Bonesville Presents East Carolina Football Recruting... -
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Published on: 12/16/2003
Last Visited: 8/10/2008
The Pirates picked up immediate impact players in tight end Willie Metcalf and free safety Zack Baker from Pima Community College in Tucson, Az.
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Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 255 pounds, Metcalf may be the largest target to ever line up at the tight end position for ECU.But he isn't just a big body.Metcalf has 4.7-second speed in the 40-yard dash and the hands of a wide out.
Yet, because of the unusual path Wright's college career has taken, he'll only be able to play one season — 2004 — at East Carolina.
"He's had some ups and downs, but there's no question, with some work, Willie can be a great football player," Pima coach Jeff Scurran said.
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Offered scholarships by many Division I-A schools, Metcalf chose instead to join the Ohio State program as a recruited walk-on.
But two weeks into the Buckeyes pre-season practice that fall, the NCAA Clearinghouse ruled Metcalf academically ineligible.He left the school in disgust and sat out the 1999-2000 school year.Eastern Arizona College lured Metcalf to Thatcher, Ariz.., to play football and basketball in the fall of 2000.But one week into pre-season football practice, Metcalf suffered a knee injury that sidelined him until basketball season.He enjoyed a successful year on the basketball court, but would not return to Eastern Arizona for the 2001-2002 season.
Instead, Metcalf got married during the summer and transferred to Spoon River College in Canton, Ill., to be closer to his wife.Metcalf averaged 11 points and 6.4 rebounds for a 22-9 Spoon River team that was nationally ranked among junior colleges.
Thanks to a former football teammate at Eastern Arizona, Metcalf resumed his football career at the fledgling Pima program.
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"He spent a red-shirt year at Eastern Arizona and he became friends with Willie there.
"We don't actively recruit kids outside of our state, but Blake told us Willie had a lot of raw talent and that he liked him as a person.
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So we brought Willie in.
"He'd been playing basketball, so his overall athletic skills are excellent," he said."But he is still developing as a football player.He really needs to get coached up to reach his full potential and that's what I told the East Carolina coaches."
Metcalf performed well enough for Pima this season to earn second-team All-Western States Football League honors.He caught 18 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns.
Schools like Iowa, Miami, Mississippi State, N.C. State, Rutgers, South Carolina and Washington had inquired about Metcalf.
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WILLIE METCALF (6-7, 260, 4.7) PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TUCSON, ARIZ. — Committed to ECU along with teammate FS Zack Baker.Metcalf originally signed with Ohio State but fell short academically and embarked on a journey through three junior colleges, including a stint as a basketball player.Has one year of eligibility remaining but offers enough potential that he also drew recruiting interest from Miami, noted his coach.
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