Smithfield's Pierce Names Top 6

Smithfield three-star prospect Chris Pierce from the Class of 2017 has released his Top 6, consisting of the schools he is considering to play his College Football at following the 2016 campaign with the Packers.

Making the cut were Central Florida, Maryland, Old Dominion, Temple, Virginia and Yale. He's been recruited by some schools to play wide receiver and others to play linebacker.

What has stood out to recruiters most about Pierce?

"His versatility and his aggressiveness," replied Smithfield Head Football Coach Reginald Chavis.

"All of the schools that have looked at him or inquired about him feel like he can play anywhere on the field. He likes playing both offense and defense. He's got a knack for the ball. The ball seems to find him and he seems to find the ball. And all of them love the fact that he's a student first."

In the classroom, Pierce maintains a 3.68 GPA.

Over the last two seasons, Pierce has caught 89 passes for 1438 yards and 21 touchdowns. He's also been a standout performer on Smithfield's basketball, where he averaged 12 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore and had similar numbers as a junior before a broken wrist ended his season.

Smithfield opens its 2016 campaign on August 26th at King's Fork, which eliminated the Packers 42-36 in the opening round of last year's 4A-East Region playoffs.

*** Watch our Video Interview with Pierce from June, discussing his recruitment. ***

Matthew Hatfield has covered football and basketball since 2004 for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a staff writer for Tar Heel Illustrated. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10 AM on ESPN Radio 94.1, plus watch him on the Cox 11 Sports Report.