New Bern's Mattocks commits to Pirates

By Randy Jones, Sun Journal

New Bern senior Chris Mattocks knew what to say as soon as East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz made his offer.

"Yes."

Mattocks became the first local football player to give his verbal commitment on Saturday night as the 6-foot, 180-pound safety announced his intent to play football and study at East Carolina University.

"My visit [Saturday] went great," Mattocks said Sunday afternoon. "I loved it. I was excited when I got there. They have a great campus, great coaches, great academics. It's everything I wanted."

Mattocks said he was hopeful that he would get an offer as he was driving to Greenville. And when it came, there was no hesitation in his answer.

"When coach [Skip] Holtz offered me I was so excited," he said. "It was great. I said yes right away. … I wanted to play at the Division I level and now I've got my chance. I plan to make the most of it."

The two-time Big East Conference all conference first teamer said he plans to study business when he gets to Greenville.

"I want to be an accountant," Mattocks said. "Then I want to be a C.P.A. ECU has a great program for that."

New Bern head coach Chip Williams said the Pirates are getting a huge competitor in Mattocks.

"They are fortunate to get an athlete of Chris' quality," Williams said. "He's had a tough career here, getting injured twice. Many players would have given up, or not gotten back to his level of play, but Chris never gave up and that shows a lot of what his make up."

Mattocks had a vital role in the Bears secondary, as well as returning kicks on occasion. He finished his senior season with one interception and over 15 pass deflections. He also was among the team leaders in tackles, and gained a reputation for his bone-jarring hits.

"He's a very physical player," Williams said. "He's got good size and can cover well. He'll be an asset to any secondary."

Mattocks received interest from many other schools, including North Carolina, Western Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Elon.

The Pirates' combined record of 3-20 the past two seasons under former coach John Thompson didn't affect Mattocks' feelings about the Pirate program. He said the coaches' fired-up attitudes made quite an impression during the last few months.

"They expect to win, you can hear it in their voices," Mattocks said. "They are really fired up for next season. They all came from winning environments, and I think they are bringing it with them. It got me fired up."

Mattocks will join former Bears' teammate Davon Drew in Greenville. Drew, a quarterback, redshirted in 2004.

Verbal commitments are non-binding until national signing day on Feb. 2, when players may sign their national letter of intent. Students can back out of their commitment and coaches may withdraw the offer for any reason.