John Spellacy

Height:
6-1
Weight:
290
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Westlake, Ohio
High School:
St. Ignatius
Major:
Finance

Hopes for a return to active status after sophomore campaign was cut in half due to a recurring injury … Made one of the biggest impacts in recent memory on ECU’s offensive line as a true freshman in 2017 and was a projected honors candidate at the center position to open the 2018 season … Thrown into the fire immediately by making his first career start at West Virginia’s Milan Puskar Stadium and captured a one-on-one matchup with Houston All-American Ed Oliver later that season … Couples an unmatched blue-collar work ethic and toughness with a firm grasp of schematic assignments … Also displays leadership ability on and off the field and is respected by teammates … The 2019 season will mark his third different position coach in four years (Geep Wade/2017, Don Mahoney/2018, Steve Shankweiler/2019) if full comeback is realized … Held out of contact work during the spring because of the aforementioned injury.

2018: Started the first six games at center – North Carolina A&T, North Carolina, USF, Old Dominion, Temple, Houston – before suffering recurring symptoms from a previous injury (that forced him to the sidelines for the remainder of the season) … Helped the Pirates amass 400-plus yards of total offense on four occasions, which included a 510-yard outing vs. the Tar Heels and a 492-yard afternoon vs. the Monarchs … Played a key role in a season-best 220-yard rushing effort against North Carolina that resulted in a 41-19 victory at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium … Assisted in a pair of 300-yard passing performances by Reid Herring (309/N.C. A&T, 309/ODU) … A Third-Team Preseason All-American Athletic Conference selection by Athlons.

2017: Answered the call of duty as the Pirates’ top center for the majority of the season … Decision to remove possible redshirt was made near the close of preseason camp … Played in nine games and started eight … Opened tilts against West Virginia (Week 2), Virginia Tech, Connecticut, BYU, Houston, Tulane, Cincinnati and Memphis … Along with Garrett McGhin and Brandon Smith, helped anchor a line which played a key role for a unit which ranked 12^th nationally in passing offense (317.9 ypg) and 42^nd in total offense (425.6 ypg) ... Also part of four individual 300-yard passing games and one 100-yard rushing effort … A vital component for an offense which racked up 400-plus yards of total offense on six occasions, including a season-best 596-yard total against the Huskies … Assisted in the establishment of two single-game school and AAC records – Trevon Brown’s 270-yard receiving day vs. Cincinnati and Gardner Minshew’s 52 completions at Houston … Enjoyed the upper hand during a one-on-one matchup against the Cougars’ All-America defensive tackle Ed Oliver (held to just four tackles, only one for lost yardage) at TDECU Stadium … Arrived on campus in mid-May for the first summer semester and immediately began work in Pirates’ strength and conditioning program … Did not play in successive weeks against USF, Temple and UCF (illness).

High School: Played integral role as an anchor for an offensive line of a St. Ignatius program that rolled to a 13-2 mark, a state runner-up standing and No. 19 national rank in 2016 … Was a three-year varsity performer and team captain for legendary coach Chuck Kyle, who has totaled more than 300 victories and 11 state titles over four decades … Earned All-Ohio accolades as a senior (first-team) and junior (second-team) … A two-way player who also experienced action on the defensive line … Selected as the MVP of the offensive line following senior season, a campaign which ended with a 27-20 double overtime setback to St. Xavier in the Ohio Division I Championship Game … Helped Wildcats to a 5-4 mark in 2015 and was selected to the All-Northeast Lakes District squad … Earned a three-star rating, a No. 82 overall rank and a No. 25 national positional standing by 247Sports.com … Rated as a two-star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com … Also recruited by Army, Navy, Ball State, Bowling Green, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Marshall, Purdue, Syracuse, Toledo and Air Force … Excelled in the classroom with Second Honors, which recognizes students who possess a grade point average between 3.70 and 3.999 at the highly-regarded all-boys private school.

Personal: Full name is John Anthony Spellacy … Born at Cleveland, Ohio … Son of John and Kathy Spellacy … Father, who was recently inducted into the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame after a notable four-year football career that included 392 tackles and an appearance in the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game, was a college teammate of former ECU Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach Tony Petersen … A finance major who earned ECU Honor Roll accolades for classroom work during the 2018 fall semester.