Local standout locks in official visit
Raleigh Millbrook senior wide receiver Nathan Leacock will be approaching his one-year anniversary of getting offered by hometown NC State on Monday.The Wolfpack brought him to camp June 6, 2021, just like the one he attended Friday. The difference is he didn’t have any offers a year ago, and now he has at least 23.
The. 6-foot-4, 195-pound Rivals.com three-star prospect doesn’t feel he’s in the final stages of his recruitment just yet, but he is starting to feel the tug and pull from schools hoping to land him. A commitment could come in July sometime, or maybe three games into his senior year. He knows colleges are getting a little antsy in landing him.
“I am thinking sometime in July or early August, might be the time to do it, but right now, that is what I’m thinking.”
NC State will firmly be in the mix, and he’s ready to officially visit the Wolfpack on June 16-18.
“I think I’l make that an official visit,” Leacock said. “NC State is still one of my top schools that I’m feeling. I know the school and I know the coaches. It goes to show how if you work hard, how far you can get. I went from no offers to 23 offers in a year.”
Michigan will get a trip June 14-16 and Tennessee will get a trip June 24-26.
Leacock didn’t end up running track for Millbrook High this entire spring, but he is running for his club team and with his mentor, former NC State wide receiver and return man T.J. Graham. Leacock will be competing in the 100-meter dash and 400 meter relay in Charlotte on Saturday, and wants to do both sports in college. His dad ran track at NC State and his mom was a star at Jackson State.
“I was doing track a good amount, and then I eased off a bit during spring ball,” Leacock said. “I would have something in the morning, then school all day, lifts in the afternoon and then practice. Then I’d have spring ball practice and then track in the evening.”
It became too much and Leacock’s body was feeling in, in particular his hip flexor from overworking.
“That is why I didn’t run high school track because my coach wasn’t too lenient,” Leacock said. “At the end of the day, I’m a football player.”
Concepcions’ Times Two
NC State has long targeted Charlotte Chambers senior wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, and he came with his younger brother Friday.Rising sophomore Arrion Concepcion is credited with being maybe a better route runner than Kevin, but Kevin says he’s still faster.
Having the chance to hang out with NC State junior quarterback commit Lex Thomas of Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage and for his brother to work out, sold him on coming Friday. He also could be returning for an official visit June 16-18.
“Lex called up like two days ago and said I should come out,” Concepcion said. “I also have my little brother out here. He is nice with it too at about 5-10.”
Kevin Concepcion has visited NC State numerous times, but has the school across the street on his brain — Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons. Chambers went through a two and half-hour lightning delay and didn’t get home until after 4 a.m. after playing at Cardinal Gibbons in the 2021 season opener.
The two teams met again in the NCHSAA 4A state title game at Carter-Finley Stadium, this time in a downpour that affected the game. Cardinal Gibbons evened the series and won the big prize 12-2.
Concepcion and Chambers will now open the 2022 season against Cardinal Gibbons on Aug. 20 in Rock Hill, S.C.
“That one is going to be a movie,” Concepcion said. “It’s very much personal.”
On the recruiting front, Concepcion will come out with a top 10 soon and NC State will be on it.
“I’ll drop my top 10 soon in about two weeks,” Concepcion said. “I want to travel to Penn State, Michigan State, West Virginia and Maryland.”
Concepcion still talks daily with senior running back Daylan Smothers, but the latter now attenxds West Charlotte. They are both open to going to the same college.
“Nothing has changed between us,” Concepcion said.
Concepcion is also hoping senior linebacker teammate Jordan Thompson keeps earning new offers.
“His recruitment keeps going up,” Concepcion said. “All of us are happy and we are trying to get my homeboy some new offers. Things are going great. He’s a dog, and I mean a dog [in a good way].”
News & Notes
• Another semi-frequent visitor since last September has been junior offensive lineman Jake Guarnera of Ponte Verda (Fla.) High, who has unofficially visited NC State five times, including last April 4.The 6-4, 275-pounder earned the first offer given out Friday by Wolfpack coaches. NC State joins Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Penn State, Rutgers, and South Florida.
Guarnera attended NC State’s summer camp last year, the UNC at NC State game Nov. 25, a Junior Day and the previously mentioned spring practice.
Guarnera has an ambitious visit/camp schedule in June, going to see Wake Forest on Saturday and North Carolina on Sunday. He’ll also be going to Florida State (June 8), Virginia (June 11), Virginia Tech (June 12), Florida, (June 15), South Carolina (June 16), Alabama (June 18), Penn State (June 24) and Rutgers (June 25).
I'll be catching up with Guarnera on his big offer this afternoon.
• NC State had senior offensive tackle Kamen Smith of Wllkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central High come visit Thursday as part of his busy June. Smith has earned offers from NC State, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech in recent weeks. NC State will push hard for Smith and his friend Isaiah Shirley of Boone (N.C.) Watauga High hard this month.
• Rising sophomore safety Jontae Gilbert of Atlanta (Ga.) Fredrick Douglass High came to camp to earn an offer, but he’s already off to a pretty good start in that regard.
Gilbert has offers already from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, UAB, Buffalo and Florida A&M.
• Star junior running back Anthony Quinn Jr. of Fayetteville (N.C.) Seventy-First High has been a frequent visitor to NC State. He came to workout Friday, and he’s apparently the lone in-state running back in his class to receive an offer, which has come from Temple.
Quinn will go to Tennessee on Saturday, then will see Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, ECU and Coastal Carolina this month.
• Rivals.com four-star safety Jarvis Boatwright of Clearwater (Fla.) High is ranked No. 176 overall in the country, and he came to NC State on Friday with his teammates. He already has 18 scholarship offers.
Boatwright and crew swung through Clemson on Thursday, and have an ambitious schedule of seeing 11 schools between June 2-9.
• Rolesville (N.C.) High star senior wide receiver Noah Rogers had exams Friday morning, so he wasn't available. He's expected to do an official visit at Clemson this weekend.
• NC State will return to the camp scene Saturday morning at 10 a.m., and the five officially visitors will arrive this afternoon.
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