Vance County lineman inks with ECU

Dec. 16—HENDERSON — On Wednesday afternoon, Vance County High School offensive lineman Omari Allen fulfilled a promise he made back in the summer.

After previously announcing a verbal commitment to East Carolina University, Omari formally signed his letter of intent in front of his family, friends and teammates to become one of 18 early signees the football program received on National Signing Day.

The normally stoic Omari was left speechless at the idea of joining ECU's football team but he is determined to keep embodying the same characteristics in college that yielded him so much success at the high school level.

"This is overwhelming," Omari said. "You might not see it on the outside but inside there are a lot of emotions. I'm making my mom and grandma proud while also being a good role model for my little brothers. Being a leader is a lot but it's a great feeling that takes hard work and dedication."

Omari's journey to ECU was an unconventional one that featured an equal amount of adversity and triumph.

Although Omari had prior experience in youth football, the 6-5, 309-pound lineman initially was not even a member of a high school football team when he was enrolled at Riverside-Durham High School until assistant head coach Greg Greene convinced him to join the varsity program for the 2019-20 campaign.

Omari followed Greene to Vance County when he accepted a role as the offensive coordinator under Hunter Jenks' staff but he would have to patiently wait for his opportunity to play while North Carolina handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

It did not take long for Omari to earn the trust of his teammates and become the anchor on both sides of the trenches for Vance County.

On defense, Omari's size and tenacity enabled him to excel as a run stuffer. He ended his two seasons at Vance County with 67 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss, 10 of which occurred during his senior campaign.

While Omari thrived on the defensive line, he simultaneously created many issues for opposing defenses in regards to run blocking and pass protection, all of which helped Vance County rush for 1,276 total yards and pass for 1,390 with junior Nazir Garrett under center.

Playing for two different schools and adapting to football during a global pandemic proved to be frustrating for Omari at times, who added that joining a school like ECU would not have been possible without the support he received from his family and coaches over the past several years.

"I can't really describe the process," Omari said. "Going from city to city, switching coaches and meeting new people was a lot to take in but everyone walked with me. I just had to start working day and night, during weekends and even during COVID with coach Brian Yarborough. All of that has made me what I am now."

Wilbur Pender, who took over head coaching duties for Vance County during the most recent season, commended Omari for his leadership and how it helped propel the program to a solid 7-3 record despite plenty of obstacles that included a brief stoppage due to COVID-19 protocols.

Pender said that natural leaders like Omari can easily transform a program and build confidence in the players around them, which made Wednesday all the more rewarding for him knowing that Omari's dedication paid off with an opportunity to play collegiate football.

"Selfishly, I wish [Omari] was returning because he's such a great player," Pender said. "This is why you get into high school coaching. Wins are great but when you have a chance to really impact someone's future, that's what makes this job special."

Pender added that Omari could have very easily struggled with learning another system but said that he always put the team first and was always searching for methods and techniques that could help out Vance County on offense and defense.

Even though Omari's time in a Vance County uniform is over, Pender appreciated every chance to work with him and is eagerly looking forward to seeing Omari's aggressive play style translate over to ECU.

"Omari plays the game so hard," Pender said. "He approaches every snap with a chip on his shoulder and plays the way you would want any offensive lineman to play. He's mean but off the field, he's the greatest person you'll ever meet. Omari has that switch he turns on and the guys across from him figured that out pretty quick."

Omari's mother LaPorsha Allen has been thrilled by the growth and success her son enjoyed during the last two seasons at Vance County but was also in disbelief over the fact that Omari will soon suit up in an ECU uniform.

LaPorsha worked tirelessly to make sure Omari had plenty of positive influences to lean on during his childhood and said that the qualities her family instilled into Omari are going to guarantee him success long after he graduates from college.

"I'm so proud of him," LaPorsha said. "He's still my baby and I'm not ready for him to leave home yet but I'm excited for his journey and I know he'll do great. We're all here to support him and I'm sure he will get that success."

With his high school career now over, Omari is set to join an ECU program that finished the 2021 regular season with a 7-5 record in their third year under head coach Mike Houston, who Omari said was a main reason behind his decision to commit to the school.

Omari felt welcomed the minute he walked into ECU's campus as part of the program's Big Man Camp back during the summer and is ready to help the team build off their efficiency from 2021 by being a day one starter.

"I feel comfortable," Omari said. "Coach Houston and the staff did a great job this year turning this team around. They are great coaches and I can't wait to get up there and be with them."

Outside of football, Omari intends to major in either technology, arts or social skills. Along with possessing a desire to learn more about the world, Omari enjoys crafting, sculpting and working with computers during his free time and would not mind pursuing a career in those fields should football not work out for him.

Regardless of the career path he chooses, LaPorsha plans to support Omari every step of the way, though she admitted that the thought of seeing Omari one day facing top NFL lineman like Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett is equal parts exciting and terrifying.

"I want Omari to understand basic life skills like how to save money and how to be financially stable if he decides to have a family one day," LaPorsha said. "He's pushing to go into [the NFL] but I'm honestly really scared about that. It's a lot to see your teenager in that position with everything happening so fast but I think he'll be fine."

Omari is not scared by what the future holds and is determined to make the most of his time at ECU so that he can build on the already sturdy foundation established by Houston and put himself in the best position to one day be a starter in the NFL.

"As soon as I get to ECU, I plan on working extra hard," Omari said. "I'm going to get as many reps as I can, work with Coach Houston, stay right with my diet and make sure everything is good with classes and my physical and mental health. I want to go in there and dominate."