1. NC State has a few more weeks to finish off the class of 2025 before moving on to Plan B to fill holes on the roster.
Plan B would be junior college transfers and four-year college transfers. Defensive end A.J. Prim of Pearl River C.C. in Poplarville, Miss., has already been targeted and brought in for an official visit. West Virginia just offered him, and Auburn is kicking the tires, but NC State should lead.
Defensive end Chandavian Bradley has also been offered, and he’s at Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C., but started off at Tennessee. The 6-4, 242-pound redshirt freshman had 20 tackles and one sack in seven games played, so not ideal production.
Two spots on the offensive line, one defensive end, one linebacker and one safety could be the ideal formula for instant-impact transfers depending on attrition. Cornerback would be nice to go with Brandon Cisse, Devon Marshall and Jackson Vick.
NC State has concentrated on former Boston College commit Josiah Victor of Loganville (Ga.) Grayson, along with IMG Academy’s Alexander McPherson, who is a Oklahoma State commit. McPherson is visiting Colorado this weekend, and you can’t talk about two programs more different than CU and NC State.
Linebacker Zacari Thomas is committed to Boston College and Tristan Jackson is committed to South Alabama. Thomas goes to Gray (Ga.) Jones County and Jackson attends Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) Choctawhatchee High.
Former NC State linebacker target Cameron White decommitted from Central Florida. He’ll be terrific for any program, and officially visited NC State last June.
NC State has been aggressive with Clinton, N.C., native Jakarrion Kenan and now will play the waiting game. Getting Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day senior safety Cairo Skanes, a Miami (Ohio) commit, on campus is the next step there.
NC State might have to play some defense if Clemson goes after Cam Strong of Anderson (S.C.) T.L. Hanna, as the Tigers lost cornerback Graceson Littleton to Texas.
The lone prep receiver I could see NC State adding that makes sense post-Jamar Browder decommitment is Virginia Tech commit Shamarius Peterkin of Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor. It won’t be Hickory (N.C.) High star senior receiver Jamien Little, who decommitted from Wake Forest and is visiting North Carolina this weekend.
Peterkin has had a rough senior year and apparently has wanted to play quarterback at times this season. Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth held him to without a catch when NC State receivers coach Joker Phillips went to watch the game Oct. 4. Mount Tabor plays a good Charlotte Independence squad tonight. Independence junior safety Nick Reddish, who attended NC State’s game against Duke, is still about a week or two away from returning from his serious injury.
Peterkin has 21 catches for 410 yards and four touchdowns, plus 16 carries for 145 yards and three scores. He’s gone 7-of-9 passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He also is gifted at kick returns and punt returns.
It would be a classic boom or bust scenario wherever Peterkin ends up, but NC State has recruited him for over a year and a half, and usually fight until the end on players they want (see wide receiver Keenan Jackson last year).
2. The Wolfpack Central road show will be back on track to see Fayetteville (N.C.) Seventy-First hosting Croatan (N.C.) High in the NCHSAA 3A playoffs tonight.
Seventy-First is 10-0 and trying to get back in the state title game again, falling to Hickory (N.C.) High last year. The two teams could meet once again Dec. 21 for the championship.
Picking a game to see Seventy-First wasn’t the easiest because only one game has been competitive — defeating Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond Senior 35-28 in the season opener Aug. 23. The next closest games were two wins by 21 points.
Talented sophomore nose tackle John Archer is the main attraction. The 6-foot-5, 325-pounder, who has an NC State offer, has 51 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and four sacks this season. He’s not a national recruit yet, but probably will be by the fall of 2025. NC State, Florida State, Georgia and West Virginia are his first wave of offers.
Junior running back Jayson Franklin is also a good player to follow in this game. He has 74 carries for 683 yards and seven touchdowns this season in seven games played this season. He has played defense in the past, but not as much this season.
Franklin has unofficially attended Northern Illinois at NC State on Sept. 28, but hasn’t received an offer yet. He’ll be at Wake Forest at North Carolina this Saturday night, and last week went to see Georgia at Ole Miss. Franklin also went to Coastal Carolina and South Carolina this fall.
The name of the game with Franklin is that he has athletic attributes that you can’t teach, with legit 40-yard dash times. It has led to offers from Ole Miss, South Carolina, Connecticut, Memphis and three Ivy League programs — Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale.
