Thompson Unveils ECU's 2003 Football Signing Class
February 05, 2003 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina University head football coach John Thompson officially unveiled his 2003 signing class this afternoon in a special Signing Day Party at ECU's Murphy Center. The class includes 18 high school recruits and one junior college transfer.
A crowd of greater than 350, including fans, supporters and media, packed the Murphy Center's Harvey Hall to hear Thompson introduce members of his coaching staff and comment on the newly signed recruits. Video highlight clips from ECU's 2002 season as well as highlights of each new recruit were shown on a projection screen. Cheers went up among the standing-room-only crowd as recruits were shown making big hits and nifty offensive moves.
"The first thing that we told our recruits when they came in was this program is all about family. That is what today is about as well, the Pirate family," Thompson told the gathering.
The 2003 ECU signing class reflects Thompson's coaching staff's ties to Florida as eight hail from the Sunshine State. Georgia and Virginia are also represented among the out-of-state recruits.
By position, the well-balanced class includes four defensive linemen, three tight ends, three wide receivers, three defensive backs, two offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, and two running backs.
"We have 22 great guys in our recruiting class this year," Thompson said. "We have three that were already on campus from last year that will be qualified to play for us next year. We've signed 10 prospects from the state of North Carolina; we signed nine from the state of Florida, two from Georgia and one from Virginia. It is a well rounded class; it will get better and we still have room for some others.
"Our two main areas that we tried to focus on were tight ends and defensive backs. We've signed three tight ends and four defensive backs and they fit great into our program," he added.
Exactly half of the 18 high school recruits were all-state selections in 2002 and nine were rated in the top 50 overall players in the state and/or top 100 in the nation at their position by various media sources.
The three additional players who signed scholarship papers recently after initially committing to the Pirates in 2002 are wide receiver Iverick Harris (Burlington, N.C./Cummings High), defensive lineman Shauntae Hunt (Warrenton, N.C./Warren County High), and defensive lineman Eric Terry (Rockingham, N.C./Richmond County High).
Following is a complete list of ECU's 2003 football signing class, followed by brief biographical information on each:
| NAME |
POS. |
HT. |
WT. |
HOMETOWN |
HIGH SCHOOL/JUCO |
| Virgil Black | OL | 6-4 | 320 | Lexington, N.C. | Lexington HS |
| Thomas Bradley | QB | 5-11 | 180 | Ft. Pierce, Fla. | Ft. Pierce Westwood HS |
| Jeff Bumgarner | OL | 6-4 | 280 | Orlando, Fla. | Olympia HS |
| Kyle Chase | DB | 5-10 | 190 | Atlanta, Ga. | Cedar Grove HS |
| Wendell Chavis | DE | 6-4 | 240 | Ahoskie, N.C. | Hertford County HS |
| Josh Coffman | TE | 6-6 | 240 | Palmetto, Fla. | Palmetto HS |
| Juwon Crowell | WR | 6-3 | 190 | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Carver HS |
| Kevin Fain | RB | 5-11 | 215 | Palm Bay, Fla. | Scottsdale [Ariz.] CC |
| Mike Horner | DE | 6-4 | 250 | Williamston, N.C. | Williamson HS |
| Brian Howard | WR | 6-3 | 170 | Clinton, N.C. | Clinton HS |
| Erode Jean | DB | 5-11 | 165 | Ft. Pierce, Fla. | Ft. Pierce Westwood HS |
| Brandon Jones | DE | 6-5 | 245 | Miami, Fla. | Hialeah-Miami Lakes HS |
| Marc Jones | TE | 6-3 | 220 | Norfolk, Va. | Lake Taylor HS |
| Manny Levell | TE | 6-3 | 245 | Miami, Fla. | Miami-Edison HS |
| Pierre Parker | QB | 6-2 | 200 | Wilson, N.C. | Beddingfield HS |
| Steven Rogers | WR | 6-2 | 175 | Augusta, Ga. | Evans HS |
| Kasey Ross | DB | 6-1 | 190 | Alachua, Fla. | Gainesville HS |
| Todd Springfield | DL | 6-3 | 285 | Jonesboro, Ga. | Love Joy HS |
| Robert Tillman | RB | 5-11 | 180 | Maxton, N.C. | South Robeson HS |
VIRGIL BLACK
6-4 320 OL
Lexington, N.C. (Lexington HS)
Associated Press All-State selection ... Top 50 prospect (Charlotte Observer) ... East-West All-Star Game ... All-Davidson County ... Rated No. 24 prospect in N.C. by SuperPrep ... Bench presses 440 ... Exceptional blocking grade of 91 percent as a senior ... All-Central Carolina 2-A Conference ... Coached by Billy Hunt.
THOMAS BRADLEY
5-11 180 QB
Ft. Pierce, Fla. (Ft. Pierce Westwood HS)
Passed for 1,500 yards, rushed for 850, and scored 16 TDs as a senior ... MVP of Florida's Outback All-Star Game ... All-state honorable mention ... Led team to 10-3 record and third round of state 3-A playoffs ... Also played receiver, defensive back, and kick returner .. Qualified for state meet in 200 meters and 4x100 relay.
JEFF BUMGARNER
6-4 280 OL
Orlando, Fla. (Olympia HS)
All-Star game participant in Orange County ... Bench presses 300 and runs a 4.9 in the 40 ... Also played tight end in the team's "jumbo package" on offense ... Coached by Mike Cullison.
KYLE CHASE
5-10 190 DB
Atlanta, Ga. (Cedar Grove HS)
First team All-DeKalb County and county MVP among defensive backs ... All-city and all-metro ... Honorable mention all-state ... Registered 98 tackles, including 72 solos, with five interceptions and returned four INTs for touchdowns in 2002 ... Also scored three touchdowns rushing.
WENDELL CHAVIS
6-3 240 DE
Ahoskie, N.C. (Hertford Co. HS)
Recorded 153 tackles in his senior year ... Selected to play in Shrine Bowl all-star game ... Clocked at 4.8 in the 40 ... Coached by Darry Allen.
JOSH COFFMAN
6-6 240 TE
Palmetto, Fla. (Palmetto HS)
All-county selection and starter on Sarasota Manatee County All-Star Game ... Rated as the No. 67 tight end prospect in the nation by TheInsiders.com ... Caught 19 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns ... Also saw limited action as a linebacker ... Clocked at 4.7 in the 40 ... Coached by Bob Bowling.
JUWON CROWELL
6-3 190 WR
Winston-Salem, N.C. (Carver HS)
Caught 48 passes for 976 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2002 ... All-Piedmont Triad 3-A Conference ... Rated as No. 29 prospect in the state by SuperPrep and No. 40 prospect by NCHSFootball.com ... Led Yellow Jackets to 3-A state championship ... Brother of Detroit Lions WR Germaine Crowell and UVA linebacker Angelo Crowell.
KEVIN FAIN
5-11 215 RB
Palm Bay, Fla. (Scottsdale [Ariz.] C.C.)
Rated as No. 16 junior college prospect by TheInsiders.com after rushing 98 times for 762 yards and five touchdowns at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College in 2002 ... Averaged 7.8 yards per carry and 108.9 yards per game ... Clocked at 4.5 in the 40.
MIKE HORNER
6-4 250 DE
Williamson, N.C. (Williamston HS)
First-team all-state selection by NCHSFootball.com ... Listed as one of top 50 senior prospects in the state by Fayetteville Observer ... First team all-area (Washington Daily News) ... Rated as No. 35 prospect in the state by SuperPrep ... Helped Tigers to back-to-back state 1-A championships ... Bench presses 300+ and runs 40 in 4.7.
BRIAN HOWARD
6-3 170 WR
Clinton, N.C. (Clinton HS)
Associated Press All-State selection ... Shrine Bowl team participant ... All-region pick as a defensive back ... Listed as top 50 prospect by Charlotte Observer ... MVP of state 2-A finals ... All 2-A team (NCHSFootball.com) as both WR and DB ... Rated as No. 17 prospect in the state by SuperPrep ... Helped Clinton HS to back-to-back undefeated seasons and state 2-A championships.
ERODE JEAN
5-11 165 DB
Ft. Pierce, Fla. (Ft. Pierce Westwood HS)
Second-team all-state pick ... Selected to play in Outback All-Star Game ... Led all area receivers in receptions ... Scored three touchdowns and had four interceptions in state playoffs ... Versatile player who also saw action at receiver and kick returner ... Member of track team ... Coached by Kevin McMahon.
BRANDON JONES
6-5 245 DE
Miami, Fla. (Hialeah Miami-Lakes HS)
Second team all-state ... Listed as a top 100 prospect in Florida by Rivals.com ... Collected 40 tackles with team-high nine sacks as a senior ... Rated as No. 31 defensive end prospect in nation by Rivals.com and No. 106 prospect among DEs by TheInsiders.com ... Clocked at 4.6 in the 40 ... Coached by Jeff Rogers.
MARC JONES
6-3 220 TE
Norfolk, Va. (Lake Taylor HS)
Second team all-state and all-region ... Helped block for two Titan backs who totaled 2,300 yards rushing ... First team all-district on both offense (tight end) and defense (linebacker) ... Caught 15 passes for team that went 9-2 and reached the regional semifinals ... Also plays basketball ... Coached by Hank Sawyer.
MANNY LEVELL
6-3 245 TE
Miami, Fla. (Miami-Edison HS)
Recorded 36 catches for 561 yards in six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury ... Team was 5-0 before his injury and finished 9-2 on the 5-A level ... Clocked at 4.5 in the 40 ... Coached by Corey Bell.
PIERRE PARKER
6-2 200 QB
Wilson, N.C. (Beddingfield HS)
All-state (NCPreps.com) and all-area selection ... Rated as top 25 prospect in the state by at least one online service ... Selected for Shrine Bowl and East-West All-Star Game ... Passed for 1,312 yards and rushed for 802 yards as a senior, accounting for 28 touchdowns ... Passed for 2,082 yards as a junior ... All-Big Eight 3-A Conference ... All-Atlantic Region (Rivals.com) ... Coached by Tom Nelson.
STEVEN ROGERS
6-2 175 WR
Augusta, Ga. (Evans HS)
Two-time first team all-area ... All-state honorable mention ... Rated as No. 118 receiver prospect in the nation by TheInsiders.com ... Rated No. 54 overall prospect in Georgia by SuperPrep ... Had 59 receptions for 800 yards and six touchdowns ... Had two interceptions as a safety ... Clocked at 4.5 in the 40 and bench presses 235 pounds ... Coached by Lee Chomskis.
KASEY ROSS
6-1 190 DB
Alachua, Fla. (Gainesville HS)
Passed for 1,529 yards, rushed for 985 yards, and accounted for 16 touchdowns as a senior ... Second team all-state and first team all-area ... Class 3A-5A Offensive Player of the Year (Gainesville Sun) ... Honorable mention all-state as a junior ... Had three interceptions and a fumble recovery while playing as a third-down back on defense.
TODD SPRINGFIELD
6-3 285 DL
Jonesboro, Ga. (Love Joy HS)
All-area and all-region selection ... Named to All Clayton-Henry (second team) by both the Atlanta Constitution and Clayton Daily News ... Recorded 75 tackles with two sacks and seven forced fumbles as a senior ... Clocked at 4.7 in the 40 ... Coached by Al Hughes.
ROBERT TILLMAN
5-11 180 RB
Maxton, N.C. (South Robeson HS)
Named as all-state defensive back by NCPreps.com ... All-region selection by Rivals.com ... Rated as No. 22 prospect in the state by SuperPrep ... All-region (Fayetteville Observer) ... Selected for Shrine Bowl all-star game ... Clocked at 4.3 in the 40 and 10.7 in the 100 meters ... State 2-A long jump champion as a junior.
