Letter of intent No. 1: Safety Freddie Phillips
Safety
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Pelion (S.C.) High
6-foot-1, 188 pounds
Measurables:
• At the VTO Combine in Greenville, S.C., last January, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds and the shuttle in 4.31 seconds, had a 31-inch vertical leap and did 10 reps at 185 pounds on the bench press. His 40-time tied for the fastest among the 47 campers there.
Stats:
• Senior: Ran for 2,362 yards and 38 touchdowns and had 318 yards receiving and three scores.
• Junior: Made 54 tackles and two interceptions on defense and had more than 500 yards receiving.
Ratings:
• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 16 in the state.
• Scout.com: Three stars, No. 72 safety in the country, No. 16 in the state.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 104 safety in the country, No. 18 in the state.
• ESPN: Three stars, No 126 safety in the country, No. 19 in the state.
• National Underclassmen: No. 17 in the state.
• Athlete Vault: No. 16 in the state.
• Charlotte Observer: No. 19 in the state.
Honors/accomplishments:
• Selected to play in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl and the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game, but did not participate in either.
• Named All-Midlands by The State as a senior.
• Also picked by The State as one of the Elite 11 senior players to watch in the region.
• Won the Overall Athlete MVP at the VTO Elite 100 camp in Columbia, S.C., in March.
• Ranked by Rivals.com as the second-best underclassman performer at the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour stop in Charlotte in 2013.
• Also runs track, finishing fourth in the AA state finals of the 400-meters last year with a time of 50.35 seconds, and played basketball.
Recruitment:
• Picked up offers from NC State, UNC and Wake Forest.
• Verbally committed to the Wolfpack on May 20.
• Enrolled early.
Recruiter of record:
• Running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Des Kitchings.
Quotable:
"Freddie is a great talent, but he is a great kid, too. He's got a great personality. You can't help but like Freddie when you meet him. He smiles most of the time. It's kind of an infectious personality he has, and people are drawn to him." - Pelion head coach Ben Freeman to Midlandsports.com
Scouting report:
• Good athlete who also passes the eye test.
• Was primarily a receiver before beginning to switch his focus to safety during his junior season.
• Outgoing personality, well-regarded for his leadership abilities.
2015 projection:
Enrolling early gives Phillips a chance to crack the depth chart at safety, but it is worth noting that the Pack returns a deep core at that position as well, losing only Jarvis Byrd among safeties. The Pack also redshirted well-regarded recruits Kalen McCain and Dexter Wright, so Phillips will have to excel to play next fall.