Nansemond-Suffolk quarterback/defensive back Domonique Lennon verbally committed to a football scholarship offer from East Carolina earlier this week.

Lennon, a rising senior who was a major part in NSA’s state championship last fall, attended a camp for recruits at ECU over the weekend.

“I got a letter from coach (John) Wiley, a defensive coach, the linebacker coach there, inviting me to the camp and saying they were interested,” Lennon said.

“At the camp, I guess they liked what they saw,” he said. Lennon, a 6-foot-2, 187-pound two-way player, has seen his best fit at the college level on the defensive side of the ball, even as he was a state-title winning quarterback. Lennon said ECU sees him as a safety or cornerback.

Lennon was a first-team all-state player in Virginia Independent Schools, Div. II at quarterback and defensive back last year. On the defensive side, he recorded 85 tackles and six interceptions.

“When I went down to the camp, it felt like home. Everyone there’s been friendly. They have a great program. All the coaches have a real love for football,” Lennon said. “They’ve been really excited about me every time I’ve spoken with them on the phone.”

While Lennon can only make a verbal commitment to the Pirates at this time, and plenty of other schools have been recruiting him, he says he won’t be attending any more camps this summer.

“I’m going to be working out, hitting the weights hard, getting my feet a lot faster and learning the game a little more,” Lennon said.

“It’s means a lot actually, there’s no pressure going into the season. I’ll be able focus on our main goal, another state championship,” Lennon said.

“This definitely shows everything he’s done has paid off, but he’s still not finished yet. He’s got to go out and have a great year this year and I have no doubt he will,” said NSA head coach Kevin Allen.

“He’s got to continue to work hard and work on keeping his grades up,” Allen said.

“This definitely gives proof to a lot of the kids. This is proof you can make it to a Division I school from a private school,” Allen said.

There is one more great reason for Lennon making a commitment to a college earlier than most. Lennon’s uncle is being deployed to Iraq soon and he won’t get to see him on National Signing Day, the day, Feb. 2, 2011, high school football players can officially sign letters of intent to accept scholarships.

East Carolina won its second straight Conference USA championship last season. The Pirates went on to the Liberty Bowl and finished a 9-5 season with an overtime loss against Arkansas.

Ruffin McNeill took over ECU’s head coaching job in January after Skip Holtz moved on to coach South Florida. McNeill played for ECU in the late 70s, was an assistant at ECU and most recently at Texas Tech.