Championships, Scholarships, and Revenge, all Focused Goals for Charlotte Latin LB/TE Hunter Sheridan

Written by Ryan Wright

For all Class of 2016 football players the time is now. After years of blood, sweat, and tears in the classroom, in the weight room, and on the gridiron all of that preparation has led up to a test that will expand over 10 regular season games and if lucky perhaps a few more postseason games that could lead to a state championship. One of the thousands of seniors across the nation ready to take the moment for everything that it is worth is Charlotte Latin linebacker/tight end Hunter Sheridan.

Sheridan and the Hawks were a dominating force last season sans two games against one team. Charlotte Latin posted a 9-2-1 record getting a 0-0 tie against Ravenscroft (Raleigh) but in the nine games won the Hawks scored a total of 451 points averaging 50.11 points a game. The defense, despite being on the field a lot, only gave up 172 total points or allowed an average of 19.11 points per game. In the two games lost the average margin of defeat was 8.5 points.

The thorn in Charlotte Latin’s side is Charlotte Christian. Charlotte Christian is a football powerhouse North Carolina high school where winning state championships have become common place. The Knights also steamrolled through their season posting a 10-1 record with their only loss coming against Mallard Creek (28-21) in Week 1 of the 2014 season. Other than their seven point loss to the Mavericks, state champs in their own division, the Hawks were the only other team to test the Knights last season. The Knights had an easier go of things on Oct. 2 winning 40-30 but were pushed harder in the playoffs scraping out a 28-21 win (Nov. 14).

Sheridan has taken the pain of losing to the Knights to heart making a victory over his team’s cross town rivals one of many goals for the 2015 season. If a win is to be had for the Hawks over the Knights Sheridan’s play on both sides of the ball will definitely be a factor in the outcome of the game.

The 6’3”, 215 pound, athlete is a sideline to sideline player lining up in the middle or on the outside for the Hawks defense. Head coach Larry McNulty even lines Sheridan up as a rush defensive end on passing downs and utilizes Sheridan’s athleticism on offense as a tight end in the run game and passing attack.

College coaches have taken notice of Sheridan’s skill set but that allusive first offer, which seems very close to coming, has yet to be handed out. Schools like North Carolina, Yale, Penn, Harvard, Princeton, and Duke all have Sheridan on their recruiting board. Some schools are waiting for a snippet of senior film before making a final decision while others are in the process of evaluating camp footage before handing out that prized offer.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview I caught up with Hunter after he made the rounds on the college camp circuit to see how his offseason workouts have been going, plus I received a little insight on the Hawks’ 2015 season, and I found out where his recruiting sits as he heads into a decisive senior season.

Interview
Hunter, you played on both sides of the ball last year making plays all over the field. Playing tight end is not as easy as it looks. Looking back, what did you learn lining up at tight end?

“It was the first time we really used the tight end in our offense in a couple of years. Learning how to run all the routes to the exact way we are supposed to run them and learning how to block on the edge was something that took a lot of practice.”

What was your stat line at the end of your junior season?

“I think I ended up with 14 sacks on the year. Tackles, I’m not sure of my season numbers. In conference I think I averaged 9.5-10 tackles per game and I had seven forced fumbles.”

What have you been doing in the offseason to perfect your craft and learn more of the little nuances of the game?

“I’ve been watching a lot of film from last year. I’ve been going to offseason workouts with our team and even doing outside the workouts trying to perfect the little details and going to the camps to learn more. I’ve picked up some things I can learn that will help me throughout the season.”

What were some of the things that you learned from the camps that will help your game throughout your senior year?

“Probably the thing that will help me the most learning was learning how to tackle in the open field and how to approach as a defender closing the distance between me and the ball carrier. How to breakdown and force them to go one way.”

What are your strengths on the field? What makes you a good linebacker for Charlotte Latin?

“I think I have the ability to chase whoever is carrying the ball down. I can run sideline to sideline and cover all of that ground without too much difficulty. I know how to play smart and use the mental part of the game and use strategy to my advantage. Opposing teams scheme against me off my tendencies so I can use my tendencies for me.”

What are your goals for the 2015 football season?

“I think we have a lot of upcoming talent. I just want to make sure we fill that in for our team and in those specific positions. I want everyone to do the best they can so we can win a state championship. That’s always the goal but I think we have a lot of talent. If we can focus that and get everyone working together I think we’ll be a strong team and have a strong season.”

You played all over the field last year. Will we see you playing other positions in 2015?

“Coach McNulty has said he will give me the ball. He might try to hand the ball off to me. We’ll see how that goes but he’s going to use me just about every down on offense. Last year I maybe played a third of the downs. This year I will truly be a two-way player.”

You touched on this a little bit earlier but how does Charlotte Latin look going into the 2015 season?

“I think we’re looking better. We’ve lost a handful of talented players from last year and some starters from last year. I have confidence that everyone that is coming up that will step into a starting positions is prepared for it.”

Have you looked at the 2015 schedule yet and if so is there a game or two that you are excited to play this season?

“I can say we’re definitely excited to get another chance to play Charlotte Christian. We lost to them twice last year. I haven’t beaten them yet in high school. The state championship game was the closest we came to beating them but we lost in overtime. I’m excited that we’ve got another shot to play them again.”

With recruiting, which schools are showing interest in you right now?

“The schools probably showing the most interest in me are Harvard, Yale, Penn, North Carolina, and Princeton.”

When you talk to the different college coaches what are they telling you they like about your skill set?

“They say that I’m a rangy player with good speed. I can put a lot of weight on, I have a good frame. They think that I’m strong and aggressive.”

I know you went to several camps over the offseason – UNC, Duke, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. I’m really interested to find out how the camp with the Tar Heels went for you.

“It went well. I saw my area recruiting coach, Coach (Gunter) Brewer (co-offensive coordinator), actually at dinner a couple of days before camp. I told him what all I had done over the summer and he told me to get up to camp so I went up there. I thought I played well. I worked hard. They said they liked my work and liked my effort and that I couldn’t have helped myself much more. They said I moved myself up their board and now they just want to see my senior film (after 3-4 games) before making a final decision.”

Which position did UNC place you at while at their camp?

“They see me at linebacker and outside linebacker. That’s where I see myself also so I just worked there the whole camp.”

What about the Harvard camp? How did that go for you?

“It went really well. I played defensive end there. They see me as a defensive end. I learned a lot about that position. They have a really strong interest in me. They just want to get through their last round up camp before making a final decision. They said they thought I did really well for playing defensive end for the first time. I also had lunch with the head coach (Tim Murphy) and some of the other players working the camp and a couple of other recruits. They said we were at the top of their list.”

What are the main factors you will influence where you decide to play your college ball?

“I think the main thing that I am looking for in a school is which school can give me the best education because that is the ultimate reason why I am picking a college or a university. I want a school that will definitely push me on the football field but will also push me to be the best that I can be in the classroom and as a person. Education will be a big part of it and the other big factor would be the coaches there. How they like to coach, what they believe in, what they believe in off the field like what kind of person do they want to have come out of their program. Those are some of the key thing that I am looking for.”

What do you want to major in when you go to college?

“Either business or I’ll go the pre-med route or biology. Those would probably be my top three choices.”

Be it college or the NFL, are there any players you watch play the game so you can learn more about your position and how to play the game?

“Definitely, the two players I watch the most would be Ray Lewis, when he was playing. I still watch his videos online, and Luke Kuechly (Carolina Panthers). I also watch Thomas Davis (Carolina Panthers) a little bit. I think the first two guys are just freaks of nature and two of the best to ever play at the linebacker position. I just want to pickup things from them.”

What are a couple of things you’ve picked up off of Ray Lewis or Luke Kuechly that you’ve incorporated into your own game?

“With Ray Lewis and Luke Kuechly I think they’re going to get to the ball no matter what. No matter who is in their path they are going to run absolutely as hard as they can to get there and they’ll knock anyone over that is in their way getting there. They have a desire to get to the ball and tackle the ball carrier. I don’t think many people in the NFL can match them. I think they both use their hands really well to get off blocks.”

Do you play any other sports for Charlotte Latin?

“I play lacrosse.”

Have you picked up any recruiting interest in lacrosse?

“I’ve picked up a little bit of interest but football is my focus.”

What is your favorite part of playing football?

“Probably just the fact that it tests you in some many ways. You can get knocked down and beaten up play after play but eventually you have to get up and you have to fight. It’s a constant fight for inches. There is also technique involved, so not only are you putting out as much possible effort as you can to beat the guy across from you, it’s a battle between you and him but also you have to use your mind. Your mind is as important as the physical part. The combination of the mental strength you need not only to keep your technique and the ability to keep pushing yourself during the game but also the physical part where you have to have a physical presence that intimidates your opponent or allows you to be successful on the field.”

 

Hunter has a lot of momentum behind him heading into the 2015 season. Not only does he have a lot of recruiting interest based off his size, strength, and playing abilities with a great chance to have an outstanding season with Charlotte Latin but he also has something a little more he brings to the table. Where Hunter separates himself from others is in the classroom. His transcripts jump off the page much like his football highlight reel. He scored a 31 on the ACT and carries a 3.46 GPA.

Hunter spoke about the kind of person a given head coach may want to bring into his program when asked about influences that would sway him on verbally committing to a program. Passing on Hunter speaks volumes about the different types of head coaches out there who stumble before taking on a true student athlete who will be a leader on and off the field for their program while contributing to a given program on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.

Photo credit: Hunter Sheridan.