Demetrius Ebron has a knack for going to wherever the football is. He was featured heavily on defense during his junior season a year ago. He came up with three interceptions and recovered four fumbles. On offense, Ebron notched four catches — two of which resulted in touchdowns — on a run-heavy Southside team that only had 31 completions over 15 games.

Read more: Position Breakdown – Southside

Now, the dynamic Seahawk aims to become more involved with the offense. He will be relied upon to lead the team on and off the field, as well. Southside’s mantra is “next man up.” Well, Ebron appears to simply be “the man” for this year’s team that has its sights set on following up consecutive trips to the regional-championship game.

Ebron has the raw athleticism and skill to make an impact anywhere on the field. Since last season, one of his most noteworthy strides has been evolving from a lead-by-example player to a vocal leader on both sides of the ball.

“There’s a lot more talking this year,” he said. “If somebody has a good play, or somebody does a bad play, it’s picking your teammates up. ‘Hey, keep your head up and keep your focus strong.’”

Head coach Jeff Carrow added, “As far as maturity since last year, we’ve really worked hard with him, leadership-wise, with him stepping up. He’s starting to become more vocal this year. He’s taking on a vocal-leadership role.”

In the past, Ebron let his play do the talking. He would speak up occasionally, but didn’t always need to last year. Now he’s a player Carrow and the coaches lean on.

“We were dragging a little bit in practice. All I had to do was put a little bug in his ear, and he got the whole team hyped and ready to go,” Carrow said of an instance during the first week of the preseason. “Practice picked up just like that.”

Communication is vital to Ebron’s role in the secondary. As a safety, he sees the way the Seahawks’ defense — which has been stout for the past few seasons — form right in front of him.

Ebron said that watching film throughout the offseason and preseason has helped him hammer down the intricacies of Southside’s entire system. It’s important as he readies himself to be targeted more as a receiver.

“Me and Will (Warren) have got a really good connection. If I’m open, he just puts the ball where it needs to be,” Ebron said. He flashed an impressive catch radius and the ability to maneuver in coverage when Southside took part in a 7-on-7 scrimmage at Riverside in late July. “It’s kind of coming naturally. I’ve still got to work on things here and there.”

The key is to stay the course. Maintaining focus on what’s made him a game-changing defensive back will let him continue to excel on that side of the ball. Carrow said Ebron had a strong summer from an offensive standpoint. He’s guided the team exactly how the coaches hoped he would.

Ebron is exactly the kind of player that can provide a spark in each game. Watch as the Seahawks rally around his actions and words.