By Matthew Hatfield

Correspondent

Lakeland High School head football coach Glenwood Ferebee has accepted an assistant coaching position at Hampton University in the MEAC after leading the Cavaliers to consecutive Eastern Region Division 5 playoff appearances.

A formal announcement is expected on Monday, but the coach announced the move to his team on Wednesday, and by the afternoon, the news had spread though social networking websites.

As part of Donovan Rose’s coaching staff with the Pirates of HU, Ferebee will serve as quarterback coach. The chance to move on to the next level was attractive to him.

“When I first got the Lakeland job, I really wasn’t thinking about college football, to be honest. Over the last three years though, it really hit me that was something I wanted to start heading towards,” Ferebee said.

“I talked to a couple of coaches that when they come in to recruit kids, tried to sit down and pick their brain a little and spoke with a couple of the guys from Hampton. They liked some of the things we did on film, complimented me and when the job came available I reached out to them.”

Ferebee, 35, grew up in Hampton Roads and was the starting quarterback at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, where he threw passes to Plaxico Burress, who later caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII. Ferebee played college football at Liberty University, transitioning from playing quarterback to wide receiver for the Flames.

“Even though I didn’t get to play quarterback a lot in college, it’s a position that I’ve played before, studied (and) has always been my first love,” Ferebee noted. “A lot of the quarterbacks I’ve worked with over the years — like Zach Super and Walter Boykins at Lakeland, Desmond Lee when I was an assistant at Booker T. Washington — have done pretty well.

In five seasons at Lakeland, Ferebee compiled a record of 24-29 overall. Following a winless campaign in 2010, the Cavs went 15-8 during Ferbee’s final two years, the best stretch in school history. Their 7-4 mark in 2011 resulted in the program’s first trip to the regional playoffs as a Group AAA school.

Last year’s 8-4 record included a regional quarterfinal victory over city rival King’s Fork before bumping into eventual state champion Lake Taylor in the semifinals.

There were options on the table for Ferebee following the 2012 campaign. He considered returning to Lakeland, taking a college coaching position at Hampton or pursuing the vacant coaching job at his alma mater, Green Run.

“I was torn between Lakeland, Green Run and applied for that Hampton job. I really wanted to get my feet wet,” Ferebee said. “I interviewed with Coach Rose, had a good conversation for about 30 minutes, and he liked some of the things that I said about the quarterback position. He ended up calling me on Wednesday and offered me the job. For me to come in at such a young age, learn about the college game and grow is exciting for me.”

“I just want to come in with a lot of energy and bring my knowledge of the passing game to help them develop,” Ferebee commented.

“It’s about getting the ball out of your hands, take what the defense is giving you and hopefully we’ll get to add some things we used at the high school level that I learned from coach Beatty and incorporate them in the offense if allowed to. But if not, I want to be able to stress the fundamentals with the guys that I’m coaching, as well as the mental aspects that are needed to be successful.”

Hampton University finished 3-7 overall in 2012, marking only its second losing record over the past 16 seasons.