[Baltimore Sun] True freshman quarterback Deshawn Purdie, a Milford Mill product, excelling for Charlotte football
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Mike Miller first spotted Deshawn Purdie during a top high school prospects camp held at the University of Maryland.
Miller was the passing game coordinator for Maryland football at the time and was working with the quarterbacks at the camp. It was the summer before Purdie’s sophomore season at Mount St. Joseph and he was a tall, skinny youngster still growing into his body.
“Honest to God, I saw one throw during Deshawn’s warmup and knew right away he was going to be something special. The ball just jumped out of his hand,” Miller said. “He was this long, gangly, athletic kid who was raw but clearly had so much potential.”
Miller quickly alerted head coach Mike Locksley about the young prospect and Maryland began recruiting and wound up offering a scholarship to Purdie, who transferred to Milford Mill for his final two seasons of high school.
“Once I got to meet the kid and spend time with his family, I saw what a great job they did raising him. Deshawn is just a great young man in every respect,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, Miller was hired away from Maryland by Charlotte head coach Biff Poggi to serve as the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He quickly urged Poggi to go hard after Purdie.
“Deshawn is a really special kid who just has the ‘it’ factor. You know it when you see it and you only need to watch Deshawn for a minute to recognize he has it,” Miller said.
Poggi, a Baltimore native who built powerhouse programs at Gilman and St. Frances, took a personal interest in recruiting Purdie. Defensive line coach Wayne Dorsey, who was an assistant at St. Frances under Poggi, was the lead recruiter.
Together, they made it clear to Purdie that he was their top priority. The Baltimore resident liked the idea of being on the ground floor of a developing program and became Charlotte’s first commit for the Class of 2024.
“I went with my heart, pulled the trigger and have no regrets since,” Purdie told The Sun this week.
Purdie graduated from Milford Mill in December and enrolled early at Charlotte so he could participate in spring camp. Miller described his progress as meteoric, noting that Purdie got picked off on his very first practice pass then tossed a 75-yard touchdown on his initial attempt in the spring game.
Charlotte quarterback Deshawn Purdie is a Milford Mill High graduate. He is likely to start Saturday when Charlotte plays at Navy. (Charlotte Athletics/Courtesy photo)
“Deshawn has been awesome since the day he showed up on campus. We’re very excited to have a young quarterback of that caliber and he has a really bright future. I think this kid is going to play pro ball,” Miller said. “Deshawn has a tremendously high ceiling. He’s only going to keep growing and improving. He has a lot of intangibles that you can’t coach — work ethic, character, leadership, size, arm talent.”
Purdie is expected to make his second straight start when Charlotte meets No. 25 Navy on Saturday in Annapolis. He’ll have a large cheering section of family and friends at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, which is located less than an hour from where he grew up.
The 18-year-old true freshman showed some real moxie by coming off the bench in the second half and leading Charlotte to a 21-20 come-from-behind victory over Rice on Sept. 28. Purdie tossed touchdowns of 32 and 45 yards to O’Mega Blake as the 49ers outscored the host Owls, 21-10, in the second half.
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“We’ve all watched enough football. When the first quarterback comes out, the second guy comes in and it’s usually a nightmare,” Poggi told the media afterward. “That wasn’t a nightmare. We played really hard and this kid did a great job.”
Purdie, who made his collegiate debut coming off the bench against North Carolina, felt prepared and confident he could jump-start an offense that was shut out in the first half.
“My name was called and I knew my job,” he said. “I had in the back of my mind that we had to score on every drive. Just the mentality I had going into the game was that I had to bring the team back.”
Purdie got the start the following Saturday and directed a tremendous offensive performance as Charlotte routed visiting East Carolina, 55-24. Purdie passed for 206 yards and the 49ers rolled up 517 yards.
“This time last year, [Purdie] was flipping bubble gum cards, and now all of the sudden he’s starting in Division I football,” Poggi said “We got to take care of him. He’s very talented, but he is a freshman. We’re very confident in his abilities.”
Charlotte has another talented young quarterback in sophomore Max Brown, a transfer from Florida. Brown started the 49ers’ first two games before suffering an injury against North Carolina. Poggi said Brown is available to play against Navy and declined to announce whether he or Purdie would start.
Navy defensive coordinator P.J. Volker said Purdie’s talent “jumps off the film.”
“Just an exceptional talent with great arm strength and it looks like he has amazing command of the offense. It also looks like the guys around him are inspired by his play and the way he goes about his business,” Volker said. “Some guys just bring a certain level of moxie or swagger to the offense and it certainly looks like he does that for them. He does not look like a freshman whatsoever out there.”
Volker was particularly impressed by Purdie’s arm strength and said it does not appear it takes much effort for him to throw the ball 50 yards on a rope. “He just flicks the football and it’s shot out of a cannon coming out of his hand.”
For the season, Purdie has appeared in four games and completed 60% (48-for-79) of his passes for 717 yards and four touchdowns. He has displayed a strong, accurate arm and an ability to deliver the ball on time and on target.
“I’m not surprised at all because my work ethic and dedication are paying off,” Purdie said. “This has always been my dream. I was destined to be a Division I quarterback.”
Milford Mill quarterback Deshawn Purdie passes behind his offensive line against Kent Island in the 2022 Class 2A state championship game. The Millers capped a 14-0 season with a 25-16 victory. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Milford Mill coach Reggie White is not at all surprised either, saying the sky’s the limit for Purdie. He praised the young signal-caller’s leadership and ability to get teammates to follow.
“Deshawn has a monster arm and all the other skills you look for in an elite quarterback,” White said. “He’s very calm, cool and collected. He’s not afraid of the big moment and does not get rattled.
White praised the Purdie family for raising a “a very responsible” youngster and always keeping him on the right path. He said Deshawn Purdie, who maintained a 3.7 grade point average at Milford Mill, is internally motivated.
“Deshawn is a very smart individual who badly wants to be the best and will do whatever it takes to make it happen,” White said.
Dwayne Purdie was highly involved with his son’s recruitment and has been a guiding influence throughout his football career.
“Me and my pops have a great relationship. He’s always in my corner and making sure I stay grounded,” Deshawn said.
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