52  Daniel Drake
	Class: Senior Hometown: Fayetteville Last College: Marshall Height / Weight: 6-0 / 232 Position: Inside Linebacker Experience: 2L

Career Statistics

A determined, assignment-sound and strong North Carolina prep product who joined the Pirates' program prior to spring drills in 2010 from Conference USA rival Marshall ... Spent first season in an acclimation mode primarily on special teams before earning starting status at one of the inside linebacking positions opposite Jeremy Grove in 2011 ... Was slowed slightly by nagging injuries and illness (asthma) during portions of junior season and again during the spring, but resiliency and savvy still allowed for a top two-deep standing along with Kyle Tudor heading into the fall camp ... Selected as a fourth-team preseason All-Conference USA performer by Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine ... Tallied one tackle in the first spring scrimmage on March 31 before an illness and lower back strain forced him to miss the second and third contests, respectively ... Earned "iron" designation during spring testing in ECU's strength and conditioning program, producing lifts of 415 pounds (bench), 585 pounds (back squat), 1,310 watts (jerk), jump marks of 33.5" (vertical) and 9'3 (broad), and a 40-time of 4.58.

2011 Game-by-Game Statistics
2011: Played a vital role for the Pirates' defense, appearing in 11 games and making first nine starts of career ... Missed the Houston contest due to a right shoulder injury ... When healthy, only two games not in the starting lineup were tilts versus Southern Miss and UTEP ... Selected by coaches as the unit's "linebacker-of-the-year" during the program's end-of-the-season awards banquet ... Finished the campaign with a team third-best 74 tackles and ranked second on the squad with 58 hits on rushing plays ... Tallied 18 solo stops and 56 assists ... Credited with one sack and 1.5 tackles for lost yardage ... Added one quarterback hurry, against UAB ... Following South Carolina and Virginia Tech contests, led Conference USA and ranked second at the FBS level with 13.5 stops per game ... Booked a team second-best 36 hits in four non-conference games (9.0 tpg) and 38 tackles in seven C-USA clashes (5.4 tpg) ... Collected 43 stops inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the second-highest total on the squad ... In the season finale at Marshall, tallied nine tackles, his most in a game since making 12 in week three versus the Blazers ... Against the Thundering Herd, credited with four tackles in each half and one stop in overtime ... Made an impact early against UCF, booking five hits in the first half ... Matched career high with four solo stops versus the Knights ... Made five tackles in the opening half against Tulane, including three during the Green Wave's 10-play second drive of the second quarter ... Tallied a personal-best four solo tackles at Navy after entering the season with three career solo hits ... Recorded first sack of career in the third quarter at Memphis, dropping Skylar Jones five yards behind the line of scrimmage ... Registered eight of game's 12 tackles against UAB in the second half ... Recorded first quarterback hurry of career in the final frame versus the Blazers, forcing a Jonathan Perry incompletion ... Booked five tackles during Virginia Tech's first 13 plays of the fourth quarter ... Finished the game against the Hokies with a career second-best 13 stops ... Credited with five hits during South Carolina's game-opening drive en route to a career-best, and team-leading, 14 tackles.

2010 Game-by-Game Statistics
2010: Made East Carolina debut and earned first varsity letter after appearing in 12 games as a member of the special teams ... Lone contest missed was at Virginia Tech (coaches' decision) ... Made three solo tackles and two assists ... All five tackles came on kickoff returns ... Booked a season-best two stops (solo, assist) against Navy ... Tallied year's other assist versus Marshall and remaining solo hits versus UCF and SMU ... Career's first tackle was on the Thundering Herd's Troy Evans after a 15-yard return in the third quarter.

2009: Experienced action in the Green & White Spring game.

2008: Redshirted during first year in Marshall program after earning roster position as a walk-on.

Prep School: Attended and played football at Hargrave Military Academy during the 2007 season as a post-graduate (senior high school year) ... An all-conference performer for the Tigers ... Earned selection to the President's List for work in the classroom.

High School: Played initial prep season at Douglas Byrd High School as a freshman before transferring to E.E. Smith High School for his sophomore and junior campaigns.

Personal: Full name is Daniel Levi Drake ... Born August 19, 1989 at Fayetteville, N.C. ... A management information systems (MIS) major ... Says playing with asthma has been one his biggest obstacles to overcome on the field ... Picks Ray Lewis as favorite NFL player ... Previous summer employment included a full-time position in a post office ... Credits father (Irving) as most influential on career ... Plays the drums.