By Chris Hughes
SouthernPigskin.com

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Eric Ebron is dominating at the high school level at tight end and wide receiver and headed to North Carolina.

Most players who receive offers to play college football at the BCS level are normally high school standouts and have years of playing experience leading up to that offer. They’re normally stars at the middle school level and most recruits start as early as freshman once they reach high school.

But every now and then a diamond in the rough is found. The guy who never played a down of varsity football but suddenly was a top target by a college program.

The University of North Carolina has a history of finding those diamonds. In 1994 Mack Brown found a kid named Ebenezer Ekuban at Bladensburg High School in Bladensburg, Md. Ekuban had never played a down of football until his junior year but quickly adapted to the game and began to dominate because of his size, strength, speed, and intelligence.

Ekuban was recruited as a tight end but was moved to defensive end where he became a dominant force in the Atlantic Coast Conference and was drafted in the first round of the1999 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

Move ahead to the 21st century and history has repeated itself.

Eric Ebron is a senior at Ben L. Smith High School in Greensboro, NC. He’s a key member of the Golden Eagles 10-0 football team that’s ranked among the top teams in the state. At 6-foot-5, and 225-pounds, Ebron is dominating at the high school level at tight end and wide receiver.

UNC was the first school to offer Ebron but others quickly followed suit. He has received over 20 scholarship offers, including offers from Alabama, Miami, Clemson, and West Virginia.

Ebron was offered the scholarship from UNC after participating in the spring camp after his sophomore year of high school, even though he didn’t play the previous year.

“Eric came to us from Rhode Island after his freshman year but we couldn’t play him because his credits didn’t transfer in time,” said Rodney Brewington, Ebron’s head coach. “But after his sophomore year he went to the UNC camp and they offered him on the spot.”

UNC took one look at his size and speed and how well he did the drills that they extended him a scholarship offer right there.

Once Ebron finally began playing as a junior, the scholarship offers came in from across the South.

Similar to Ekuban, Ebron could be also be switched to a defensive end. His high school coach feels that he should move to the defensive side.

“I’ve told Eric that if he plays tight end in college, he could be drafted to play in the NFL in four years,” Brewington said. “But if he plays defensive end, he could make it to the NFL in three.”

If Ebron does adapt to the college level as fast as he did to high school, he’ll be key member of the Tar Heels team over the next several years and could have an instant impact on the field as a freshman in UNC’s offense.

Butch Davis is known for picking tight ends and Ebron could be his replacement for senior Zack Pianalto.