By
Sammy Batten
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View the
Mobile Alpha version of this page.
SPARTANBURG, SC — They
aren't returning home with a victory, but four future East Carolina
Pirates left here Saturday better acquainted and anxious to become
college teammates next fall.
Lake City, SC, linebacker
Devaris Brunson, Havelock cornerback A.J. Coplon, Charlotte Vance
defensive end Kirk Donaldson and Statesville linebacker Tristan Mumford
are senior high school prospects who have verbally committed to East
Carolina and will hopefully sign with the Pirates in February. The
quartet represented their states Saturday at Gibbs Stadium in the 76th
annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all-star game against South
Carolina.
A fifth ECU commit, New
Bern offensive lineman Christian Matau, was also picked to play in the
game but withdrew because of injury.
The Sandlappers scored two
late touchdowns to pull out a 26-19 victory over the Tar Heel squad. But
the week-long experience, which included an inspirational visit to the
Spartanburg Shriners Hospital for Children, allowed the future Pirates
to start forging a bond. That was especially true for Coplon, Donaldson
and Mumford, who were teammates for the first time on the North Carolina
team.
"It's been nice to meet
those guys this week,'' Donaldson said. "We're getting to know each
other here, so when we get to Greenville we should already have a good
relationship.''
"I've been getting to know
all of them pretty well,'' Mumford said. "We've been talking a lot about
ECU and about the work it's going to take when we get there.''
The players got a taste of
the college football lifestyle during preparations for the Shrine Bowl.
They had to learn new offensive and defensive schemes during four rounds
of two-a-day practices, some of which took place under cool temperatures
and drizzling conditions at Spartanburg High School. After meals and
activities, players sat through position meetings in the evenings.
The competition on the
practice field was intense at times as the players, who were all stars
on their high school teams, tested themselves against the best in their
respective states.
"This is definitely a
higher level than high school,'' said Coplon, who two weeks prior helped
Havelock win the state 3-A championship. "All these guys are talented.
You have to give your best on every drill and every practice to keep
up.''
Donaldson and Mumford both
earned starting positions for the North Carolina squad, although
Donaldson's opportunity came on offense. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder held
down the tight end position despite not playing there at all during his
senior season at Vance.
Working at defensive end
and outside linebacker, Donaldson made 60 tackles and eight quarterback
sacks in helping Vance to a 9-4 finish this season. The Pirates have
recruited Donaldson to play outside linebacker.
"I didn't play tight end
this whole year,'' Donaldson said. "When I got here, it (playing tight
end) was kind of a surprise. But we're playing for a higher cause here
(proceeds from game go to Shriners Hospitals for Children). So I was
happy to jump over to offense to help our team.''
Mumford may have made the
biggest impression among the ECU recruits during Shrine Bowl week.
The 6-1, 225-pounder
played fast and physical at inside linebacker for the North Carolina
squad after spending the 2012 season at Statesville splitting time
between quarterback and linebacker. Mumford threw for 1,904 yards,
rushed for 677 and accounted for 34 touchdowns on offense, while still
managing 70 tackles and five sacks on defense for the 13-2 Greyhounds.
Davie County's Doug Illing
served as linebacker coach for the North Carolina squad. Illing said
Mumford was one of the easier choices he made in picking linebackers for
the Shrine Bowl squad.
"He's just good from day
one,'' Illing said. "Physically, he's fast and he's a physical
linebacker who plays downhill, and he's a great athlete. So you get a
linebacker who is 235 playing inside, he can take the pounding of
offensive linemen, plus he can run to the edge on the running backs,
too. He's a good fit for that spot.
"That's what is going to
make him a special player because he's played just about every spot on
the field in high school. You're going to put him in one spot and
practicing him every day on fundamentals and stuff, he's going to be a
superstar at that spot in college.''
Brunson also drew
accolades on the South Carolina side for his speed and ability to make
plays from an inside linebacker spot. The 6-foot, 206-pounder is
expected to play outside linebacker at ECU, if he makes it to
Greenville.
Although Brunson says he's
still committed to the Pirates, he remains open to other options. N.C.
State, which recently hired Dave Doeren from Northern Illinois to
replace Tom O'Brien, could be one of those options.
"I'm still open to any
school that's still talking to me,'' Brunson said. "I still talk to N.C.
State.
"But I'm still committed
to East Carolina. I've been talking to their coaches and they've told me
about the different recruits they're getting out of North and South
Carolina, so I think it's going to be a good class.''
Coplon, too, said he's
committed to ECU, but was hoping more offers would come his way after a
strong week at the Shrine Bowl where he rotated at cornerback.
"I hope to perform well
and get more offers, and see what I can do,'' he said. "I guess you can
say I'm kind of looking around.
"But I have been impressed
with East Carolina this season. I have a good feeling about the program
there, and about where these guys I've been playing with this week could
take the program.''
One player in the game who
isn't committed to East Carolina, but is entertaining an offer from the
Pirates was South Carolina running back Harold Atkinson. A 6-1,
210-pounder from Carolina Forest High in Myrtle Beach, Atkinson also has
scholarship offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota and N.C. State.
Atkinson said during the
Shrine Bowl week that he won't likely come to a final decision before
national signing day in February.
"I'm aware of my
options,'' he said. "I'm looking to make my decision closer to national
signing day. I've been on one official visit to ECU and I'm looking
forward to going to a couple of official visits in January.
"It (ECU) was great. I
really like that school. They are a team that's really high on my list.
They made me feel at home. With the coaches, I never felt out of place,
and that's what I'm looking for.''
Atkinson added that seeing
Vintavious Cooper rush for more than 1,000 yards this season for the
Pirates was also a drawing card.
"When you make your
decision you definitely look for ways you are going to be played,''
Atkinson said. "ECU running the ball is definitely what I'm looking for.
Any school that's willing to give me the ball, that's what I'm looking
at.''
Atkinson and all the other
recruits will get another chance to watch Cooper and the Pirates on
December 22 in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl against
Louisiana-Lafayette.
"I'm going to be excited
to watch that on TV,'' Donaldson said. "They've had a great season and
winning a bowl would be a great way to finish it off.''