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Pirates reach back for the future Chance to play QB entices James Summers to ECU Recruiting Class of 2015 Thumbnail Sketches... By
Sammy Batten East Carolina has landed one of North Carolina's top college prospects, albeit a 2012 model. The Pirates went back in the stacks to snare James Summers, who quarterbacked Greensboro's Page High School to the state 4-AA title in 2011 as a senior. Summers has spent the last two seasons guiding the offense at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi. A post on the Hinds Community College athletic website last week said the 6-foot-3, 213-pounder has signed a national letter of intent with the Pirates. The entry also said Summers is eligible to enroll at ECU in January and participate in spring football practice. ECU's assistant athletics director for media relations, Tom McClellan, couldn't confirm Summers had signed a letter with the Pirates when reached Tuesday. But McClellan also said the school doesn't usually release its mid-year signees until the rest of the class is complete on national signing day in February. The coach who guided Summers during three seasons as a varsity starter at Page High School isn't surprised his former star has landed with the Pirates. Kevin Gillespie said while Power Five conference schools like Georgia and Kansas State had also extended scholarship offers to Summers, only ECU guaranteed an opportunity to play quarterback. “From what I understand from his (Hinds) coaches, James had a chance to go Ole Miss or Georgia … some places like that,'' Gillespie said. “But they wanted him to play free safety or wide receiver. James always told me he'd really like to get back to North Carolina to play. I think that, and East Carolina is going to give him an opportunity at quarterback, is what sold the deal.'' Summers was poised to begin his college career with a North Carolina team after a stellar senior season at Page. He completed 93 of 186 passes for 1,506 yards and 20 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,632 yards and 22 scores in leading the Page Pirates to a 15-0 record. Page capped its unbeaten season with a 35-21 win against Garner in the state finals as Summers put on a dazzling display on both sides of the football. He completed 11 of 16 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, rushed 14 times for 116 yards and intercepted a pass in the triumph. Ranked by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 8 dual-threat quarterback prospect and No. 9 overall in North Carolina, Summers first made a verbal commitment to N.C. State in April while still a junior at Page. But by January 2012 Summers had switched his pledge to rival North Carolina, and he wound up signing with the Tar Heels that February. Summers came up shy of meeting academic qualifying standards to enroll at UNC, so he instead spent the 2012-13 school year at Hargrave Military Academy. “When he finished at Hagrave, he was really close (academically) but not quite, so he had to go to junior college,'' Gillespie said. “North Carolina was going to place him at Pearl Community College in Mississippi. But one of the coaches on our (Page) staff had a good buddy at Hinds. So before things got finalized with Pearl, the Hinds coaches came in and talked him (Summers) into coming out there instead.'' Summers enjoyed a successful two-year run with the Eagles. As a freshman in 2013, he completed 96 of 199 passes for 1,527 yards and 14 touchdowns while tossing 12 interceptions. Summers also rushed 160 times for 685 yards and 12 more scores for a 7-3 team. Hinds managed only a 5-4 mark this season as Summers hooked up on 109 of 201 throws for 1,347 yards and eight touchdowns, while rushing for 1,002 yards and 12 scores. Summers could join the competition this spring to replace ECU's record-setting quarterback Shane Carden, who completes his eligibility after the Pirates play Florida in the Birmingham Bowl on January 3. Because Carden has taken practically every snap the last three seasons, ECU lacks significant experience among the other quarterbacks in the program. Redshirt junior Cody Keith, who has missed all this season with an elbow injury, and redshirt freshman Kurt Benkert have appeared in a college game. But together their experience amounts to just five games and 21 passes. Keith's future is still uncertain as he tries to recover from the elbow problems, leaving Benkert and redshirt junior Blake Kemp as the only healthy scholarship players at quarterback. The Pirates are also expected to sign high school quarterback John Jacobs from Oklahoma in February. Gillespie certainly believes Summers is capable of making a strong bid to replace Carden. “I've coached a bunch of guys with talent,'' Gillespie said. “He has the talent, too, but he also has the intangibles … that will to win. I've coached guys who had talent, but didn't have the whole package he does. “I don't know what they've (ECU) got coming back. I just know he's competitor and a guy who will go out there, be athletic and make plays. There aren't many like him. I believe he'll go out and compete with whoever they've got.'' Summers is the 12th player committed to ECU's recruiting Class of 2015 and the second quarterback along with Jacobs. PAGE UPDATED 12/23/14 03:06 AM. |
