James Summers

Height:
6-3
Weight:
218
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Greensboro
Prev School:
Hinds CC
Major:
Communication

A talented and personable athlete who provides the Pirates’ offense with a multitude of play-making options … Offers a level of maturity, strength, toughness and agility that are matched by few … Originally signed with the ECU program with the intention of playing receiver, but was moved to quarterback late during preseason camp in 2015 because of personnel shortages and developed into a part-time starter … Relocated back to receiver, during spring drills and also took reps at running back after impressing new coaching staff with ball security skills, tenacity and elusiveness … Expected to compete with Quay Johnson for a starting assignment at the “H” receiver position … Could contend for honors at the conference level … A Preseason All-American Athletic Conference choice by Phil Steele Magazine (fourth-team) … Picked up 44 yards and a touchdown (35-yard run) on five carries during the first spring scrimmage on April 9 … Had four attempts for eight ground yards in the Purple-Gold Game on April 16 … Work in strength and conditioning program has been equally as impressive … Earned “Elite Pirate” status during spring testing period, recording lifts of 505 pounds (back squat) and 266 (push jerk) … Owns a 31” vertical leap, 4.28 pro shuttle time and ranks among the top 10 percent of unit with a 10’ broad jump, a 4.55 40-yard dash, a 6.75 mark in the three-cone drill and an 11.60 clip in the long shuttle.

2015: Experienced action in 10 games during first season on ECU roster after transferring from Hinds CC … Made move to quarterback (from wide receiver) late during preseason camp and spent first month of season acclimating to new position (did not play vs. Towson and Navy) … Ultimately, made four starts at quarterback (BYU, Temple, Connecticut, USF) … Accounted for 1,129 yards of total offense (112.9 ypg) and was responsible for 13 touchdowns … Was team’s second-leading rusher after picking up 446 yards on 96 attempts (4.6 ypg) … Co-led unit with eight ground scores … Reached paydirt on runs vs. Virginia Tech (5, 41-yarders), SMU (27, 8), BYU (34), Tulsa (6) and USF (7, 3) … Had 10 or more carries in five contests and surpassed 50 yards on three occasions, including personal bests in attempts (21) and yards (169) against Virginia Tech at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium … Rushing total vs. Hokies marked the second-highest ground effort by a Pirate QB since 1979 (178 by Leander Green vs. Richmond) and the first triple-digit outing by an ECU signal-caller since 2000 (David Garrard vs. Tulane) … With an additional 110 passing yards against Virginia Tech, became first quarterback at school to reach a double-triple since Garrard’s performance against Green Wave (112 rush/185 pass) – a span of 189 games … Other notable rushing results include 85 yards at SMU, 55 at BYU, 44 vs. Tulsa and 42 vs. USF … Did not lose a fumble the entire season (in two drops) and had a long run of 41 (VT) … Completed 60-of-94 passes for 683 yards and five TDs … Launched scoring strikes against Virginia Tech (26-yarder to Zay Jones), SMU (47 to Trevon Brown, 16 to Jimmy Williams), Tulsa (12 to Chris Hairston) and Cincinnati (2 to Bryce Williams) … Eclipsed the 100-yard passing mark vs. Virginia Tech (110), SMU (153), Tulsa (127) and USF (career-best 158) … Also established personal-bests in completions (14), pass attempts (22) and longest single completion (56 yards) vs. Bulls … Top completion percentage was 90.0 (9-of-10) against Mustangs in Dallas … Suffered only two interceptions (Tulsa, Connecticut) … Selected to American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll in back-to-back weeks after directing comeback victories against Virginia Tech and SMU (sparked a run of 42 unanswered points after entering game trailing 23-7 midway through second quarter) … Made Pirate debut at Florida in “The Swamp” – completing three-of-four passes for 13 yards (one rushing yard) … Twenty-one (21) of 60 completions went for 10 or more yards (seven for 20-plus, five for 30-plus, two for 40-plus, one for 50-plus) … Play was limited in final two contests with a combined two-of-three passing (10 yards) and four rushes (three yards) against UCF and Cincinnati … Caught only pass of season in tilt vs. Bearcats (seven-yarder) … Chosen as a game captain in road finale against Knights … Earned program’s newcomer-of-the-year honors at conclusion of campaign.

Junior College: Played two seasons at Hinds (Miss.) Community College for head coach Gene Murphy … Used primarily as a quarterback, passed for a combined 2,874 yards, contributed 1,687 rushing yards and accounted for a total of 46 touchdowns during his freshman and sophomore seasons … Completed 109 passes for 1,347 yards and eight TDs in 2014 to guide the Eagles to a 5-4 record … Also contributed 1,002 ground yards and 12 scores as a sophomore … Eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark on five occasions in 2014 … Effort of note in 2014 was an 18-of-30, 280-yard, two-touchdown passing day to add to a 110-yard rushing performance against Jones County JC … Had a long run of 65 yards vs. Northeast Mississippi CC … Threw for 1,527 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 685 yards and 12 more TDs as a freshman in 2013 to lead Hinds to a 7-3 record … Attended Hargrave Military Academy before enrolling at Hinds.

High School: Guided Page to a 15-0 record and a Class 4AA State Championship in 2011 as a senior quarterback for head coach Kevin Gillespie … Passed for 1,506 yards and 20 touchdowns, while adding 1,632 rushing yards and 22 scores as a senior … Threw a pair of TD passes and ran for 116 yards to help Pirates capture the state title … A two-time All-Metro Conference selection … Earned conference offensive player-of-the-year honors as a senior … Originally committed to North Carolina at conclusion of prep career but did not enroll in classes … Also received a reported offer from NC State (in addition to East Carolina) out of high school … Picked up additional varsity letters in basketball, earning All-Metro accolades on the hardwood as well.

Personal: Full name is James Lee Summers … Major is communications.