East Carolina’s offensive schemes and
strategies took a dramatic turn when Skip Holtz became head coach last
January.The shotgun replaced the
“I’’ as the primary formation, throwing deep became an option on every
down and a priority was placed on finding versatile, fast athletes to
make those changes effective.
The latter may be one reason the
Pirates have extended a number of scholarship offers to offensive
skill-position players as they recruit for the Class of 2005.
Among those are three super-swift
in-state athletes who would fit perfectly into Holtz’s offensive plans.
They include Norman Whitley from
Richmond Senior High in Rockingham, Josh Adams from Cary and Greensboro
Page’s Remene Alston.
Whitley, who is coached at Richmond by
former ECU head coach Ed Emory, is a back in the mold of the Pirates’
all-time leading rusher and current running backs coach Junior Smith.
Like Smith, Whitney isn’t the ideal height (5-foot-8), but he has
extraordinary agility and is superbly conditioned. That combination of
talents allows him to run away from defenders, or dig for extra yards
when the going gets tough.
A first-year varsity starter at
tailback last season, Whitney set school records with 2,666 yards and 33
touchdowns rushing. He’s followed that up with an outstanding start to
2005, running for 925 yards and nine touchdowns on 101 carries in
Richmond’s first six games. Those totals include a 252-yard performance
by Whitney against Broughton and a 200-yard effort versus Pinecrest.
East Carolina and North Carolina have
extended offers to Whitney, who has 4.47 speed in the 40-yard dash. He
likes those schools along with Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, South
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Emory said Whitley is expected to make
an unofficial visit to Greenville this weekend for the Central Florida
game.
Adams (5-11, 175, 4.5) had one of the
best years of any back in the state in 2004 when he ran for 2,884 yards
and scored 26 touchdowns for the Imps. He’s been blessed with excellent
acceleration and a unique ability to change direction while at full
speed.
Many of the nation’s top programs such
as LSU and Oklahoma have offered, but ECU seems to be holding its own
along with Maryland, North Carolina and N.C. State. Adams has already
been to Greenville on at least one unofficial visit this year.
Alston is one of the state’s fastest
backs, having been clocked at 4.39 in the 40 during Duke’s summer
football camp. He runs with the smooth stride of a track star, which he
is, and doubles as a dangerous kick returner.
The 5-8, 180-pounder piled up 1,426
yards rushing and 15 touchdowns as a junior, while also contributing 22
receptions for 303 yards and three scores. Alston appeared on his way to
matching those rushing figures this season at the end of September, when
he had already piled up 784 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Kentucky is Alston’s favorite, but ECU
stands a strong second because, like the Wildcats, the Pirates want him
as a running back. They’ve both offered along with N.C. State, which
would like to convert him to defensive back.
A fourth in-state running back in ECU’s
radar is Devven Sutton from Elizabeth City’s Northeastern High.
Sutton is a powerful (425 bench press),
fast (4.6 40) athlete who projects at either fullback or linebacker in
college. He compiled his most impressive statistics as a junior on
defense where he made 112 tackles, three quarterback sacks and two
interceptions.
But the 6-foot, 239-pounder is also
adept at getting the tough yards or knocking holes in defensive fronts
from the fullback spot.
Virginia Tech holds the upper hand for
Sutton, and the Hokies have offered along with ECU. He also favors Ohio
State, North Carolina and Penn State.
The Pirates have also ventured into the
talent-rich Tidewater area of Virginia to offer 5-10, 179-pound Andre
Boone from Cox High in Virginia Beach.
Boone piled up 1,155 yards and 11
touchdowns as a junior on 188 carries to earn all-district honors. He
entered his senior season with 2,622 career yards and 25 touchdowns. A
versatile athlete, Boone ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass
and returned a punt for a score in one game earlier this season against
Green Run.
Marshall and Wake Forest lead the teams
who have offered Boone, but Akron, ECU and Kent are also in the hunt.
Another back the Pirates have only
recently gotten involved with is 6-1, 181-pound Kennard Reeves from
Duluth, GA. East Carolina hasn’t offered Reeves yet, but he expects one
to be forthcoming.
ECU and others like Boston College and
Vanderbilt are still evaluating Reeves, who was a backup last year to a
senior. He still showed great promise in averaging 7 yards per carry on
about eight rushes per game. Reeves is best known for his breakaway
speed. He’s been timed at 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
Wide receivers are also on Holtz’s wish
list in recruiting. Two excellent ones already offered by the Pirates
are Calvin Daniels from Washington, NC, and Kendall Williams from Godby
High in Tallahassee, FL.
Daniels is a big receiver, who stands
6-3 and weighs in at 200 pounds. He could develop into a tight end at
the college level.
Earlier this season in a game against
Tarboro, Daniels grabbed nine catches for 123 yards and three
touchdowns.
ECU is his only offer at this stage,
but N.C. State and Virginia Tech have expressed interest.
Williams, a 5-11, 175-pounder, has
super hands and a flair for making acrobatic catches. He made 44
receptions for 488 yards and four touchdowns as a junior.
Connecticut (Dec. 3 visit ) and Auburn
(Dec. 14) are his early favorites, but ECU has offered along with Iowa,
Louisville, Mississippi, Nebraska and West Virginia.
But the list of wide receiver offers
doesn’t end there. The Pirates are also involved with highly touted
LeMarcus Bond (5-10, 175, 4.4) from Ahoskie’s Hertford County High,
Cedric Dickson (6-1, 215) from Stone Mountain, GA, Javon Brumsey (6-4,
188, 4.45) of Elizabeth City and Cedric Byrd (6-3, 185, 4.7) from
Burlington.
Bond, who ran for 922 yards and had 394
receiving yards as a junior, is entertaining offers from Clemson, ECU,
North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia and Virginia Tech, while Byrd has
bids from ECU, Georgia Tech and Louisville.
Brumsey, an all-state pick last season
after making 64 catches for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns, lists ECU
as his only offer, but he also likes N.C. State.
Byrd is a superb athlete who has high
jumped 6-foot-6 in state competition. He caught 32 passes for 499 yards
and five scores as a junior. ECU has offered, but North Carolina, N.C.
State and Wake Forest are also showing interest.
