East Carolina has enjoyed excellent
success recently recruiting the powerhouse junior college program at
Georgia Military College, landing the likes of wide receiver Aundrae
Allison, cornerback Demetrius Hodges and kick returner extraordinaire
Keith Stokes.The Pirates are
hoping for a similar success story with their latest Georgia Military
College recruit, linebacker Fred Wilson, who has become the fourth
member of the 2006 recruiting class.
Graduation will wipe out most of ECU’s
linebacker corps from this year, including first-team All-Conference USA
pick Chris Moore. So, signing several players at the linebacker
positions is a major priority for head coach Skip Holtz and his staff.
Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 255-pounder from
Cross, SC, is the second linebacker prospect to join the Pirates’ class
in the last two weeks. He follows 6-1, 220-pound
Nick Johnson
from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte who made a verbal
commitment last week.
ECU’s past connections to Georgia
Military paid dividends in recruiting Wilson, as did the coaching
staff’s connections to the University of South Carolina. Holtz,
offensive coordinator Steve Shankweiler and quarterbacks coach Phil
Petty were all part of the Gamecocks’ coaching staff when Wilson’s older
brother Rod played there between 2000-2004. Rod Wilson is now a
linebacker with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, but is currently on injured
reserve.
“I was familiar with Coach Holtz and
two of my former GMC teammates are up there, so I knew about East
Carolina,’’ Wilson said Monday afternoon in a telephone interview. “I
kept up with what Aundrae Allison and those guys were doing up there.
And I knew that Coach Holtz wouldn’t have gone to a program that wasn’t
going to be good.’’
Thomas Roggeman, the Pirates’ offensive
line coach, began recruiting Wilson last April. Kent State, Memphis, SMU,
Troy State and Western Kentucky were also showing serious interest, but
ECU pulled the trigger first on a scholarship offer.
“I had heard nothing but good things
about East Carolina,’’ said Wilson, who is making his official visit to
Greenville this weekend. “It was close to home, but not the same place
my brother played. I wanted to go somewhere I could make a name for
myself. East Carolina offered me something new and different. Plus, they
just recruited me harder than anybody else. I felt needed by them.’’
Wilson was recruited by many major
college powers following his senior season at Cross High School, but
wound up signing with South Carolina State. He failed to qualify
academically and enrolled in August of 2003 at Georgia Military. But
because he hadn’t completed a portion of South Carolina’s required high
school graduation test, he had to return to Cross, according to Georgia
Military College defensive coordinator Taylor Burks.
“He came back to us that January and
he’s been a leader for us in the cadet corps on campus and on the
football field the last two years,’’ Burks said. “He’s put himself in
position to graduate this month, so he can move on to East Carolina and
do some great things. He’s a great kid and comes from a great family.’’
Wilson was one of several players Burks
rotated at inside linebacker the past two seasons, including this year
as the Bulldogs rolled to a 9-2 record. GMC finished its season last
Saturday by knocking off the nation’s No. 4-ranked junior college team,
Coffeyville (KS) Community College, 21-17.
The victory should help GMC crack the
national top five after entering the game ranked No. 6.
Wilson finished the year with about 40
tackles, three sacks and one pass break up.
“He had such a good understanding of
how our defense fits together,’’ Burks said. “He was our leader and he
was able to assist other players on the field. He was a student of what
we were doing and that showed every game.’’
Wilson hopes to visit Chicago during
the holiday break to work out with his older brother. He wants to
improve his speed, which has been measured at 4.8 in the 40-yard dash.
“My brother is faster than me,’’ Wilson
said. “So I’m hoping to go up and work out with him a couple of days and
maybe some of that will rub off on me. I’m quick, but I know I can be
quicker.’’
GMC may not be finished sending members
of its 2005 squad to ECU. Two of Wilson’s teammates, 6-5, 320-pound
offensive lineman Willie Barton and 6-1, 196-pound defensive back Tyrell
Broughton, are also being recruited by the Pirates. Broughton has
received a scholarship offer from ECU and will make an official visit to
Greenville on Jan. 14.
Wilson also said the ECU staff is
expressing interest in 6-1, 215-pound GMC wide receiver Octavius
Everett.
“I’m going to try to talk them into
coming,’’ Wilson said. “I’ll try to get four or five more Bulldogs to
come up here. There are so many good athletes at the school and it would
be fun to keep playing together.’’
