1. The recruitment of Raleigh native Silas Demary Jr. has gotten a little more twists and turns.
I’ve maintained for weeks that Demary is not close to the decision-making phase of his recruitment, but more in the “What is still out there?” stage. That isn’t ideal for NC State, but unless an alternative develops, the Wolfpack aren’t in a position to pressure Demary. Some believe in the notion that after an official visit — he visited this past weekend — that coaches should basically say, “we need a decision within the next week.” I’ve never gotten the sense that is how NC State has approached things this past fall, but it probably has happened in the past.
For NC State, it means watching Alabama enter the picture and for Demary’s inner circle to hope other colleges will too. It’s too early to know if that means NC State, USC, Wake Forest, St. John’s, Georgia or VCU, aren’t catching his eye enough.
Alabama is a true wild card, but it’s a threat that NC State understands. NCSU assistant coach Levi Watkins knows Alabama coach Nate Oats from their days at Buffalo under coach Bobby Hurley in 2013-2015, so he’ll know what the playbook is. Alabama made a fierce run at Raleigh Word of God reclassed senior combo guard Freddie Dilione, with some believing that Dilione silently committed to the Crimson Tide. Instead, Dilione picked Tennessee publicly, so Alabama has pivoted to Demary. What’s interesting is that Rivals.com three-star point guard prospect R.J. Johnson of Huntsville (Ala.) Grissom High has already committed to the Crimson Tide.
The second dynamic that could come into play is NIL money. He’s been openly talking about it and has an agent for such things. It could be a good test on whether NC State will be competitive with other programs in the NIL space, as there has been a lot of blurred lines when it comes to such things. Recruits don’t talk to the media about NIL opportunities and then sign for free.
2. Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding senior running back Jamarion Wilcox bet on himself for his senior year. The first rumor was that Georgia might jump in, and that might still happen, but it hasn’t happened yet. What could easily happen this weekend is an offer from Clemson, where he is unofficially visiting.
Clemson doesn’t have a running back in the class and hasn’t gotten all that far with Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard speedster Chris Johnson. So, Wilcox could be a realistic option in the very near future.
NC State had Wilcox unofficially visit in late June, but he’s played things pretty close to the vest with his recruitment. NC State and Kentucky have always been mentioned, but it’s been pretty vague on what other schools are seriously in the mix. NC State can beat out the likes of Kentucky, unless the prospect is dead-set on going to the SEC, but it remains to be seen if he feels that way.
Even during the height of NC State pursuing Charlotte, N.C., product Daylan Smothers, Wilcox felt in July he was the main NC State running back priority.
Charlotte Christian senior running back Kyron Jones is officially visiting this weekend, and he also attended the Charleston Southern game. He’s essentially down to NC State, Iowa State and UConn, with Duke drifting away. Jones is off to a hot start and all eyes will be on him with a pair of good matchups coming up with Charlotte Providence Day and Arden (N.C.) Christ School.
Iowa getting off to a slow start could cause Naples (Fla.) High four-star running back Kendrick Raphael to ponder other schools more seriously. However, the difference between recruiting Raphael in Junes like the Wolfpack did, and now, more and more schools that didn’t land a running back will circle around players such as Raphael.
NC State should be good at running back next year, but landing a quality back will be more crucial for the 2024 season when Jordan Houston has moved on. Current freshman Michael Allen would be the logical pairing with Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, but it’s hard to predict if redshirt freshman Micah Crowell will ever contribute in the future at this point. He didn’t dress for the last game. Delbert Mimms III and Demarcus Jones II would both be seniors in 2024.
3. Rivals.com came out with Charlotte Providence Day sophomore tackle David Sanders as the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025. The key with Sanders is that’s he only played about 5 1/2 varsity games the last two years, so the room to grow is tremendous with him.
At about 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, he’s not going to be that 320-pound mauler in all likelihood. HIs body type is more of a defensive end or power forward in basketball. His frame is impressive and why he generated so much buzz in late October 2021, even while being out with an injury. There was just a sense that he would have next in the state, and 11 months later, that has proven to be true.
NC State has done a terrific job with Sanders and should get help from former tackle Ikem Ekwonu of the Carolina Panthers, who played at Providence Day. The two have an age gap but Ekwonu has looked over Sanders since around the sixth or seven grade. Sanders will be at the Georgia at South Carolina game this Saturday.
There wasn’t any other North Carolina natives in the top 100 in the class of 2025, and that isn’t surprising. There are a few that could one day join the list though.
Maybe the next four players in a future top five could be:
2. Bryce Davis, defensive end, Greensboro Grimsley
3. Ian Coleman, outside linebacker, Matthews Butler
4. Jadyn Farmer, defensive lineman, Matthew Butler
5. Je’Rel Bolder, wide receiver, Marshville Forest Hills
Davis is going to be good, there’s little doubt on that, but at what position and what will his eventual size be. He proved to be the real deal against Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan senior tackle Sam Pendleton, who is headed to Notre Dame.
Coleman is a heat-seeking missile for Butler, who plays sometimes with his hand on the ground at defensive end or as a stand-up outside linebacker. At 6-2 and 205 pounds, he’s already put together and his speed is legit.
Farmer is already 6-4 and 260 pounds and we know how much NC State wants “big” defensive lineman. He has enough quickness to go with that size to create havoc.
Bolder just needs more games under his belt, but has good size size at 5-11 and 195 pounds. He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at 14 years old at NC State’s camp last June. He has 10 catches in four games, but four of them went for touchdowns.
Pittsboro Northwood defensive end Gus Richey has a great early offer list, but not from NC State yet. Providence Day cornerback Braxton Winston and Rolesville outside linebacker Jonathan Hinnant have had major roles on their respective teams at a young age.
I’ve maintained for weeks that Demary is not close to the decision-making phase of his recruitment, but more in the “What is still out there?” stage. That isn’t ideal for NC State, but unless an alternative develops, the Wolfpack aren’t in a position to pressure Demary. Some believe in the notion that after an official visit — he visited this past weekend — that coaches should basically say, “we need a decision within the next week.” I’ve never gotten the sense that is how NC State has approached things this past fall, but it probably has happened in the past.
For NC State, it means watching Alabama enter the picture and for Demary’s inner circle to hope other colleges will too. It’s too early to know if that means NC State, USC, Wake Forest, St. John’s, Georgia or VCU, aren’t catching his eye enough.
Alabama is a true wild card, but it’s a threat that NC State understands. NCSU assistant coach Levi Watkins knows Alabama coach Nate Oats from their days at Buffalo under coach Bobby Hurley in 2013-2015, so he’ll know what the playbook is. Alabama made a fierce run at Raleigh Word of God reclassed senior combo guard Freddie Dilione, with some believing that Dilione silently committed to the Crimson Tide. Instead, Dilione picked Tennessee publicly, so Alabama has pivoted to Demary. What’s interesting is that Rivals.com three-star point guard prospect R.J. Johnson of Huntsville (Ala.) Grissom High has already committed to the Crimson Tide.
The second dynamic that could come into play is NIL money. He’s been openly talking about it and has an agent for such things. It could be a good test on whether NC State will be competitive with other programs in the NIL space, as there has been a lot of blurred lines when it comes to such things. Recruits don’t talk to the media about NIL opportunities and then sign for free.
2. Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding senior running back Jamarion Wilcox bet on himself for his senior year. The first rumor was that Georgia might jump in, and that might still happen, but it hasn’t happened yet. What could easily happen this weekend is an offer from Clemson, where he is unofficially visiting.
Clemson doesn’t have a running back in the class and hasn’t gotten all that far with Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard speedster Chris Johnson. So, Wilcox could be a realistic option in the very near future.
NC State had Wilcox unofficially visit in late June, but he’s played things pretty close to the vest with his recruitment. NC State and Kentucky have always been mentioned, but it’s been pretty vague on what other schools are seriously in the mix. NC State can beat out the likes of Kentucky, unless the prospect is dead-set on going to the SEC, but it remains to be seen if he feels that way.
Even during the height of NC State pursuing Charlotte, N.C., product Daylan Smothers, Wilcox felt in July he was the main NC State running back priority.
Charlotte Christian senior running back Kyron Jones is officially visiting this weekend, and he also attended the Charleston Southern game. He’s essentially down to NC State, Iowa State and UConn, with Duke drifting away. Jones is off to a hot start and all eyes will be on him with a pair of good matchups coming up with Charlotte Providence Day and Arden (N.C.) Christ School.
Iowa getting off to a slow start could cause Naples (Fla.) High four-star running back Kendrick Raphael to ponder other schools more seriously. However, the difference between recruiting Raphael in Junes like the Wolfpack did, and now, more and more schools that didn’t land a running back will circle around players such as Raphael.
NC State should be good at running back next year, but landing a quality back will be more crucial for the 2024 season when Jordan Houston has moved on. Current freshman Michael Allen would be the logical pairing with Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, but it’s hard to predict if redshirt freshman Micah Crowell will ever contribute in the future at this point. He didn’t dress for the last game. Delbert Mimms III and Demarcus Jones II would both be seniors in 2024.
3. Rivals.com came out with Charlotte Providence Day sophomore tackle David Sanders as the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025. The key with Sanders is that’s he only played about 5 1/2 varsity games the last two years, so the room to grow is tremendous with him.
At about 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, he’s not going to be that 320-pound mauler in all likelihood. HIs body type is more of a defensive end or power forward in basketball. His frame is impressive and why he generated so much buzz in late October 2021, even while being out with an injury. There was just a sense that he would have next in the state, and 11 months later, that has proven to be true.
NC State has done a terrific job with Sanders and should get help from former tackle Ikem Ekwonu of the Carolina Panthers, who played at Providence Day. The two have an age gap but Ekwonu has looked over Sanders since around the sixth or seven grade. Sanders will be at the Georgia at South Carolina game this Saturday.
There wasn’t any other North Carolina natives in the top 100 in the class of 2025, and that isn’t surprising. There are a few that could one day join the list though.
Maybe the next four players in a future top five could be:
2. Bryce Davis, defensive end, Greensboro Grimsley
3. Ian Coleman, outside linebacker, Matthews Butler
4. Jadyn Farmer, defensive lineman, Matthew Butler
5. Je’Rel Bolder, wide receiver, Marshville Forest Hills
Davis is going to be good, there’s little doubt on that, but at what position and what will his eventual size be. He proved to be the real deal against Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan senior tackle Sam Pendleton, who is headed to Notre Dame.
Coleman is a heat-seeking missile for Butler, who plays sometimes with his hand on the ground at defensive end or as a stand-up outside linebacker. At 6-2 and 205 pounds, he’s already put together and his speed is legit.
Farmer is already 6-4 and 260 pounds and we know how much NC State wants “big” defensive lineman. He has enough quickness to go with that size to create havoc.
Bolder just needs more games under his belt, but has good size size at 5-11 and 195 pounds. He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at 14 years old at NC State’s camp last June. He has 10 catches in four games, but four of them went for touchdowns.
Pittsboro Northwood defensive end Gus Richey has a great early offer list, but not from NC State yet. Providence Day cornerback Braxton Winston and Rolesville outside linebacker Jonathan Hinnant have had major roles on their respective teams at a young age.
