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Pirate Notebook No. 108
Wednesday, February 19, 2003

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Jerry McManus isn't the type of coach who seeks the spotlight. Instead of taking center stage, the East Carolina running backs coach is quite comfortable in the background, performing all the necessary duties which make a program successful.

Running backs coach
Jerry McManus is
entering his 8th year
at East Carolina.

One area in which McManus has become especially adept is recruiting, a skill that essentially prompted new coach John Thompson to retain him as an assistant.

Widely considered one of the best recruiters in North Carolina, McManus has received high praise from his new boss for his relentless efforts to maintain several strategic commitments during the transition from former coach Steve Logan to the new regime.

Now that signing day has come and gone, McManus can focus on off-season workouts as the Pirates begin preparations for Spring Practice next month. But a month ago, the focus was almost entirely on luring promising new talent to Greenville.

"It's been very hectic," McManus said at the time. "You're going 100 miles per hour and you're going in 100 different directions, trying to keep the players you've already got recruited.

"We were also looking for other players and went out to Florida, Georgia, and Virginia to find new players and really kind of start from scratch. It's been an exciting, busy time. I think when you look at this class in another year or two, you're going to realize there are a lot of good athletes."

It is certainly one of the more diverse classes since McManus joined the Pirates staff in 1996. Included in the new crop are a couple of blue chippers — junior college running back Kevin Fain and defensive end Brandon Jones — both of whom hail from the Sunshine State.

All totaled, the Pirates inked eight players from Florida, tops among all states. Much of that was due to Thompson's abbreviated recruiting schedule and the short time he had to build relationships with North Carolina coaches.

That should change with a full year to identify targets, as East Carolina will continue to pursue in-state talent before searching abroad.

"We're always going to take care of North Carolina," McManus said. "We'll sign more players from North Carolina than Carolina or State, Duke or Wake. That's been the basis of this program.

"Coach Thompson came in and that's one thing that he wants to keep. We'll sign more players from North Carolina, then go to our secondary areas like Florida, Georgia and Virginia. North Carolina is our major emphasis."

Most of the Pirates' high-profile gridiron alums are homegrown products. David Garrard, Leonard Henry, and Pernell Griffin, for example, first starred as North Carolina high school blue-chippers before shattering records at East Carolina.

Both Garrard and Henry now find themselves on NFL depth charts and are primed to see more playing time next season.

McManus has spent years evaluating North Carolina high school talent and doesn't find it surprising that the state's top stars develop into big-time performers. He says NC's best players are comparable to Florida's brightest, but notes there is a difference in the volume of the states' overall talent pools.

"When you take the top players from Florida, you take the top players in North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia, there's not a big difference," McManus said. "Where the difference comes is in the depth.

"There might be 120 good football players in Florida. There might only be about 45 in North Carolina and that's where the big difference comes. You take the top 10 in Florida and the top 10 in North Carolina and shake them up, they're about the same. As you go down the ladder, that's where Florida obviously has more players than North Carolina."

Unlike most states, Florida benefits from Spring Practice, which affords players an opportunity to hone their skills in the weight room and on the field. Though weightlifting programs are abundant across North Carolina, the NCHSAA does not allow Spring Practice because it fears sports such as baseball and track will see participation drop.

McManus, on the other hand, is a big proponent of spring ball because he feels it would significantly enhance the talent depth in this state.

"Having 20 days of spring practice, working with your team in full pads, those guys (in Florida) get to progress further than the kids in North Carolina," he said. "If they ever had anything along those lines here in North Carolina, I think you would see the talent pool definitely increase. It really would be in the best interest of the overall football in North Carolina."

In addition to his strong contributions in recruiting, McManus has made a major impact with player development. Since joining the staff in '96, three Pirates running backs have shattered the 1,000-yard mark as East Carolina's offense evolved from a pass-happy approach into a more balanced attack.

During McManus' first season, Scott Harley pummeled his way to a 1,745-yard season, which is best all-time at East Carolina. In 2001, Henry flirted with that record by gaining 1,432 yards on 184 carries, for a whopping 7.8-yards per carry. Art Brown followed that up with a 1,029-yard, 14-touchdown (18 total) performance last season, despite missing the Pirates' final two games with a groin injury.

Perhaps most impressive about those statistics is that each back boasted a different running style. However, that's not to say there weren't similarities between the three, especially when it came to their heart.

"They are a good group of kids," McManus said. "The one characteristic of all of them is that they were hard workers.

"Now, they were different sizes, different speeds, but they were all worked hard and they were all very coachable. That's the key. They were all different styles, but they were very coachable and in every case, we had a really good offensive line. They did a great job opening holes for those running backs."

While the offensive line was doing the dirty work, it was the likes of Harley, Henry, and Brown who reaped the benefits. Despite the recognition, they didn't allow their self-esteem to become overly inflated, instead focusing 100 percent on the task at hand, which in ECU's diverse attack, extends much further than carrying the ball.

McManus noted that running backs also figure heavily into the passing game, be it as a blocker or a receiver.

"They're not selfish," McManus said. "They're willing to run, they're willing to do whatever it takes to win and that's really a key characteristic.

"That's an ego position. Some kids can get involved in their stats, want the ball every time, and not care about the wins and losses — just make sure they rush for 100 yards. We've never had that here and that's really been a blessing."

Maybe that's a reflection of their coach, whose tireless efforts behind the scenes haven't gone unnoticed.