“I did on Friday,” Ellis told DeaconSports.com. “After making a few visits -- I think I told you I visited Vanderbilt last week – I knew Wake was right. The whole time I figured Wake Forest was where I wanted to be but I had to be sure.” Ellis committed to Wake Forest over offers from Vanderbilt and Duke and heavy interest from Alabama, Southern Miss, and Georgia Tech.
“I really like the coaches [at Wake Forest] and [they] had a little advantage because my brother goes there and he could tell me about it,” Ellis noted. “He could tell me things and fill in questions that other schools couldn’t. I felt like Wake was where I wanted to be and I fit in with the coaches and players there.”
Ellis’ brother, Chantz McClinic, is also excited to have his brother on-board as a Demon Deacon. “He’s actually the first person I called when I talked to Coach Hood,” Ellis said. “He’s happy I’m coming up there with him.”
Ellis, who stands 6’2, 235-pounds, could play a variety of positions at the next level. Although he plays fullback and linebacker at the high school level, he will likely wind up as a defensive end at Wake Forest. “When I talked to Coach Hood from Wake, he said that I could play either linebacker or defensive end. Right now, he wants to play me at defensive end because he thinks I can get on the field faster there.”
With just under a month left before his senior season begins, Ellis has high expectations for his Darlington School (Rome, Ga) team. “This coming season I think will be one of the best Darlington has had in a while. This summer the whole team worked hard and the coaches even said we had one of the toughest strength & conditioning programs they’ve had in a while. It should be a really good year for us.”
Derricus Ellis Profile