Football Recruiting Report Wednesday, January 13, 2016 By Sammy Batten

Aaron Ramseur carries on tradition

By Sammy Batten
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Few high schools in North Carolina have produced more standout major college linebackers than Crest High School in Shelby.

One of the originators of the Crest linebacker legacy was Tim Ramseur, who as a senior in 1994 was a Shrine Bowl all-star pick and the state 4-A defensive player of the year. Ramseur went on to accept a scholarship to play for N.C. State, where he lettered in 1996-97.

Ramseur's emergence began a streak that over the next 13 years saw linebackers like Shamar Finney (Penn State), Brandon Spikes (Florida) and Dwayne Maddox (N.C. State) develop in the Crest program before moving on to the college ranks.

East Carolina's new head coach, Scottie Montgomery, is very familiar with the Crest linebacker having attended rival Burns High School where he played wide receiver on a state championship team in 1994. Montgomery is hoping that local knowledge pays off for his new team, which has received a verbal commitment from the latest Crest linebacker star.

Montgomery secured the first recruit of his ECU tenure last week when Crest's Aaron Ramseur gave a verbal commitment to the Pirates. Aaron is the younger brother of Tim Ramseur and has been a varsity starter the last two years as Crest has won back-to-back state titles and compiled a 32-0 record.

“From the first time I saw him, there was no doubt this kid could play football,'' Crest coach Will Clark said. “He loved the game. I'd say he loves the little parts of the game. He goes to work every day in practice and does what he's supposed to do. He doesn't have many bad days. Every practice he's looking for ways to get better. He always makes sure he's doing the little things right.''

ECU only began courting the younger Ramseur after Montgomery came aboard as the replacement for Ruffin McNeill, who was relieved of his duties on December 4 after six seasons. Charleston Southern and Toledo had previously extended scholarship offers, but a stellar performance by Ramseur during the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all-star game in December caught Montgomery's attention.

Ramseur was named defensive most valuable player after helping the North Carolina squad defeat South Carolina, 54-39, in the annual all-star game played in December.

“I think the Shrine Bowl helped him tremendously because a lot of people were worried about his size,'' Clark said of the 6-foot, 215-pound Ramseur. “That (Shrine Bowl) showed he could handle himself. We felt like he could play no matter what. But he showed everyone else at the Shrine Bowl.''

After further evaluation, Montgomery personally extended Ramseur a scholarship offer via telephone in early January. He accepted on January 6 after discussing the offer with his family, which is headed by his father, a local pastor and includes 10 siblings.

In addition to Tim, older brother Kenneth played for Gardner-Webb in the 1990s, and brothers Josh and Devonte are currently on college rosters. Josh is a redshirt freshman nose guard at Gardner-Webb and Devonte is a sophomore defensive lineman at Tuskegee.

“Two of Aaron's brothers graduated from Burns where Scottie graduated,'' Clark said. “I think they were close friends and their families know each other. It was one of those type of things.

“Aaron is right at 6 foot and a lot of people had problems with that. But I think Coach Montgomery wants good football players, and that is definitely what Aaron is. He is physical at the point of attack.''

Ramseur spent his first two high school seasons at Montgomery's old school, Burns, where he played for the junior varsity. He moved to Crest as a junior and produced 98 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks an interception for a 16-0 squad that won the state crown.

The lone interception for Ramseur that season came when Crest needed it most during a 24-3 victory against Havelock in the state 3-A finals.

“His best play may have been that interception in the state championship game last year,'' Clark said. “They motioned a guy and we flipped the coverage. He dropped into the right spot and picked the ball off. That was a big one for me because I was the defensive coordinator at the time and that turnover pretty quickly turned things in our favor.''

Crest's second straight drive to the state title – this time the 3-AA – again featured Ramseur, who made 160 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks and an interception in earning first-team all-state honors. Included in those totals is 58 tackles made during the state playoffs and a 20-tackle effort in a third-round playoff game against Weddington.

It's the type of dynamic linebacker play fans are used to seeing at Crest since Tim Ramseur set the standard more than two decades ago.

Finney came next in the late 1990s, earning USA Today All-American honors and the No. 1 ranking as the state's top prospect as a senior. He went on to letter four seasons and start his final two at Penn State under coach Joe Paterno.

Spikes followed in Finney's footsteps at Crest by being named the state's top college prospect as a senior before heading off to Florida where he helped the Gators win two national championships between 2006-2008. Spikes was a second-round NFL draft pick who spent five seasons in the league with the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.

Then there was Maddox, a Shrine Bowl all-star and conference defensive player of the year for the Chargers as a senior in 2007. Maddox signed with N.C. State and logged 15 starts for the Wolfpack between 2008-2010.

Clark hesitated to compare Aaron Ramseur to any of the former Crest greats, but did see similarities between him and a former star at Scotland High School. Clark served as an assistant at the Laurinburg school when future N.C. State and NFL linebacker Terrell Manning played for the Fighting Scots.

“He's made some plays that remind me of Terrell,'' Clark said. “He's really quick, and physical. Boy, is he physical.

“All I can say is we've had a run of great linebackers at this place. Aaron is just adding to the list.''

East Carolina's recruiting Class of 2016 suffered several defections following McNeill's dismissal. Offensive lineman Justin Chase from Chesapeake, VA, opted out of his pledge to the Pirates and joined the N.C. State recruiting class, while Lynchburg, VA, defensive tackle Rondre Knowles-Tener jumped ship for James Madison. A third defensive lineman, Jamil Dukes from Mooresville, NC, also de-committed from ECU, but has yet to choose another school.

So with those defections and Ramseur's additions, the Pirates have 12 players verbally committed to their recruiting class with less than a month remaining before national signing day on Feb. 3.

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PAGE UPDATED 01/14/16 12:38 PM.