HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Clarett's advice influenced Ferguson to transfer

Delbert Ferguson also said he is leaving Ursuline so he can play for coach Thom McDaniels at Harding.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
When Delbert Ferguson was weighing whether to transfer from Ursuline to Warren Harding, he sought advice from a fellow South Side running back -- Maurice Clarett.
"He told me that, 'Whatever you decide, I'll support you, but it'd be good to play Division I football,' " Ferguson, a junior, said.
Ferguson, who first considered transferring last winter after coach Jim Vivo left the Irish, enrolled at Warren Harding this week.
Transfers aren't unusual, but Ferguson's stature across the state makes it the area's most noteworthy transfer since Clarett left Austintown Fitch for Harding in 1999.
Ferguson was the state's top-ranked junior by "Ohio Future Stars" before the season, and had a stellar junior year, rushing for 1,671 yards for Ursuline's Div. IV state semifinal team.
"From our perspective, we're just here to provide the best program possible and provide opportunities after graduation," said Warren Harding athletic director Paul Trina, who first heard about Ferguson's decision on Thursday. "We hope we do a good job doing those things."
Cost
But the transfer comes at a cost. Warren Harding's football scheduling problems -- which were already bad -- won't get any better.
Smaller schools don't want to play the Raiders in football for fear of injury, and with Fitch and Boardman leaving the Steel Valley Conference after this season, Harding will likely have to look outside the state for games.
"In terms of our relationship to other schools, I can't control how they feel about us," Warren Harding football coach Thom McDaniels said. "When we lost kids to other schools, my attitude was that I didn't want a kid in the program who didn't want to be here."
The Raiders benefited from two high profile transfers this season -- senior defensive back Rob Massucci, who transferred from Lakeview after his sophomore year, and senior quarterback Mike Kokal, who left Warren JFK after his sophomore year. Harding also loses transfers -- most notably Josh Cayson and Shane Golden.
McDaniels' stature
McDaniels' reputation -- and his close relationship with Clarett -- were main factors in Ferguson's decision.
"That may be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, factor," Ferguson said. "Maurice always talked about how he better prepares you for games and about his knowledge of the game."
McDaniels, who has coached against Ferguson the past three years, met Ferguson at Harding for 10 minutes on Friday.
Needless to say, the meeting went well.
"I became a better coach [Thursday]," McDaniels said with a laugh. "I think our team got instantly better [Thursday], and any school that would have got him would have gotten better."
Timing
Some may question Ferguson's timing.
Playing for Harding may help his development, but he would have been heavily recruited across the nation even if he had stayed at Ursuline.
"I was thinking about [transferring] last year, but I wasn't really ready mentally," Ferguson said. "Now I think I can handle some of the stuff [scrutiny, bad feelings] that goes along with the transfer."
The Ohio High School Athletic Association tightened recruiting rules before the 2001 season, but because the Ferguson family is moving to Warren, he will remain eligible.
But before Ferguson could move, he had to convince his mother.
"You know how moms are. She wasn't really in favor of it at first," said Ferguson, who will move in after the holidays. "But once she saw how much I wanted to do it, she was behind me 100 percent."
Looking ahead
Ferguson (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) said he will spend this off-season working on his speed and quickness. He hasn't decided where he will go to college, but he said Ohio State is one of the front-runners.
"Maurice hasn't said too much about college, but he plans on leaving [for the NFL] if not next year, the year after that," Ferguson said. "We all know he's taking care of business up there."
Ferguson also said he is considering graduating early -- like Clarett did -- but has yet to make up his mind.
No matter what happens, Ferguson said he has fond memories of his time with the Irish.
"Part of me is sad because I have a lot of friends there, and I had a lot of great experiences," he said. "It's a bittersweet decision.
"It was a great part of my life, but now it's time to move on."
scalzo@vindy.com