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Tracking the College Gridiron Stars of the Future

Football Recruiting Report Tuesday, February 11, 2003 By Sammy Batten Staff Writer for The Fayetteville Observer

Truncated recruiting campaign passed the test

©2002 Bonesville.net

You can't help but be impressed with John Thompson's first recruiting effort as East Carolina's head football coach.

It's not that Thompson signed up a bunch of blue-chip, prep All-Americans to play for the Pirates next fall — it's what he was able to accomplish in a short window.

Thompson and his coaching staff kept this class from becoming a lost cause, despite the brief month they had to recruit. They achieved that by landing a class with excellent athleticism and versatility that features potential contributors at any number of positions.

As I attempt to assign grades to this recruiting class, it should also be noted that ECU succeeded in another significant area with the 19 players it signed. Thompson and his staff met or exceeded the numbers we projected last May that the Pirates needed at most positions.

Here's my position-by-position analysis of the class. The grades are based, in large part, on an assessment of the talent and how well the Pirates did in fulfilling their needs at each position.

The names of the players signed at each position are listed in parenthesis.

QUARTERBACK (Thomas Bradley, Pierre Parker): Although the Pirates are pretty well-stocked at quarterback, we felt in the preseason that signing at least one of the large crop of quality in-state passers would be a good move by the staff.

Well, they did that and more.

ECU was able to hang onto Wilson's Pierre Parker, despite a late push by North Carolina. The Tar Heels wanted Parker as a defensive back, a position he played impressively for the Shrine Bowl All-Star team.
That should sound like a familiar scenario to ECU fans. Other in-state schools also tried to convince Marcus Crandell and David Garrard to switch to other positions, but instead they stuck with quarterback and became stars in Greenville.

Parker is a player in the Crandell-Garrard mold. He's a big, strong athlete whose running and passing skills have been vastly underrated. Paul Troth's presence will give Parker adequate time to adjust and develop over the next two years.

ECU didn't stop with Parker, adding an exceptional runner and passer in Thomas Bradley from Ft. Pierce, Fla. Bradley is the type of athlete who will eventually help the Pirates somewhere, even if he doesn't make it as a quarterback.

ECU overachieved at this position. B+.

RUNNING BACK (Kevin Fain, Robert Tillman): Our wish list back in May said ECU needed to get at least one premier rusher. They may well have gotten two, one for the present and another for the future.

Kevin Fain was a stud in the JUCO ranks, ripping off an average of 108.9 yards per game and gaining 7.8 yards a carry last season at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. The Pirates needed someone dependable and durable, which is Fain's reputation. Expect the 5-foot-11, 215-pounder to see action often and early next fall.

Robert Tillman represents the future. A splendid athlete who has 10.7-second speed in the 100-meter dash and a state long jump champion, Tillman is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. All he needs is time to develop some physical size and strength to complement his great speed.

Maybe they aren't "premier'' guys in terms of reputations, but Fain and Tillman more than fill the ECU's needs. B+.

WIDE RECEIVER (Juwon Crowell, Brian Howard, Steven Rogers): This wasn't supposed to be a big priority for the Pirates, but Thompson's adhering to the "best athlete available'' policy wound up making this one of the strongest positions in the class.

Juwon Crowell and Brian Howard are both tall, potentially physical receivers who have a flair for acrobatic catches and converting first downs.

Steven Rogers is a diamond-in-the-rough with great all-around skills.

In addition to those three, Iverick Harris of Burlington will become eligible next fall. Harris was one of the state's most prolific prep receivers in 2001, but sat out last year at ECU as a partial qualifier. His skills are big-time all the way.

Again, the Pirates exceeded expectations with this haul. B+.

TIGHT END (Josh Coffman, Marc Jones, Manny Levell): We felt ECU needed to sign at least two guys here, and hopefully at least one who could catch the ball.

Levell, a 6-3, 245-pounder with 4.5 40 speed, may fit that bill. Before a knee injury ended the Miami, Fla., product's senior season, Levell had hauled in 36 catches for 561 yards in just six games. If he's recovered from the knee problem, this guy could figure into the Pirates' plans for next fall.

Coffman (6-6, 240, 4.6) is another big, fast target from Palmetto, Fla., and Jones (6-3, 220) excelled as a blocker at Lake Taylor High in Norfolk, Va.

Mission accomplished. B.

OFFENSIVE LINE (Virgil Black, Jeff Bumgarner): The need for blockers wasn't great for ECU and two was more than enough in terms of numbers. Black and Bumgarner are solid pickups, but both are projects who probably won't contribute for a couple of years at least.

An average effort at best. C.

DEFENSIVE LINE (Wendell Chavis, Mike Horner, Brandon Jones, Todd Springfield): This has suddenly become one of the most talented and deepest areas on the ECU roster.

The four signees all have excellent potential, plus Prop 48 cases Shauntae Hunt and Eric Terry become eligible next fall after sitting out the 2002 season. That'll pump six new faces into the defensive line picture that already includes Guy Whimper, Derek Helms, Damane Duckett and Dontre Brown.

Chavis was one of the state's most underrated prospects at Hertford County High in Ahoskie where he was mobile enough to make 153 tackles as a linebacker last season. He'll start out at end for the Pirates.

The 6-4, 250-pound Horner is an impressive physical specimen who has 4.7 speed and can bench press over 300 pounds. But Horner is just beginning to tap those physical skills and may take a year or two to make his presence felt. When he does, quarterbacks better beware.

Jones may be the biggest steal of the recruiting class. A 6-5, 245-pound defensive end from Miami, he's a pass-rushing specialist who collected 17 sacks over his final two prep seasons. Auburn, North Carolina, N.C. State and Rutgers were all interested in Jones at one time or another during recruiting.

Springfield is a defensive tackle from Jonesboro, Ga., who has great size (6-3, 285) and speed (4.7).

All four signees are impact players, who could start for two or more years at ECU. B+.

LINEBACKER: More than any other position, the Pirates needed to sign several players at outside linebacker. But unless you count two of the tight ends, who could convert to defense early in their careers, ECU completely struck out in this area.

The one failure in recruiting this class. F.

DEFENSIVE BACK (Kyle Chase, Erode Jean, Kasey Ross): Safety was the area in the secondary that needed shoring up, but only Kasey Ross, among this trio, will probably wind up there and he played quarterback in high school. Still, Ross is an excellent athlete who could develop into a big-play maker in the secondary over time.

Kyle Chase and Erode Jean are both swift, quick cover corners, who also excel at returning kicks.

Solid pickups, but didn't fill the safety requirements. C-.

Overall grade for this class? I'd say a C+ for the class overall and an A+ for the efforts of the coaching staff, which more than salvaged the recruiting season for East Carolina in just a month on the job.

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02/23/2007 02:35:52 PM