Bayside High School's quarterback has the arm that charms

Bayside quarterback E.J. Manuel has surged onto the college recruiting scene after impressive combine performances, like his shuttle run at last month’s Beach District combine at Ocean Lakes High School. (Bill Tiernan/The Virginian-Pilot)

By Jami Frankenberry
The Virginian-Pilot

VIRGINIA BEACH - E.J. Manuel grips the football like it's a sponge, bounces on the balls of his feet and effortlessly zips a perfect spiral into the arms of a sprinting receiver.

Nearby, college coaches bob their heads.

For Manuel, Bayside High School's quarterback, the scene at the Beach District combine was a familiar one. For two months, it has played out pretty much the same: Manuel throws and Manuel impresses.

"They love him," said Bayside receiver Marquel Thomas, who attended two combines with Manuel. "Everybody loves him."

Manuel, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound prospect, has been on a whirlwind tour of elite combines - showcases for rising high school seniors. While Maury offensive lineman Vinston Painter generally is deemed the top college prospect in South Hampton Roads' Class of 2008, Manuel is soaring up recruiting rankings at breakneck speed.

Barely a blip on the radar a year ago, Manuel has logged impressive showings at events in New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania and his hometown of Virginia Beach.

Last week, Manuel was invited to this summer's Elite 11 quarterback camp, an event in California for the nation's best high school signal-callers.

"I've never seen anyone blow up this big, this fast," one Division I assistant coach said. "It's crazy."

After the Elite College Combine in New Jersey, Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell wrote that Manuel reminded "a lot of people of a younger version of JaMarcus Russell." Russell, the top overall pick in last month's NFL draft, starred at quarterback for LSU.

"I don't think it's that E.J. has improved as much as it is that people have been able to see how good he is," Farrell said. "He's been one of the top two or three quarterbacks I've seen all year at camps and combines and that, in addition to his (game) film, is why we love his potential. And I'm sure coaches feel the same."

Manuel has about 30 scholarship offers, many from college football heavyweights such as LSU, Florida State and Penn State. He hears from coaches daily; some days, his cell phone receives more than 30 text messages, all of which he returns.

No wonder Manuel is looking forward to August, when text messages from coaches will be banned under new NCAA guidelines.

During the summer before his eighth-grade year at Kempsville Middle School, Manuel began working with Bayside coach Darnell Moore at the urging of Bill Dudley, Manuel's grandfather and a longtime assistant to Moore.

Soon, Manuel was attending summer workouts at Bayside.

"Techniques and mechanics, that was the thing," Moore recalled.

"My release, my overall quarterback ability, I learned all that at a young age," Manuel added. "Some things that guys are learning now in college I learned from coach Moore in eighth grade."

Although Manuel did not live in Bayside's attendance zone as a freshman, he began attending the school as part of its Health Sciences Academy. Manuel now lives in the Green Run High attendance zone.

Both Manuel and Moore say he wasn't recruited to Bayside. But it's no secret Manuel is happy playing under Moore and "Grandpa," who coaches the Marlins' offensive and defensive lines.

"It's a blessing that Bayside had an academy," Manuel said.

Manuel - he's Erik Jr. but has gone by E.J. since he was an infant - has been Bayside's starting quarterback since his freshman season. During his first two years, though, he was far from polished.

"I heard from many people that I was holding him back - and I was," Moore said. "He wanted to go from A to Z, but my thing is, you have to learn B, C, D, E and F before you can do Z on a regular basis. I thought it was a learning process."

Manuel steadily improved, and his 1,973 yards as a junior put him on South Hampton Roads' top 10 passing lists.

Then came this offseason.

A Google search of Manuel's name yields a hit total that would make a Hollywood starlet envious - more than 21,000 pages. But Manuel's combine videos spark gushing praise, not gossip - unless it's discussion about which college program he'll choose.

Manuel has whittled his list to 10 schools: Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers and Tennessee.

As for making the decision, Manuel is keeping it cool, just like he does on the field.

"I just take my time with this stuff," he said. "I don't let it get to me or stress me. I don't try to make it like a solo thing, getting all the glory. I'm not into that."