Northside defensive end Demetreus Ferebee has made a commitment to play football at Norfolk State, and the 6-foot-5, 225-pound senior plans to sign a scholarship with the Spartans on Wednesday.

Northside coach Burt Torrence said today that NSU made Ferebee an offer last fall contingent on the Vikings star attaining a high enough SAT score.

Ferebee hit the mark in December and the Spartans held up their end of the deal.

“He’d scheduled a visit without the score, the second week of January,” Torrence said. “Over Christmas break we got those scores back. When he got the test score he needed, they didn’t even need to see it. They took my word for it and offered him right there on the spot, over the phone.

“I’m really happy for him. Getting a free education is big, and an opportunity to play.”

Torrence said Virginia and James Madison had expressed some interest in Ferebee. The Northside coach also said Temple made Ferebee an offer after he had made a commitment.

“Temple called in and offered him a scholarship,” Torrence said. “I already said he’s going to Norfolk State, so he’s going. I don’t believe in telling somebody you’re going to come and then don’t go. We don’t do any of that mess.”

Torrence said Norfolk State – a member of the FCS Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – has made its recruiting presence known in the western part of Virginia.

“They sent this new coach out here and he went to every school,” Torrence said. “Kudos to him because a lot of schools will skip around and won’t go to every school. This guy went to every school to find out who was there.”

Ferebee, a second-team All-Timesland selection, was Northside’s co-leader in quarterback sacks with seven in 2012 as the Vikings shared the Blue Ridge District title and reached the Region III Division 3 semifinals. He also had 50 solo tackles.