The starting running backs for each team; Jachin Watkins of New Bern and Chris Duffy of Port Ridge, have each committed to play for the Charlotte 49ers next year.
Jachin Watkins is a 6'0 225lb power running back in the mold of a Jonathan Stewart. He has speed, but mainly relies on his bulldozing size and power to gain yards. During the regular season, Watkins ran for 17 TD's and 1,412 yards. He averaged over 8 yards per carry. He also scored on three receiving TD's. I have seen Watkins play in person, and I'm convinced he can hang at the next level, but he was not highly recruited. Bryant University was his only other offer aside from Charlotte, however he also received interest from ECU, Wake Forest, Elon, Navy, and NC State.
Chris Duffy, at 5'11 190, is a little smaller than Watkins, but still has D1 size. Duffy relies on speed and shifty moves a little more so than Watkins, and has a style more reminiscent of a Deangelo Williams. Over the course of the regular season, Duffy ran for 17 TD's and 1,320 yards, averaging over 7 yards per carry. He ran for over 140 yards in a game four times this season, including two 160+ yard performances. Chris was pretty highly recruited, as he received scholarship offers from East Carolina and Tennessee in addition to Charlotte. He also drew interest from App State, Clemson, Uconn, UNC, NC State, Perdue, South Carolina, and VA Tech.
Tonight will be a very big stage for these future 49ers to showcase their talents. I have a feeling they will both give Niner Nation a taste of very good things to look forward to..
No comments:
Post a Comment