WRAL Sports Fan

College Football

Recruiting: Florida gets commitment from N.C. player

By Sammy Batten

Mar 10, 2009

Defending national champion Florida snatched heralded offensive lineman Xavier Nixon from our state in February.

Now, it looks like the Gators have already cornered one of North Carolina’s top prospects for 2010.

Cornerback Victor Hampton, from Charlotte’s Independence High School, gave an oral commitment to Florida on Feb. 26, even though he’s never even visited Gainesville, Fla., where the Southeastern Conference school is located.

But Hampton got plenty of good advice about the Gators from former Independence and Florida quarterback Chris Leak. Leak, of course, led the Gators to the 2007 BCS championship.

Schools such as Clemson, Georgia, N.C. State, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee were also in pursuit of Hampton, who is known as a fast, physical player at cornerback.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder was an All-Southwestern 4-A Conference pick as a junior when he made 50 tackles and 10 interceptions for the Patriots.

Hampton isn’t the only in-state junior who has already committed to an out-of-state school.

West Rowan High running back Kevin Parks has made his pledge to Virginia.

Parks, a 5-7, 189-pounder, chose the Cavaliers late last month over offers from East Carolina and Illinois.

The Cavaliers were the first school to offer Parks, who racked up 2,864 yards and 43 touchdowns rushing last season. He contributed an 81-yard touchdown jaunt on the opening play from scrimmage in the state 3-A title game against West Craven.

Hot region prospects

The Cape Fear region should again be a hot spot for major college recruiters.

The area’s top prospect may well be Pinecrest wide receiver James Baldwin.

The son of the former major league pitcher of the same name, the young Baldwin has already received his first scholarship offer from East Carolina.

Baldwin (6-3, 183) had 22 catches for 342 yards and four touchdowns as a junior.

One of the big names in Cumberland County recruiting will be South View quarterback Deshean Townsend, a 6-4, 215-pounder who has been receiving interest from as far away as Notre Dame, according to Tiger head coach Randy Ledford. Townsend attended Junior Day at South Carolina recently.

No schools have offered yet, but Townsend is expected to land several after the spring evaluations are finished.

In his first year as South View’s full-time starter in 2008, Townsend passed for 2,013 yards and 23 touchdowns.

A potential No. 1?

One of several players who could wind up being ranked North Carolina’s No. 1 prospect for 2010 is Southeast Raleigh linebacker Kendall Moore.

Moore (6-1, 225) is already being courted by a number of schools, including Florida State, East Carolina, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, Duke, South Carolina, Wake Forest and West Virginia. All those schools have offered scholarships.

Moore produced 110 tackles as a junior at Southeast Raleigh. N.C. State was the first school to offer Moore back July prior to his junior season.