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Ruff brings another 'son' into the family
By
Sammy Batten
©2015 Bonesville.net
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Inspired by a father-figure type
mentor as a high school football player, Justin Sandifer was hoping to
find someone similar to help guide his college career.
Sandifer believes he found that
person in East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill, which is why the
Mississippi native decided to make a verbal commitment to play for the
Pirates last week.
The 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive
lineman played the last two years at Hinds Community College in Raymond,
MS, where he earned all-region and all-state junior college honors this
season protecting another ECU recruit, quarterback James Summers.
Southeastern Conference schools
Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State also offered Sandifer
scholarships. But he seemed destined to play for Louisville after an
official visit with the Cardinals in December. Before Louisville could
extend a scholarship offer, however, the coaching staff wanted Sandifer
to complete an online course so he could be eligible to enroll for the
spring semester.
When Sandifer didn't complete the
task, the deal with Louisville fell threw and opened the door for East
Carolina. McNeill's personality quickly sold Sandifer on the Pirates,
who will graduate from Hinds in May and enroll at ECU next summer.
“I really like Coach Ruff,'' Sandifer
said. “He talks the talk and walks the walk. I felt like he wanted me to
be his son.''
Sandifer felt a similar bond with
Cedric McSwine, his first head coach at LeFlore County High School in
Greenville, Missisippi. McSwine was a man who was known for challenging
and inspiring young people, especially athletes, in the town of about
34,000 situated along the Mississippi River.
McSwine had his hands full, however,
with Sandifer, who had a knack for missing school and practices during
his freshman and sophomore years.
“Coach (McSwine) was a real big fan
of Justin's,'' current LeFlore head coach Sherrod Gideon said. “When
Justin didn't come to school, he'd send guys over to his house to get
him and bring him back. Justin was just kind of lazy back then, but
Coach McSwine always saw there was a lot of potential there.''
McSwine's sudden death of a heart
attack at age 43 in February 2011 gave Sandifer a new perspective on
life and football.
“He's the one who always told me I
could be the best,'' Sandifer said. “It (McSwine's death) hurt me real
bad. But it also motivated me to be better. I've dedicated all my years
of football since to him and his family.''
Gideon, who had been LeFlore's
offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach and directed
Sandifer's reversal of form.
ECU fans may recognize Gideon's name.
He scored two touchdowns on pass receptions of 4 and 26 yards against
the Pirates while helping Southern Miss to a 41-7 victory in 1998.
Gideon spent a brief time with the NFL's Houston Texans before starting
his coaching career at LeFlore County.
“All of a sudden something clicked
with him,'' Gideon said about Sandifer. “He started showing up at school
every day, on time, and has done that the last two years. He's a guy who
did a complete turnaround, and that's why he's where he is today.''
Because Sandifer waited until his
junior year to start the turnaround, he was short of qualifying
academically for a major-college scholarship at the end of his senior
year. So he headed off to Hinds where he started for two straight
seasons.
Playing tackle as a sophomore,
Sandifer helped pave the way for an offense that averaged 373.1 yards of
total offense and 222.7 rushing as Hinds produced a 5-4 record.
Even though the Pirates will return
both their starting tackles and top backups in 2015, Sandifer believes
he's capable of making an immediate contribution next fall.
“I think I fit perfectly into their
system,'' he said. “It's the same thing we do here. They pass the ball
and I'm a really good pass blocker. I like to run block, too, but I'm a
great pass blocker.''
Sandifer is the 14th player to join
ECU's recruiting Class of 2015, and is the third offensive lineman. His
addition helped the Pirates offset a significant recruiting loss last
weekend.
Charlotte defensive end
Emmanuel
Olenga, who made a verbal commitment to ECU in December,
backed off his pledge over the weekend after taking an official visit to
N.C. State. Olenga later switched his commitment to the Wolfpack.
Olenga is the third player to defect
from ECU's 2015 class after making a verbal commitment to the Pirates.
The others are Tallahassee, FL, linebacker
Danny Thomas,
who committed in May to ECU, then switched to South Florida in August
and North Augusta, GA, offensive lineman
Victor
Johnson, a June pledge to the Pirates before flipping to
Appalachian State in September.
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02/10/2015 03:46 AM |
