Tribal Warfare
06-10-2011, 12:40 AM
Berry Twins Creating H.S. Hype In Brother’s Shadow (http://www.lostlettermen.com/6-9-2011-evan-elliott-berry-recruiting/)
Twins Evan and Elliott Berry are the younger brothers of former Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry and may follow their brother into football stardom. What’s certain is the Berry twins will do so at the same school as a packaged deal.
Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech, Nebraska and Wisconsin are schools that reportedly are interested in both Berry brothers, top recruits in the class of 2014 who just completed their freshman year at Creekside High School in Fairburn, GA, near Atlanta.
The Volunteers, with whom Eric Berry was a star defensive back, were thought to be the frontrunners two years ago. That’s right, Evan reportedly committed to Tennessee while still in middle school.
“It’s the only college I know right now and it seems the best for me,” Evan told Rivals.com in 2009. “My dad went there and my brother is there now. I know I can do the same things there. I have a real friendly relationship with the coaches there. I don’t know them too well, but I know I will have plenty of time to get to know them.”
However, Rivals then corrected that story to say that Berry had not yet been offered a scholarship because the NCAA prohibits schools from doing so until recruits are registered with the governing body’s eligibility center.
The Berry twins had not yet been because, well, they were 13.
They still haven’t been offered a scholarship officially by Tennessee, which remains a distinct landing spot for the duo nonetheless. But Elliott told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that family history may not necessarily guide them to Knoxville.
“My brother (Eric) is his own person; we’re going to make our own decisions,” Elliott told the newspaper. “Our brother and our dad want us to pick the school that is the best fit for us.
“It may be Tennessee or it may be another school. We’ll just have to see.”
While it’s true that the twins are their own people and should make independent decisions, Eric Berry certainly set the bar high for his brothers if they should choose to follow his footsteps to Rocky Top.
Eric Berry was the SEC’s Defensive Freshman of the Year, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and a unanimous All-American in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He made his mark as an athletic, hard-hitting strong safety who skipped his senior year for the NFL Draft, in which he was selected fifth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010. Oh, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Come to think of it, Eric Berry has set an impressive standard no matter where his brothers decide to play college football.
What gives Elliott and Evan a chance to live up to that hype? For starters, they are already playing varsity football.
Evan is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and is being recruited at defensive back. He was a two-way player his freshman year, also starring as a dual-threat quarterback on the offensive side of the ball. He ran for 973 yards and 10 TDs, while completing 89-of-136 passes for 1,789 yards and 23 TDs with seven interceptions.
His brother, Elliott, spent some time in the backfield as well. The six-foot, 200-pounder ran for 799 yards and six TDs as a running back, while still making his mark at linebacker.
And they’re only freshmen. It’s obvious why schools are falling over each other to get an early commitment from the duo. Not only are they talented, but most likely there will be a super-sized helping of Berry for one lucky school.
“We’ve played on the same football teams our whole lives and want to do the same in college,” Evan told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A football-crazed state like Georgia has already put the twins on a pedestal as their freshman years were unfolding. Most of it was because of Eric’s legacy, and the rest of it was what they were showing on the field.
But the twins have a support system that won’t let their heads get too big.
“They’ve handled it well and are humbled with the successes they’ve already had. … If not, they have a mom and dad that keep them down to Earth,” their father, James Berry, told the AJC.
That’s hard to do for kids that are still a few years away from being allowed to drive a car, nevermind lead an NFL defensive secondary like their brother.
For now, they are enjoying their high school days as just regular kids – well, almost regular kids.
“There were fans at the Georgia Dome yelling, ‘There they go! Those are the twins,’” Creekside H.S. coach Johnny White told the AJC. “(But) they’ve adjusted to it. They would much rather just be one of the guys.”
For better and worse, with the last name Berry, these two will never be just one of the guys.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1HmY5t4hdt8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Twins Evan and Elliott Berry are the younger brothers of former Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry and may follow their brother into football stardom. What’s certain is the Berry twins will do so at the same school as a packaged deal.
Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech, Nebraska and Wisconsin are schools that reportedly are interested in both Berry brothers, top recruits in the class of 2014 who just completed their freshman year at Creekside High School in Fairburn, GA, near Atlanta.
The Volunteers, with whom Eric Berry was a star defensive back, were thought to be the frontrunners two years ago. That’s right, Evan reportedly committed to Tennessee while still in middle school.
“It’s the only college I know right now and it seems the best for me,” Evan told Rivals.com in 2009. “My dad went there and my brother is there now. I know I can do the same things there. I have a real friendly relationship with the coaches there. I don’t know them too well, but I know I will have plenty of time to get to know them.”
However, Rivals then corrected that story to say that Berry had not yet been offered a scholarship because the NCAA prohibits schools from doing so until recruits are registered with the governing body’s eligibility center.
The Berry twins had not yet been because, well, they were 13.
They still haven’t been offered a scholarship officially by Tennessee, which remains a distinct landing spot for the duo nonetheless. But Elliott told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that family history may not necessarily guide them to Knoxville.
“My brother (Eric) is his own person; we’re going to make our own decisions,” Elliott told the newspaper. “Our brother and our dad want us to pick the school that is the best fit for us.
“It may be Tennessee or it may be another school. We’ll just have to see.”
While it’s true that the twins are their own people and should make independent decisions, Eric Berry certainly set the bar high for his brothers if they should choose to follow his footsteps to Rocky Top.
Eric Berry was the SEC’s Defensive Freshman of the Year, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and a unanimous All-American in both his sophomore and junior seasons. He made his mark as an athletic, hard-hitting strong safety who skipped his senior year for the NFL Draft, in which he was selected fifth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010. Oh, and he made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Come to think of it, Eric Berry has set an impressive standard no matter where his brothers decide to play college football.
What gives Elliott and Evan a chance to live up to that hype? For starters, they are already playing varsity football.
Evan is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and is being recruited at defensive back. He was a two-way player his freshman year, also starring as a dual-threat quarterback on the offensive side of the ball. He ran for 973 yards and 10 TDs, while completing 89-of-136 passes for 1,789 yards and 23 TDs with seven interceptions.
His brother, Elliott, spent some time in the backfield as well. The six-foot, 200-pounder ran for 799 yards and six TDs as a running back, while still making his mark at linebacker.
And they’re only freshmen. It’s obvious why schools are falling over each other to get an early commitment from the duo. Not only are they talented, but most likely there will be a super-sized helping of Berry for one lucky school.
“We’ve played on the same football teams our whole lives and want to do the same in college,” Evan told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A football-crazed state like Georgia has already put the twins on a pedestal as their freshman years were unfolding. Most of it was because of Eric’s legacy, and the rest of it was what they were showing on the field.
But the twins have a support system that won’t let their heads get too big.
“They’ve handled it well and are humbled with the successes they’ve already had. … If not, they have a mom and dad that keep them down to Earth,” their father, James Berry, told the AJC.
That’s hard to do for kids that are still a few years away from being allowed to drive a car, nevermind lead an NFL defensive secondary like their brother.
For now, they are enjoying their high school days as just regular kids – well, almost regular kids.
“There were fans at the Georgia Dome yelling, ‘There they go! Those are the twins,’” Creekside H.S. coach Johnny White told the AJC. “(But) they’ve adjusted to it. They would much rather just be one of the guys.”
For better and worse, with the last name Berry, these two will never be just one of the guys.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1HmY5t4hdt8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>