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Recruiting report card: Offense
Receivers and tackles
lift the grade on East Carolina's offensive haul
By
Sammy Batten
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Recruiting Class of 2014 Thumbnail Sketches...
Assessing East Carolina's offensive
football recruiting Class of 2014 is easy as 1, 2, 3 ... and 4, 5, 6 and
7.
The Pirates signed seven wide
receiver/tight end prospects and seven linemen among the 15 expected to
play offense in the class. The large numbers at those positions aren't a
surprise since ECU's "Air Raid'' offense employs multiple groups of
receivers, while the offensive line needed replacements for three
starters who completed their eligibility after the 2013 season.
Some eleventh-hour additions really
helped make ECU's offensive class one of the best — if not THE best — in
four years under Coach Ruffin McNeill. These were four uncommitted
players who decided to play for the Pirates on signing day.
The first major victory occurred at
approximately 8:59 a.m. on national signing day when a letter of intent
arrived at ECU from Virginia Beach, VA, running back Anthony Scott.
Scott had been the Pirates top backfield target throughout the
recruiting process, but held off on announcing a final decision between
ECU, Old Dominion and Virginia Tech until signing day.
Just minutes later, at 9:05, came the
letter from Hutchinson Community College offensive guard Quincy
McKinney, who had kept the ECU coaching staff on pins and needles as he
waivered between the Pirates, Louisville and N.C. State.
At 9:45, the name of Terrell Green
appeared on ECU's signing list. Green was sort of a late target for the
Pirates and not many were aware they were pursuing him, but the
Charleston, SC, wide receiver looks like he may be a real steal.
The final "surprise'' for the Pirates
occurred at 11:45 when junior college offensive lineman Dontae
Levingston faxed in his letter from Santa Monica College in California.
Now that the entire class is signed,
sealed and delivered, here's our offensive position-by-position analysis
and a look toward what the Pirates may be looking for as they recruit
the Class of 2015.
QUARTERBACK D+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The Pirates want to
sign a quarterback almost every year, but it became a slightly bigger
priority last October when Shane Carden's backup, Cody Keith, was shut
down for the season because of a chronic problem in his throwing elbow.
Keith's situation moved true freshman Kurt Benkert up to the No. 2 spot
behind Carden on the depth chart and left ECU with only two scholarship
quarterbacks available. So signing at least one quarterback in this
class became a much higher priority.
WHO SIGNED: No one specifically for
the quarterback position. Three wide receiver signees — Dre Massey,
Malik Gray and Quay Johnson — were all high school quarterbacks. Gray or
Massey might be able to serve as quarterbacks in the pinch, but are not
full-time solutions for the future.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: They really
didn't, which is why the grade for this category is so low.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: This is also
why the grade in this category isn't an F. The ECU coaching staff gets
an A+ for effort in trying to sign
John Wolford
from Jacksonville, FL, and
Shawn Stankavage from Raleigh. Both
made verbal commitments to the Pirates with Wolford going first last
September. But when the record setter who broke many of Tim Tebow's
marks in Florida began weighing the prospects of redshirting behind
Carden next year or playing immediately at Wake Forest, he switched to
the Demon Deacons in December. Plan B for ECU was Stankavage, the son of
former North Carolina quarterback Scott Stankavage. An underrated
prospect whose only other offer was from Wyoming at the time, Stankavage
gave the Pirates his pledge on December 20. But on the heels of that
commitment, he went on an official visit to Vanderbilt and returned home
with a change of heart. Stankavage signed with the Commodores and left
ECU without enough time to really pursue any other options.
WHO'S BACK: Well, just one of the
best and most underrated quarterbacks in the entire nation. It was pure
travesty that Shane Carden failed to the make the list of finalists for
the Davey O'Brien Award in 2013. The O'Brien is given annually to the
nation's top quarterback and you can't tell me there are 16 ones better
than Carden. In earning Conference USA Most Valuable Player honors,
Carden completed 387 of 549 passes for 4,139 yards and 33 touchdowns. If
that wasn't enough of a contribution to ECU's 10-win season, Carden
added 10 rushing touchdowns to his production. The Pirates are truly
blessed to have Carden for one more season, but the lack of experience
behind him is alarming. The only other quarterback on the roster with
game experience is junior Cody Keith, who appeared in three games last
season as Carden's backup before elbow issues sent him to the sidelines.
I'm sure the coaching staff will test Keith again during spring
practice, but we probably won't know for sure if he'll be available in
2014 until next fall. Redshirt freshman Kurt Benkert hasn't played a
down yet, but he's already gone through a spring practice and a full
season in the system watching Carden. So while he isn't the athlete that
Carden is, Benkert has the potential to run the offense effectively. The
quarterback wild card in ECU's system is redshirt freshman B.J. Beecher.
Beecher, from Concord, NC, is a lanky 6-foot-7, 215-pounder who failed
to generate a lot of scholarship offers from major-college programs
despite passing for more than 10,000 yards during his prep career at
Concord. ECU enticed him to Greenville as a preferred walk on, but as he
continues to develop physically it wouldn't surprise me to see him make
a gradual rise up the quarterback depth chart.
WHO'S GONE: No one. The Pirates are
expected to return every quarterback on their roster, from the
scholarship guys to walk-ons.
NEED FOR 2015: Missing out on Wolford
and Stankavage, combined with Carden's pending graduation after the 2013
season, has moved the quarterback position up to No. 1 on ECU's
recruiting priority list for 2015. According to Rivals.com, the Pirates
have already extended a scholarship offer to 2015 in-state quarterback
prospect Kendall Hinton from Durham's Southern High School. But I'm
willing to be there be multiple offers extended to quarterbacks by ECU
before spring practice starts. With the state of North Carolina
seemingly unusually rich in senior class quarterback talent, don't be
surprised if the Pirates wind up signing two next February.
RUNNING BACK B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: The Pirates signed
two running backs a year ago, but one of them, JUCO Terrell Lane, never
reported. His absence, and the presence of three scholarship backs on
the 2013 roster who were seniors or juniors made grabbing two players
here the preferred number for 2014.
WHO SIGNED: ECU grabbed its No. 1
running back target in Anthony Scott, a 5-foot-9, 180-pounder from Green
Run High School in Virginia Beach, VA, on signing day. Scott was
selected by the Virginian-Pilot newspaper as its Beach District
Offensive Player of the Year as a senior when he ran for 1,313 yards and
22 touchdowns, while also grabbing 37 passes for another 915 yards and
eight scores. He narrowed his list of college possibilities to the
Pirates, Old Dominion and Virginia Tech, the latter of which tried to
persuade him to come to Blacksburg as a greyshirt and sit out a year
before being awarded a scholarship. But on signing day Scott opted to
sail with the Pirates, who want him in uniform immediately.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Scott is one
of those slippery backs who defenders never really seem able to get a
solid tackle on when he's running with the football. He's not the
fastest guy in the world, but he's much stronger than his size might
indicate and the guy has terrific hands that make him an effective
receiver out of the backfield or in the slot. If any of the returning
backs falter in preseason practice, Scott could find himself playing a
major role in the ECU backfield as a true freshman.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: East Carolina
offered two all-purpose backs in its own backyard, but neither
Havelock's Derrell Scott or Marcelias Scott from Warsaw gave the Pirates
much consideration before signing with Tennessee and N.C. State
respectively.
WHO'S BACK: Breon Allen, who'll be a
senior in 2014, came on strong after a slow start as Vintavious Cooper's
backup down the stretch and finished second in rushing with 311 yards
and three touchdowns on just 62 carries. Junior Chris Hairston also
showed he's a capable back when healthy, especially during an 18-carry,
94-yard rushing effort against Middle Tennessee. Hairston's carries
diminished after Allen began to emerge in the second half, but he still
finished with 186 yards and three touchdowns. Junior walk-on Cory Hunter
(7 carries, 27 yards) was also seeing some significant action through
the first three games last season before having his season ended with a
knee injury. Anxious to start competing for playing time this spring
will be redshirt freshman Marquez Grayson, a bigger, more durable back
who could be an asset in short-yardage situations and more.
WHO'S GONE: Vintavious Cooper enjoyed
a brilliant two-year run with the Pirates after transferring in from
Southwest Mississippi Community College. Cooper piled up 2,242 yards
rushing and scored 20 touchdowns as a two-year starter and earned
second-team All-Conference USA honors as a senior. He saved his best for
last, gaining 198 yards on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns in
ECU's Beef "O'' Brady's Bowl victory against Ohio.
Along with Cooper, fullback/tight end Zico Pasut and
defensive-lineman-turned-fullback Jimmy Booth also completed their
eligibility in 2013.
NEED FOR 2015: Allen completes his
eligibility after the 2014 season, while Hairston and Hunter are seniors
in 2015. The Pirates may be looking to replace all three in one class
based on the number of early offers they've apparently made to running
backs. They'll take at least two, but three isn't out of the question.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
A-
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Between three and
five was the original need before a rash of losses put a dent in the
Pirates depth chart. First, sophomore Jabril Solomon was ruled
ineligible in August after a promising freshman year in which he caught
17 passes for 410 yards and a touchdown. Then, in October, Danny Webster
and Quataye Smyre were similarly penalized for violating team rules.
While there is a possibility that Solomon may return, Smyre is not
enrolled this semester and Webster’s arrest on DWI charges just last
weekend have put his future with the program in real jeopardy. A knee
injury that cut short the stellar start to freshman Davon Grayson’s
career cost the Pirates another receiver after the first six games.
Those losses, and graduation departures led ECU to pursue an even higher
number of receiver prospects.
WHO SIGNED: In alphabetical order,
here we go. We’ll start with
Steve
Baggett from Beaufort, SC, a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder who
caught 29 passes for 556 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior.
Appalachian State and Charlotte also offered scholarships to Baggett.
Next, a repeat signee from Wilmington, NC, Trevon Brown originally was
part of the Class of 2013. But Brown failed to enroll after his high
school transcript was submitted to the NCAA’s Clearinghouse too late.
He’s the career leader in receiving yards at New Hanover High with 2,601
yards, including 1,182 as a senior. ECU was his only offer out high
school.
Curtis
Burston of Apex, NC, played just seven games as a senior
at Middle Creek High, but still managed 40 catches for 759 yards and 13
touchdowns. The Shrine Bowl all-star also had offers from Boston
College, Charlotte, Furman and Old Dominion.
The next three guys were all prep
quarterbacks.
Malik Gray,
from, Inman High in Chapman, SC, amassed 1,876 yards passing and 667
rushing as a senior. The Pirates were Gray’s lone major-college offer.
Quay Johnson
from Knightdale, NC, chose ECU over Appalachian State, Charlotte and Old
Dominion.
Dre Massey
racked up more than 4,800 yards of total offense and scored 62
touchdowns as a senior at Mauldin, SC, High. Marshall was Massey’s other
scholarship offer.
Finally, Terrell Green of Charleston,
SC, made 36 catches for 775 yards. Green’s lone offer came from the
Pirates.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Baggett, of
course, is the H-back/tight end guy. He’s got excellent hands and moves
pretty well for a big fellow, which will allow ECU to line him up in the
slot at times. Brown, Burston and Green are big, physical receivers
who’ll provide difficult matchups for smaller corners. Gray, Johnson and
Massey are the agile, quick, playmakers capable of turning short throws
or jet sweeps into long gains. Burston and Brown are already enrolled
for the spring semester and should insert themselves into the receiver
rotation immediately.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY:
Markell
Boston is a two-way performer from East Coweta High in
Sharpsburg, GA, who decided to cast his lot with ECU on Jan. 19 for the
chance to play wide receiver at the major-college level. But Boston
almost immediately began hedging on the pledge by making an official
visit to Alabama on the weekend after he committed to the Pirates. But
when SEC member Auburn came calling with an offer to play safety, Boston
made the switch and signed with the Tigers.
WHO’S BACK: Seven players who caught
passes in games last season are scheduled to return, including three who
started at least half the regular-season games. The contingent will be
headed by All-American candidate Justin Hardy. Hardy, who'll be a
senior, is on the brink of re-writing the ECU records books for
receiving. The former walk-on earned first-team All-C-USA honors as a
junior when he made an amazing 114 receptions for 1,284 yards — both
school single-season records — and scored eight touchdowns. The heir
apparent to Hardy now seems to be Isaiah Jones, son of the ex-Pirate
linebacker great Robert Jones. Isaiah made a strong case for C-USA
Rookie of the Year honors when he ranked second to Hardy in team
receptions with 62 catches for 604 yards and five touchdowns as a true
freshman. Another true freshman, Davon Grayson, started the first six
games and hauled in four touchdown passes before a knee injury sent him
to the sidelines for the season. Grayson is likely to sit out spring
drills as he recovers from the injury, but should be ready to resume
action next fall. A trio of walk-ons who saw considerable action also
return in senior Cam Worthy (19-295-2), junior Cedric Thompson (4-38-0)
and sophomore Jimmy Williams (5-66-0). And let's not forget tight
end/receiver Bryce Williams. The transfer from Marshall was an effective
weapon in the passing game for ECU in his first season, especially near
the goal line. He caught 20 passes for 220 yards and five scores on the
year. Redshirt freshman Darren Dowdell is another true tight end who
could work as an understudy to Bryce Williams. Although he's not
currently enrolled at ECU, there is still hope that Jabril Solomon may
return to the program at some point. Solomon had an impressive freshman
year in 2012 when he led the Pirates with an average of 24.1 yards per
catch.
WHO'S GONE: Starters Lance Ray and
Reece Wiggins both made solid contributions as seniors. Ray caught 28
passes for 273 yards and three scores, while also serving as a reliable
kick returner. Wiggins made 26 receptions for 372 yards and four
touchdowns, including three scoring receptions in his final game at
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
NEED FOR 2015: The big numbers at
receiver secured this year, combined with the loss of just two seniors
after the 2014 season in Hardy and Worthy, means this area won't be a
priority. But with that said, you can still expect the Pirates to pursue
three or four more at the inside and outside receiver positions.
CENTER C+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: All three players
on the depth chart at center for the Beef "O" Brady's Bowl are expected
back next fall as is another potential center in redshirt freshman
Christian Matau. Only one of the returnees will be a senior in 2013, so
the magic number here was probably one.
WHO SIGNED: You can never really be
exactly sure where some of the line signees will wind up playing, but
when he committed
Kyle
Erickson from Fayetteville, NC, noted center was one of
the positions he's been recruited to play at ECU. Erickson, a 6-4,
280-pounder, was a two-time All-Cape Fear region selection and as a
senior was named to the North Carolina squad for the Shrine Bowl of the
Carolinas (he didn't play, however, due to an injury).
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Erickson is a
smart, football savvy player with a great work ethic. He's been tutored
by former ECU offensive lineman Brian Rimpf at Jack Britt High School
and his father, Kevin, was also a college center. He'll need time to
develop physically and train himself more on making the shotgun snaps.
But Erickson has the tools to become a starter at some point in his
college career. Whether that'll be at center or guard may be the only
question.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Andrew
Marshall from Cumming, GA, was rated the nation's No. 9 center prospect
by Rivals.com. ECU extended a scholarship offer to Marshall around May
and he stayed open to the Pirates for another month before focusing on
Atlantic Coast Conference schools. Marshall eventually decided to stay
close to home and play for Georgia Tech.
WHO'S BACK: The three players who
took every snap at center for ECU last season are scheduled to return.
Original walk-on, C.J. Struyk, went from special teams performer to
start 11 of 13 games at center as a sophomore. But the last start of the
year against Ohio in the Beef "O" Brady's Bowl went to Taylor Hudson,
who had been the starter through the first half of the 2012 before an
injury sent him back to a reserve role. Hudson will be a senior next
fall. No. 3 on the center depth chart for the bowl game was J.T. Boyd,
who was also a backup at right guard. Boyd, a rising sophomore, appeared
in eight games. Redshirt freshman Christian Matau worked as the scout
team center for much of 2013 and could be another center candidate.
WHO'S GONE: The Pirates don't lose
anyone to graduation at the center position.
NEED FOR 2015: Even with Hudson
completing his eligibility at the end of the 2014 season, ECU seems well
stocked at center for a couple of years. If they sign a pure center,
it'll be because he's special.
GUARD C+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: With both starters
on track to graduate after the 2013 season, finding two to three
potential replacements was fairly critical for the Pirates.
WHO SIGNED: ECU signed a player
capable of stepping right into the starting lineup in Quincy McKinney
from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he earned second-team
All-Jayhawk honors. McKinney is originally from Columbus, GA, and signed
out of Carver High School with South Carolina in 2011. But he failed to
meet NCAA academic entrance requirements and spent that year at Fork
Union Military Academy in Virginia. McKinney signed with N.C. State
following a semester at Fork Union and spent two years with the Wolfpack
before leaving school in May 2013. He wound up at Hutchinson and comes
to Greenville with two years of eligibility remaining. Erickson may also
be included with the guard signees, but without him the Pirates came up
a bit shy in meeting their need.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: McKinney has
Division I experience already and is expected to contend right away for
one of the two starting guard jobs that are open due to graduation
losses.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: The fact the
Pirates only offered a handful of guard prospects kind of kills my
theory they were looking for two or three players at the position.
Outside of McKinney, they really didn't get any serious consideration
from other guard prospects.
WHO'S BACK: Rising senior Drew Gentry
has seen plenty of action in a reserve role at guard the last three
seasons and played in all 13 games last year. The only other guards
returning with playing experience are rising senior Kiefer Neal (six
games in 2013) and walk-on senior Jonathan Powers (two). A wild card at
guard for ECU could be junior Marquise Wallace. Wallace began his
college career at West Virginia, but eligibility concerns prompted his
departure before the end of preseason drills his freshman year. He tried
but failed to get into Marshall from there, so he wound up spending two
seasons at Lackawanna Community College. He signed with ECU out of
Lackawanna, but after being touted for possible early playing time by
Coach Ruffin McNeill on signing day never played a down in 2013. Wallace
is a powerful athlete who plays with great tenacity, which could make
him a candidate for playing time at guard next fall.
WHO'S GONE: Will Simmons made 38
consecutive career starts at right guard and Jordan Davis 33 at left
guard for the Pirates. Simmons earned first-team All-C-USA honors, while
Davis was a second-team choice in 2013.
NEED FOR 2015: Gentry, Neal and
Powers all finish up after the 2014 season and need to be replaced.
Since ECU signed a big class of tackles this time around watch for three
to four guard prospects to be part of the 2015 class.
TACKLE B+
WHAT THEY NEEDED: Two or three seemed
to be the numbers ECU needed at tackle early last year. But despite some
significant depth at the position those projections apparently weren't
in the ballpark.
WHO SIGNED:
Des
Barmore (6-6, 295) was a two-time, first-team all-city
pick in Columbus, GA, and also received scholarship offers from Georgia
State, Louisiana-Lafayette and San Diego State. From Fort Lauderdale,
FL, the Pirates landed Erik Lenzen (6-5, 265), a three-year letterwinner
at Cardinal Gibbons High (Bowling Green, Florida International, South
Alabama offers). Another Floridian,
Garrett
McGhinn (6-6, 270) from Tallahassee, had Appalachian
State, Florida A&M, Florida International and South Alabama on his final
list. South Carolina Shrine Bowler
Messiah Rice
(6-5, 255) from Orangeburg entertained Appalachian State and Charlotte
offers. Finally, Dontae Levingston, a transfer from Santa Monica College
in California picked the Pirates over multiple scholarship offers, the
most notable of which were from Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech.
HOW ECU HELPED ITSELF: Levingston
could challenge for a starting job, but is more likely to work at a No.
2 spot on the depth chart in the beginning. Barmore, Lenzen and McGhinn
will all require some physical growth before getting on the field. Rice
is in the same boat as the latter three physically, but may be the best
overall athlete in the bunch. Give strength and conditioning coach Jeff
Connors a year or two with these guys and they'll be beasts.
BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Will
Richardson was one of the state's top blocking prospects in a thin class
of offensive linemen. Richardson, from Burlington's Cummings High,
received an early offer from the Pirates. But his interest was minimal.
Richardson committed to Virginia, but switched to N.C. State by signing
day.
WHO'S BACK: Ike Harris moved from a
reserve role in 2012 to the starting left tackle job last season, where
he opened 12 of 13 games. Harris should be an all-star candidate as a
junior in 2014. Tre Robertson stepped in to make six starts last season
when Adhem Elsawi missed time last season at right tackle and should
head into spring practice as the starter there. Juniors Stewart Hinson
(five games in 2013) and Chaz Lowery (5) are other scheduled to return
with playing experience. Ready to join the mix this spring will be a
trio of redshirt freshmen in Ryan Revia, Brandon Smith and Larry
Williams.
WHO'S GONE: Adhem Elsawi transferred
to ECU after spending a year at Campbell University and became a
three-year mainstay on the offensive line for the Pirates. Injuries
limited him to eight starts in 10 games at right tackle as a senior, but
Elsawi still earned C-USA honorable mention honors and was an all-league
academic pick.
NEED FOR 2015: With all the rookies
in the 2014 class, the Pirates should be well stocked at tackle for the
next two years. That doesn't mean they won't recruit one or two, but
it's not the most pivotal need.
OVERALL OFFENSE GRADE B
Missing on a quarterback and a bit
more help at the guard positions hurt the final grade, but strong talent
at receiver and at tackle pulled it back to honor roll status.
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02/12/2014 08:34 AM |
