be joined at that spot by red-shirt freshman Domonique Lennon.
WHO'S GONE: Bradley Jacobs was
the starter at strong safety and finished fourth in team tackles with 71.
NEED FOR 2013: Venable will be
the only graduation loss after the 2012 season, so replacing him should be
the goal.
CORNERBACK (Grade: A)
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Two or three
players who could come in and compete on the field immediately.
WHO SIGNED: Adonis Armstrong
from Hinds Community College and Colby Brown of Highland Community College
were both top-notch JUCO corners. Deshaun Amos, from Midlothian, VA, was an
all-district choice at three different positions — receiver, kick returner
and cornerback.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF:
Armstrong is a ballhawking corner who collected eight interceptions last
season at Hinds. Because he's already at ECU, Armstrong should contend for a
starting job at one of the corner spots this spring. Brown is also a quick,
shutdown corner who may make a run for a starting assignment in the fall.
Amos is a multi-purpose athlete who could fit in on special teams very
early. He could also wind up playing safety because of his versatility.
WHO'S BACK: Seniors Jacobi
Jenkins, Rahkeem Morgan, Kristopher Sykes and Leonard Paulk have played
extensively in reserve roles during their careers. Paulk even made one start
last season. Sophomore Detric Allen is a gifted young athlete whose career
has been slowed by injuries. Red-shirt freshman Glen Hilliard will be in the
mix for playing time at corner and on special teams this time around.
NEED FOR 2013: With so many
seniors graduating, this will be a major point of focus in recruiting.
Signing at least four should be the objective.
OVERALL (Grade B+)
I've actually changed my
opinion somewhat about this class after awarding it a C+ on signing day.
Although missing the mark on a couple of positions like quarterback and
running back, the wide receiver and defensive elements of this class are
much better than I originally thought after looking at them by position.
So, in the final analysis, a
B+ is a more accurate grade for this class because of the immediate help it
provides at key positions.
E-mail Sammy Batten
PAGE UPDATED
02/08/12 04:09 AM.
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