Two of the most recent
recruits head coach Skip Holtz and his coaching staff have secured for
East Carolina are the biggest yet for the Class of 2007.
Literally, the biggest.
Antonio Allison, a
6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive tackle from Statesville, and 6-7,
250-pound defensive end Steven Baker of Rocky Mount added some heft and
height to the Pirates class after making verbal commitments to Holtz.
STEVEN BAKER
Baker has actually been
known more for his exploits on the basketball court and the track. He’s
a double-figure scorer and top rebounder for the Northern Nash
basketball squad this year, while last spring Baker placed third in the
state 3-A shot put with a toss of 48 feet, 10 inches.
But because Northern Nash
has struggled on the gridiron recently, including this season when the
Knights finished 1-10, Baker wasn’t a major target for most NCAA
Division I-A programs. East Carolina, however, recognized Baker’s
potential and understood the benefit of pursuing a big man in its own
backyard.
“He’s a big boy,’’ said
Northern Nash coach Richard Bunch. “He’s been in our program for four
years. When he came over here as a freshman, some of the college coaches
saw him when they came by to talk about other kids. When they saw him,
they got interested right away because of his size.
“But most of those schools
were basically sitting on hold, waiting for him to do a few things
before they showed more interest. But East Carolina has spent two years
really working on him. I think that’s one reason he went with them.’’
East Carolina was the
first school to come through with a scholarship offer before the 2006
season began. Baker accepted the offer in mid-October.
Although he has played
defensive end in high school at times, Baker is expected to play
defensive tackle for the Pirates. It’s a position Bunch believes Baker
is well suited to play.
“He really takes up a lot
of space,’’ Bunch said. “We’ve played him inside and out this year, but
he’s a tough person to move out of that middle.
ANTONIO ALLISON
Allison is also projected
to play defensive tackle after playing there three of the last four
seasons on the varsity at West Iredell for Coach Mark Weycker. Weycker
said Allison displayed potential to earn a Division I-A scholarship as
early as his freshman season.
“In all honesty, we knew
when he was a freshman that this was a young man with size and
quickness,’’ Weycker said. “But it’s one of those things that you hope
the kid continues to work hard and progress to reach that potential.
“Antonio has done a good
job fulfilling his potential here.’’
Allison closed out his
prep career in impressive fashion, earning first-team all-county honors
from the Statesville Record & Landmark, first-team All-Northwest by the
Winston-Salem Journal and second-team All-Piedmont by the Charlotte
Observer.
For a team that won nine
games and reached the state playoffs, Allison had 102 tackles, including
nine for losses, and had four sacks.
“We’re a two-platoon team,
but he did spend a little time on our heavier goal-line set on the
offensive side,’’ Weycker said. “There were many battles on our staff
over that young man and who would get to coach him. But when you’ve got
that size, and you can run and make plays like Antonio was able to make,
he’s got to be on the defensive side of the ball.
“He really came on in the
second half of his junior year. I think he just came to the realization
when he went hard every play that he was a force that made our football
team so much better. This year he was our second-leading tackler as a
defensive lineman.’’
Allison was so dominant
that he made West Iredell’s opponents make considerations for him in
their gameplan.
“People made the mistake
early of trying to figure out if they could run right at him,’’ Weycker
said. “People who tried to run at him and that didn’t work real well. We
had a pretty good inside linebacker and he (Allison) helped that young
man become the leading tackler throughout the season.
“About game five everyone
figured they couldn’t run at him. His quickness and ability to get off
blocks, and still be able to run the ball down, discouraged them after
about the fifth game.’’
Marshall had also offered
Allison a scholarship, but the Pirates' consistent interest won him over
in the end.
“They stayed with Antonio
throughout his senior season, and it (ECU) ended up being a good fit
academically and athletically,’’ Weycker said. “After taking a visit
there he figured that was the place he wanted to continue his career.’’
Weycker could see Allison
making a contribution next fall at ECU.
“One of the things he can
provide right off the bat is good size on the defensive line,’’ Weycker
said. “He has the skills and the movements, too. If they’re looking for
inside help, he’s somebody they should take a look at.’’
Baker and Allison are the
first two defensive line prospects committed to the Class of 2007, but
they may not be the last.
The Pirates hosted one of
the state’s top defensive line prospects on the weekend of Jan. 5-7 in
Tydreke Powell from Ahoskie’s Hertford County High School. The 6-3,
298-pounder has ECU among his final five schools along with North
Carolina (1/26 visit), Clemson (1/12), Penn State (2/2) and Virginia
Tech (1/19).
