Saturday, February 7, 2009

New HU assistant has 'unbelievable heart'

One thing is certain about Hampton University's new recruiting coordinator: He knows how to keep a clear head. On Dec. 6, Stephen Field, then in his second season as a graduate assistant at the University of Miami, was driving near a busy interchange with I-95 when he saw a car smashed into a tree. He broke the car's windshield with a hammer and pulled the driver, a man whose identity was not released, free of the smoking car. So the coach now charged with convincing recruits to come to Hampton can tell them he's a bona fide hero, right?

"There were, like, 1,000 articles, and that's what they said," said Field, who didn't want to say much else about the rescue. Clint Hurtt, the Hurricanes' defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, wasn't as reticent."It didn't surprise me. That's the kind of heart he has," Hurtt said. "When Coach Field first got the GA job down here in Miami, he didn't have a place to stay, so I let him come stay with me. He's a great person, a great guy with an unbelievable heart. ... He's the kind of person, if you call him at 2 o'clock in the morning and you have an issue, he's going to roll right out of bed to do whatever he can to help you out."

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Hampton signees

STEVEN ROBINSON RB 6-2 220 Georgia Military/Milledgeville, Ga. Second-team All-American had more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in two years at Georgia Military.

DARYELL WALKER DE 6-5 225 Bethel High School/Hampton. Second-team all-district pick had 50 tackles and two sacks as a senior.

LANCE HAWKINS DT 6-2 310 Atlantic Shores High School/Virginia Beach. First-team all-state as a senior and as a junior.

ANTONIO McCLOUDE RB 5-7 175 Glades Central High School/Belle Glade, Fla. All-state pick and team MVP as a senior; played in the Outback Steakhouse all-star game.

RAY RIJOS OG 6-2 330 Bayside High School/Virginia Beach. Second-team All-Tidewater pick as a senior; two-time All-Beach District selection.

DENZEL BONNER C 6-2 305 Godby High School/Tallahassee, Fla. Second-team all-area and all-state pick; played in the Florida-Georgia Border War all-star game.

VINCENT HARPER FB 6-0 260 Glades Central High School/Belle Glade, Fla. All-area pick voted "Toughest Player in the Area"; had 50 pancake blocks as a senior.

GABRIEL SMITH FB 5-11 250 Friendship Collegiate High School/Washington, D.C. All-conference pick and an all-independent-school selection by The Washington Post.

JORDAN DAVIS QB 6-0 180 William Penn/York, Pa. County player of the year and all-state honorable-mention selection.

JAMIE SLAUGHTER DT 6-3 280 Hazelwood East High School/St. Louis. First-team all-state selection in Missouri.

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