Montgomery Leading A Mad Recruiting Scramble At East Carolina

We are in the final stages of the 2016 recruiting period and the East Carolina Pirates are ranked #97 overall and #11 in the AAC. Recruiting has been a little tough with an almost completely new coaching staff and very little time to identify prospects. Montgomery and company have added two commits and kept very important recruits committed, so that much is a success.

Should the Pirates faithful be worried about a possible poor recruiting class or have faith in the coaching staff that the best players that fit their philosophy are joining the program?

Of the 13 players that are listed on both the 247Sports and Rivals databases as committed to East Carolina, only one is a guaranteed Pirate. Projected guard Cortez Herrin of Saluda, South Carolina is an early enrollee from the high school level. The three-star guard has impressive size at 6-4, 320 pounds and should be able to find out just how college ready he is during spring drills.

Outside of Herrin, the Pirates have 12 players committed and ready to sign their letters of intent on national signing day. With recruiting for the 2016 class coming to a head, we might as well look at who the Pirates have committed right now.

Offense:

• Tahj Deans, WR: Deans is a three-star wide receiver that have good size (6-2, 180). The Bailey, North Carolina native has offers from Appalachian State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest among others.
• Johnnie Glaspie, RB: The 5-11 running back has been committed to the Pirates since July of 2015. The three-star recruit committed to East Carolina over offers from Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Charlotte, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.
• Emmanuel Jones, WR: The three-star wide receiver has been a strong commit for the Pirates since July of 2015. The ECU coaching staff has worked hard to keep the #48 player in North Carolina despite offers from North Carolina State, Purdue, and West Virginia.
• Reid Herring, QB: The strong armed quarterback from Raleigh, North Carolina is a three-star pro-style quarterback. He is the #55 ranked player in North Carolina and at 6-3, 172 pounds, Herring looks the part of a college quarterback. Herring was also offered by Boston College and Miami.
• Jack Doyle, OT: Doyle is an interesting offensive tackle prospect that needs a bit of time to grow into his body. He is 6-6, but only 240 pounds. Doyle can turn into an athletic and talented tackle, but could easily also slide into a significant role at tight end. The three-star recruit is the #60 player in North Carolina.
• Kenyon Taylor, WR: The two-star Taylor was once an Old Dominion commit before turning to the Pirates in late June of 2015. Taylor is the lowest ranked recruit for ECU on the offensive side of the ball, but should fit in well for the Pirates. Taylor could also be moved to the defensive side of the ball if needed.

Defense:

• Keyshawn Canady, CB: The Teachey, North Carolina native is an incredible athlete that looks to fit most naturally at cornerback. Canady is a three-star rated recruit that has size at 6-0 to challenge for playing time immediately. The #63 recruit in North Carolina has been offered by North Carolina and West Virginia among others.
• Kendall Futrell, DE/LB: Futrell is a three-star rated outside linebacker/defensive end out of Winterville, North Carolina. He has the athleticism to rush the passer and also play with his hand on the ground. Futrell may need some time to adjust to the college level. Rutgers was his only other offer.
• Aubry Payne, OLB: Only one of three committed recruits for ECU that comes from out of state, Payne could play on either side of the ball. He seems to be more of an outside linebacker, a position that needs extra depth after the loss of Montese Overton to graduation. The two-star player out of Georgia has offers from Wake Forest, Cincinnati, and Georgia State.
• Jalen Price, DT: The two-star commit is a solid 280 pounds, but was not highly recruited. Price is the #81 ranked player in North Carolina and was also offered by Elon. The Pirates could get a steal in Price.
• Alexander Turner, DT: The most recent commit to ECU, and only one of two commits during the Montgomery era, Turner is a two-star defensive tackle. He has the size at 6-3, 285 pounds and four total offers. The offer from ECU was the first at the FBS level for the Houston, Texas native.
• Aaron Ramseur, ILB: Ramseur is a two-star recruit that has offers from Appalachian State and Toledo among others. The Shelby, North Carolina native will be stepping in at a middle linebacker group that has to replace Zeek Bigger.