Caruthersville's Monroe plans to sign with Southeast Missouri State football team

~ The Caruthersville running back earned the Carr Trophy

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tom Matukewicz offered Caruthersville running back Darrell Monroe a significant, if not traditional, compliment during a recruiting visit.

Matukewicz told Monroe he's not normal. And he meant that in the best possible way.

"He's gifted," Caruthersville coach Nathan Morgan said about Monroe, giving his own description as he relayed the story about Matukewicz's visit.

"God gave him some talent he didn't give a whole lot of other people," Morgan said. "I think coach [Matukewicz] said it best in his interview one time with him was that he's not normal. He was trying to point out to Darrell that he's not a normal guy. He's got things that other people weren't given.

"A lot of it's natural, but one thing people don't see -- they see on the field and see how great he is on film and things like that, but he was equally a hard worker in the weight room. That type of work ethic with that kind of talent always put him above everybody else on the field."

Monroe, according to Morgan, will sign a National Letter of Intent to play at Southeast today.

Monroe, at some points thought destined for the highest levels of college football before being hampered by eligibility questions that have since been answered, could turn out to be a significant signing for Matukewicz and the Redhawks, who are trying to rebuild the program.

Matukewicz, who is prohibited by NCAA rules from talking about recruits before they have signed, traveled to Caruthersville, Mo., to meet with Monroe.

"When he came down and spoke with Darrell it was fairly obvious the kind of guy he was," Morgan said about Matukewicz. "You don't get head coaches down in Caruthersville very often, so I think that was a big deal to Darrell as well because feeling wanted is a big thing for a teenager. When that happened, I don't think it took much else."

Morgan said he heard similarities in the messages he delivers to his players in Matukewicz's conversation with Monroe.

"Just kind of the stuff we preach to the kids down here about hard work and coming up from harder circumstances," Morgan said. "Caruthersville is not the easiest place to live and grow up, and these kids work hard to try to get out to make something of themselves and kind of give back eventually, like [former Mizzou running back] Jimmy Jackson and [MLB pitcher] Matt Palmer and those guys. They look up to that, and coach Tuke kind of embodies that with where he's come from and I think it'll be a good spot for Darrell and a good mentor to have."

Monroe, despite being hampered by injuries and often sitting out most of the second half once his team built big leads, gained 1,430 yards on 130 carries (11 yards per carry) during his senior season. He gained 433 yards on just 12 receptions (36.1 yards per catch) and scored 25 total touchdowns.

He won the Carr Trophy, given each year to the best football player in the SEMO Conference by the Poplar Bluff Letter Club, and is a finalist in the Semoball Awards football offense category.

He played linebacker for Caruthersville during his senior season and made 54 tackles, including 14 for loss, and had one interception.

"His strength is his strength," Morgan said. "I would venture to say if he wasn't as fast as he is, he would probably be an all-state, all-American right tackle. As a running back, you don't typically find guys that are stronger than linemen. He's been the strongest guy on the team since he was a freshman. ... Then you kind of put that together with a guy who can run as fast as he can -- it's basically like getting hit by a train, a head on collision. He's saved himself on so many runs by being able to stiff-arm people to the ground and stand up on his feet."

Monroe will of course face stronger and faster opponents at Southeast than he did during Class 2 Caruthersville's season. He may not play right away, Morgan said, and he may not end up playing running back in the long run.

"I think that's initially what they're looking at, but when you get into college football it's really going to be where he fits in with them," Morgan said. "When they get him out there and get him and get him moving, they'll evaluate him. If that's where they want him, he's not going to care just as long as he's trying to help the team."