Recruiting: Leesburg lifter signs with Lindenwood; WW standout gets offer from Michigan
Eric Coffie has long been known as a bulldozing running back for the Leesburg High School football team.
But he also has been a standout for the Yellow Jackets on the weightlifting platform, where he earned a berth at the recent FHSAA weightlifting state finals and finished seventh in the snatch competition at 169 pounds.
Coffie’s prowess in the weight room paid off recently when he was offered a scholarship with Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. He made everything official Wednesday, when he signed a national letter of intent during a ceremony at the school.
Coffie is the first weightlifter from Leesburg to sign to compete at the next level in the sport.
“Eric will compete as an Olympic-style weightlifter (snatch and clean-and-jerk),” said Leesburg weightlifting coach Josh Boyer. “Each year, more and more colleges and universities are offering weightlifting scholarship, and Florida is a hot spot for weightlifting talent. I’m proud of Eric’s accomplishments and I feel that it’s been long overdue that one of our weightlifters signs to compete and next level.”
At the weightlifting state finals in April at Port St. Joe High School, Coffie lifted 195 pounds in the snatch competition, which consists of lifting the weight from the platform to overhead in one move while in squatting position and then standing up. He attempted 205 pounds, but was unsuccessful.
In the traditional competition, which consists of the combined weights from the bench press and clean-and-jerk, Coffie totaled 510 pounds — 240 in the bench press and 270 in clean-and-jerk.
Wildwood standout Vernell Brown III receives offer from Michigan
Opponents of the Wildwood Middle High School football team likely know what a headache Vernell Brown III is to defend.
And now it seems college coaches have taken notice.
Only a freshman — he will be a sophomore in 2022-22 — Brown announced recently on his Twitter that he had received an offer to play football at the University of Michigan. The winningest NCAA Division I program in history, Michigan earned a spot in the College Football Playoff in 2021, but lost to eventual national champion Georgia 34-11 in a national semifinal game.
“Blessed and thankful to receive my first offer from the University of Michigan!!” Brown tweeted on May 13.
A 5-foot-8, 145 pound wide receiver/defensive back, Brown caught 41 pass for 498 yards — an average of 12.1 yards per grab — and scored seven touchdowns for the Wildcats in 2021. He also had two interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.
Wildwood will play Newberry on Aug. 19 in its preseason Kickoff Classic and will open the regular season at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 on the road against Orlando Christian Prep.
Tavares names new boys hoops coach
Longtime Leesburg assistant coach Berkley Carey has been selected as Tavares’ new boys basketball coach.
Carey will look to reverse the recent fortunes of the program, which has struggled in recent years, including a 3-17 campaign in 2021-22.
During his eight years as an assistant to longtime Leesburg coach Sean Campbell, Carey helped the Yellow Jackets to five district titles, three state final four appearances, and two state championships. He also spent time on the bench at Winter Park Geneva and at Orlando Freedom.
Among the players he has helped to coach include, Keon Ellis, a former standout at Leesburg and recent graduate from the University of Alabama. Ellis is considered a potential NBA draft pick and was invited the to NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
A graduate of Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Carey graduated from Edgewater High School in Orlando.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: High school recruiting: Leesburg lifter signs; Vernell Brown receives offer
