Berry twins have scary potential
Evan, Elliott Berry look to walk in path blazed by older brother, NFL star Eric
Eric Berry was seriously joking.
The Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl safety started off with a straight face, then smiled as he contradicted himself.
"My brothers? They're not faster than me, but they're faster than me," Berry said. They're faster than me, but they're not. They're not faster than me."
Berry was obviously a bit torn. He's a proud, budding NFL superstar, but a proud brother at the same time.
But, if he were to be truly sincere, he'd admit that his younger brothers, twins Elliot and Evan, who will be sophomores in high school, are indeed faster than him. And like Eric several years ago, both 15-year-olds are considered legitimate college football prospects.
Always competing
Eric's reluctance to admit he is slower than his brothers is borne of a competitive family environment, one that pushes his younger brothers every day.
"We compete a lot," said Evan, who, like Eric did from 2003 to 2006, plays quarterback and safety at Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga. At 6-foot and 190 pounds, he threw for 1,783 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 913 yards and nine TDs.
"I want to be better than my brother," Elliot said.
That's a mighty challenge. Eric was a consensus All-American at Tennessee before departing after his junior season and being selected with the fifth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Still, it seems at least plausible that the younger Berrys could achieve such lofty goals. As a freshman, Evan ran approximately the same time as Eric in the 100 meters, both in the 10.6-second range. Evan's best is 10.69. Elliot's best is 10.84. Evan has reportedly run a 4.43-second 40-yard dash. Elliot has posted a 4.46. At 6-foot and 211 pounds, Eric posted a 4.47 in the 2010 NFL combine.
Although the competition in the Berry household is ever-present; it's not always spoken about. None of the three would be considered trash talkers, but sometimes a word or two is all it takes.
"I'm in his ear, 'Hey man, I'm about to beat you on this rep.'" Evan said, recalling a typical conversation he might have with Elliot. "Or, 'I can do more pushups than you.' It's kind of competitive around here."
The bravado doesn't stop there. When the twins have the rare opportunity to work out against their older brother or some of his college or NFL friends, there's no stopping the chatter.
"When they're around NFL players, they just look at us like regular people," Eric said. "They talk trash to all of my friends, and they're teenagers."
Volunteering?
Working out with upper-echelon athletes is just one of the advantages of having Eric Berry as an older brother. Another is exposure.
"Of course it gives me an advantage during the recruiting process," said Evan, who is the younger twin by two minutes. "A lot of coaches are looking at me because of him. He gives a lot of advice during the recruiting process -- 'Don't let it get to you already. You have a long time to make the decision. Take your time. Whenever you're ready, that's when you decide.'"
The hype spun out of control when Evan and Eric were just 13 years old and in eighth grade. A recruiting service reported that Evan was committed to follow in his brother's footsteps and play football at Tennessee. Other media quickly followed up and reported the story. However, there was one problem. Neither was eligible to be offered a scholarship at such a young age.
"I think it was a misleading conversation," Evan said. "I didn't really commit."
Yet no one in the Berry family likely would object if Evan or Elliot did commit to play for the Vols. Not only did Eric play for Tennessee from 2007 to 2009, but his father, James Berry, was a running back for the Volunteers from 1978 to 1981.
James said he's still loyal to Tennessee but hinted that his youngest sons could head elsewhere.
"The twins, it seems like they're cut from a different cloth," the paternal Berry said. "They make up their own mind about what they want to do. The only thing I'm going to do is help them through the process. Deep down, I would like to see them go there [to Tennessee], but ultimately it will be their decision."
"I did my time at Tennessee," Eric said. "If Tennessee is for them, then they need to take their butts to Tennessee, but I'm just happy they're doing what they are supposed to on and off the field and in the classroom."
Evan has his eye on Tennessee, but admits there are some concerns with the Vols' recent lack of stability.
"Right now they have a couple of problems with head coaches leaving, but it's possible," Evan said.
Tandem Tigers?
Two things seem certain with the Berry brothers' recruitment. The two want to play in the SEC because its close to family, and they believe it's the most competitive conference. And don't expect to see the two brothers choose different schools.
"I really can't see myself playing against him on a playing field having opposite uniforms," Evan said. "It would be weird. I can't imagine it."
Family ties will surely keep the Vols in the mix for the foreseeable future. But there's a new team that seems to be in the very, very early lead for the Berry twins' commitment.
"They've been spending a lot of time down there at Auburn," Eric said. "It's close. It's only an hour away from Fairburn."
The twins will say only that Tennessee and Auburn are both in the mix, but the Tigers certainly have a strong chance. Creekside's senior cornerback Joshua Holsey committed to Auburn in May.
"That's one of their good friends so they just kind of go down there and run with him," Eric said. "I don't think they're leaning anywhere at this point. They've got their options open. I tell them just like my Pops told me, 'Don't let anybody put any pressure on you about where you want to go.' They've got to go where they want to go."
A longtime relationship with Auburn associate head coach Trooper Taylor also should help the Tigers.
"He's a fun guy," Evan said of Taylor, who coached at Tennessee from 2004 to 2007. "We used to hang out with his son a lot when he was at Tennessee."
No rush
Recruiting, however, can wait. Admittedly, James Berry isn't sure what to expect, even though he knows how crazy the recruiting game can get. It's almost as if there's a calm before the storm with Elliot and Evan.
"The whole recruiting process with Eric, it was something totally different," James Berry said. "You had people coming out of the woodwork left and right wanting him to come and play for them. Hopefully, they'll develop and the same will apply to them."
But not yet. The Berry twins still have 2 1/2 years until they have to sign a national letter of intent in February 2014.
"I just want to take it slow and take my time to ensure that I make the right decision," said the 6-foot, 195-pound Elliot, who rushed for 750 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman tailback last season and also racked up 60 tackles as a defensive end and outside linebacker.
Evan chuckled when he spoke about the impending phone calls from recruiters and reporters.
"It's going to happen so you might as well get ready for it now," he said.
The two know they can't run from it, but if they could, they'd outpace Eric.
Dave Hooker covers Southeast and Atlantic Coast recruiting. He has covered recruiting and college football for over a decade. Email him at davehookerespn@gmail.com.
- Dave Hooker covers recruiting in the East.
- Email him at davehookerespn@gmail.com.
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