Jarius Morehead Brings Versatility to NC State

By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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A versatile five-foot-eleven, 188-pound athlete, Jarius Morehead was extremely productive at a multitude of different positions during his high school career.

When Dave Doeren took over as the head coach at NC State prior to the start of the 2013 season, his first priority was to significantly increase the talent level of the personnel at his disposal.

Though Doeren’s predecessor, Tom O’Brien, posted winning records in each of his final three campaigns in Raleigh, many Wolfpack fans were upset over the perceived stagnation of the program. Much of that lack of movement, it was argued, could be attributed to the fact that O’Brien had failed to excel in recruiting during his tenure.

Inheriting a less-than-desirable collection of personnel upon his arrival at NC State, Doeren struggled in his first season at the school, going winless against ACC competition.

Rather than complaining about the unfortunate situation in which he found himself, Doeren put his nose to the grindstone and the recruiting trail looking to rectify his problem. Those efforts would pay immediate dividends too, as the Wolfpack would reel in a 2014 recruiting class which would be ranked in the top half of the conference. 

One above-average recruiting class, however, would not be enough to completely turn around the NC State program to the place where Doeren eventually hoped it would land.

Now continuing his efforts into the 2015 class, Doeren has signed a number of prospects that will have the opportunity to become major impact players during their collegiate careers.

One of the players to whom Doeren will turn for production in the coming years is three-star athlete Jarius Morehead out of Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville, North Carolina.

A versatile five-foot-eleven, 188-pound athlete, Morehead was extremely productive at a multitude of different positions during his high school career with the Wildcats. After thriving at receiver as a junior, Morehead made the transition to quarterback for his final prep season, finishing his last campaign 1,051 yards rushing and 774 yards through the air. He also accounted for 25 total touchdowns on offense.

While he frequently switched roles and positions on the offensive side of the football, the one constant for Morehead at Eastern Guilford was his playmaking ability on defense from his safety spot.

Proving to be equally adept at playing against the pass and the run, Morehead emerged as one of the most dominant defensive forces in the state. He accounted for over 100 tackles and six sacks as a senior, while also proving to be a force in defending against the pass.

Coming from a family with a strong history on the gridiron, it certainly came as no surprise that Morehead found himself as a Division I prospect by the time he was a sophomore. His brothers, Josh and Billy, were also standout players at Eastern Guilford, and Jarius relied on both of them to help him through the entire recruiting process.

“Billy is a personal trainer now, so he actually trains me,” Morehead commented on his brother. “And Josh is actually training for a Pro Day at Wake Forest because he is trying to get back into football, so both of them helped me a lot.”

His combination of speed and strength made Morehead a highly-recruited prospect as he progressed through high school.

And despite accruing scholarship offers from numerous schools across the region, including Clemson, North Carolina and Tennessee, Morehead ultimately decided to head an hour east to play his college football for the Wolfpack.

Morehead received his scholarship offer from NC State in the summer before his senior, and it didn’t take long for him to decide that is where he wanted to play on the next level, as he committed to the Wolfpack in June.

“They have good academics and they have the major that I want to major in,” Morehead said of his decision to choose NC State on the Southern Pigskin Radio Network. “The coaching staff was also a big factor in my choice.”

The Wolfpack still have some improving to do before they will be ready to compete with programs such as Clemson and Florida State on a consistent basis, but brining in prospects such as Morehead will definitely help close that gap in a hurry.

And though it has yet ot be seen which side of the ball Morehead will call home in college, there is no doubt that he will make a major impact wherever it may be.