Knights linebackers rank among N.C.'s best
By Langston Wertz Jr.
lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
<DIV =byline>Posted: Monday, Aug. 03, 2009
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Charlotte Christian is a private school in southeast Charlotte with 350 students in grades nine through 12. Annual tuition is $15,360.
The Knights aren't part of the N.C. High School Athletic Association, but only 24 of the 360 mostly public NCHSAA schools are smaller.
So it's a little unusual for a school like Christian to have three highly recruited college football players.
It's even more unusual that they would all play the same position.
As the 2009 football season kicks off Aug. 21, few teams nationally have the kind of talent the Knights will trot out at linebacker: Ty Linton (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) has committed to North Carolina; David Durham (6-3, 226) has committed to Ohio State; and Kelby Brown (6-2, 200) committed to Duke.
Recruiting service scout.com ranks Linton 49th nationally among senior outside linebackers. It ranks Durham 55th. In scout.com's N.C. rankings, Linton is first at his position, Durham third (behind West Rowan's Chris Smith) and Brown fourth.
"It's different. It's unusual,"Â Durham said, "but it's something special. Something like this only happens once in a while, and I'm really excited to be a part of it."Â
Durham started playing football with Linton in fourth grade. At Weddington Middle School, Durham was part of a group of future major college recruits. The team included Durham, Litton, Ardrey Kell defensive end Prince Shembo (considering multiple offers), Providence receiver Braxton Deaver (Duke) and Weddington High quarterback Anthony Boone (Duke).
"We were really good,"Â Durham said, "but we all split up."Â
Durham, whose father Tim played college football at Mississippi, began high school football in Austin, Texas, where his father's sales job took the family when David was in seventh grade. Last season at Westlake (Texas) High, Durham had 64 tackles, five sacks and was all-district before he chose Ohio State over Illinois, Virginia and West Virginia.
The family returned to Charlotte this year and David enrolled at Christian, where he was reunited with Linton, his middle-school teammate.
At Christian, Linton became fast friends with Brown and developed into a football and baseball star. He hit .400 last season for the state champion Knights after leading the football team to a state championship playing linebacker and running back.
Linton has 4.49 speed in the 40-yard dash and had 74 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season. He had 12 college football scholarship offers and chose North Carolina over Duke, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia. He'll play football and baseball at North Carolina and could be a 2010 Major League Baseball draft pick.
Brown, who can bench press nearly 400 pounds and has a 5.2 grade-point average, had offers from Arkansas, Colorado, East Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Northwestern, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, UCLA and Wisconsin.
Asked about this collection of talent at one position, Christian coach Jason Estep laughed about his good fortune.
"A lot of it has to do with coaches,"Â he said. "Defensive coordinator Mike Rose does a good job with our kids. They're well-schooled. Their technique is very good. I think our strength and conditioning program and the things we do outside of (playing games) has them prepared for the next level. Our kids are ready."Â
Estep knows just how special these players are.
"I challenged somebody a few weeks ago to find another team with three linebackers of this caliber in the state of North Carolina,"Â Estep said. "For a school our size to have those three kids is unbelievable. It's just hard to put into words, man."Â
Estep laughs again.
"I can't believe my luck."Â
Charlotte Christian linebackers Ty Linton (from left), David Durham and Kelby Brown have been recruited by Division 1 programs.
By Langston Wertz Jr.
lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
<DIV =byline>Posted: Monday, Aug. 03, 2009
<DIV =byline>
<DIV =byline>
Charlotte Christian is a private school in southeast Charlotte with 350 students in grades nine through 12. Annual tuition is $15,360.
The Knights aren't part of the N.C. High School Athletic Association, but only 24 of the 360 mostly public NCHSAA schools are smaller.
So it's a little unusual for a school like Christian to have three highly recruited college football players.
It's even more unusual that they would all play the same position.
As the 2009 football season kicks off Aug. 21, few teams nationally have the kind of talent the Knights will trot out at linebacker: Ty Linton (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) has committed to North Carolina; David Durham (6-3, 226) has committed to Ohio State; and Kelby Brown (6-2, 200) committed to Duke.
Recruiting service scout.com ranks Linton 49th nationally among senior outside linebackers. It ranks Durham 55th. In scout.com's N.C. rankings, Linton is first at his position, Durham third (behind West Rowan's Chris Smith) and Brown fourth.
"It's different. It's unusual,"Â Durham said, "but it's something special. Something like this only happens once in a while, and I'm really excited to be a part of it."Â
Durham started playing football with Linton in fourth grade. At Weddington Middle School, Durham was part of a group of future major college recruits. The team included Durham, Litton, Ardrey Kell defensive end Prince Shembo (considering multiple offers), Providence receiver Braxton Deaver (Duke) and Weddington High quarterback Anthony Boone (Duke).
"We were really good,"Â Durham said, "but we all split up."Â
Durham, whose father Tim played college football at Mississippi, began high school football in Austin, Texas, where his father's sales job took the family when David was in seventh grade. Last season at Westlake (Texas) High, Durham had 64 tackles, five sacks and was all-district before he chose Ohio State over Illinois, Virginia and West Virginia.
The family returned to Charlotte this year and David enrolled at Christian, where he was reunited with Linton, his middle-school teammate.
At Christian, Linton became fast friends with Brown and developed into a football and baseball star. He hit .400 last season for the state champion Knights after leading the football team to a state championship playing linebacker and running back.
Linton has 4.49 speed in the 40-yard dash and had 74 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season. He had 12 college football scholarship offers and chose North Carolina over Duke, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia. He'll play football and baseball at North Carolina and could be a 2010 Major League Baseball draft pick.
Brown, who can bench press nearly 400 pounds and has a 5.2 grade-point average, had offers from Arkansas, Colorado, East Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Northwestern, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, UCLA and Wisconsin.
Asked about this collection of talent at one position, Christian coach Jason Estep laughed about his good fortune.
"A lot of it has to do with coaches,"Â he said. "Defensive coordinator Mike Rose does a good job with our kids. They're well-schooled. Their technique is very good. I think our strength and conditioning program and the things we do outside of (playing games) has them prepared for the next level. Our kids are ready."Â
Estep knows just how special these players are.
"I challenged somebody a few weeks ago to find another team with three linebackers of this caliber in the state of North Carolina,"Â Estep said. "For a school our size to have those three kids is unbelievable. It's just hard to put into words, man."Â
Estep laughs again.
"I can't believe my luck."Â
Charlotte Christian linebackers Ty Linton (from left), David Durham and Kelby Brown have been recruited by Division 1 programs.
