Jacey will add some from his interviews, but of the notable recruits the only no-shows were four-star defensive end Myles Murphy from SW Guilford High in High Point and four-star defensive lineman Jacolbe Cowan from Providence Day in Charlotte. Not sure what happened to Murphy, but Cowan's mom sent me a message in the morning that they were headed to the ER because they feared Cowan had the flu.
With that said, here's some notes from my end:
• Four-star defensive end Desmond Evans of Sanford (N.C.) Lee County High was wearing a NC State shirt for the photo shoot. Talked to Evans and the interest in NC State is very sincere. He had a meeting with his family and coaches and hope to have a narrowed down list at some point. He's not an early enrollee so he obviously is not in a huge hurry.
• Four-star defensive lineman and former Florida commit Kedrick Bingley-Jones from Charlotte Providence Day might be growing into a defensive tackle. He says he has no qualms about moving inside in college if that is what he grows into. Like Evans, Bingley-Jones' interest in NC State is very sincere, but I think he wants to get out and see a bunch of schools in the summer first. UNC also is in the picture with its new staff. Bingley-Jones noted that it's a night-and-day difference between new and olf UNC staff.
• NC State really likes class of 2020 athlete Ja'Quirious Conley from Northside High in Jacksonville as a safety. Conley is from a military family and just moved into the state before his junior season, so he has no real attachments to the region. Conley was going to Duke's junior day after the photo shoot but hinted he may try to get over to NC State as well. He will be a major target for NC State.
• Top class of 2021 athlete Will Shipley from Weddington High in Matthews has over 20-plus family members who graduated from NC State. Shipley is going to explore all his options, and he's a very thoughtful kid. That said I would think NC State would have to mess it up for him not to go to Raleigh.
• Class of 2021 defensive end Jahvaree Ritzie from Kernersville (N.C.) Glenn High definitely looks the part and is a very outgoing kid. Last year was his first season playing defensive end. He claims at 240 pounds he can run under 23 seconds in the 200-meter dash. NC State loves him and was one of the first on him, which will help, but Ritzie obviously has a long ways to go.
• Class of 2021 wide receiver Kobe Paysour from King's Mountain (N.C.) High has been hugely productive. He will emerge on the radar, but Paysour admits he's a bit of a UNC fan in both basketball and football.
• Class of 2020 running back Jaquan Snipes from Randleman (N.C.) High is a bit of a sleeper but he rushed for over 1,800 yards last year, and he said that NC State and Wake Forest are recruiting him the hardest.
• Former Tennessee/NFL quarterback Heath Shuler and I talked for a good bit, and I can tell you that Heath is a HUGE fan of new NC State quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper.
• Couple of other observations: the class of 2020 and 2021 in Charlotte-area is very tight and close-knit. NC State commit Porter Rooks is one of the leaders of that group, which will help NC State. Shipley is also very popular. Vital for the Pack to have a strong recruiting presence after the departure of Faulkner. Shipley said he is still waiting to hear who will be the new recruiter, but my money is on George McDonald taking it over.
Also probably need to get to know Travis Shaw, lineman from Greensboro Grimsley High in the 2022 class, well. He has more than big-time written all over him. Expect him to be one of the nation's elite in a couple of years.
With that said, here's some notes from my end:
• Four-star defensive end Desmond Evans of Sanford (N.C.) Lee County High was wearing a NC State shirt for the photo shoot. Talked to Evans and the interest in NC State is very sincere. He had a meeting with his family and coaches and hope to have a narrowed down list at some point. He's not an early enrollee so he obviously is not in a huge hurry.
• Four-star defensive lineman and former Florida commit Kedrick Bingley-Jones from Charlotte Providence Day might be growing into a defensive tackle. He says he has no qualms about moving inside in college if that is what he grows into. Like Evans, Bingley-Jones' interest in NC State is very sincere, but I think he wants to get out and see a bunch of schools in the summer first. UNC also is in the picture with its new staff. Bingley-Jones noted that it's a night-and-day difference between new and olf UNC staff.
• NC State really likes class of 2020 athlete Ja'Quirious Conley from Northside High in Jacksonville as a safety. Conley is from a military family and just moved into the state before his junior season, so he has no real attachments to the region. Conley was going to Duke's junior day after the photo shoot but hinted he may try to get over to NC State as well. He will be a major target for NC State.
• Top class of 2021 athlete Will Shipley from Weddington High in Matthews has over 20-plus family members who graduated from NC State. Shipley is going to explore all his options, and he's a very thoughtful kid. That said I would think NC State would have to mess it up for him not to go to Raleigh.
• Class of 2021 defensive end Jahvaree Ritzie from Kernersville (N.C.) Glenn High definitely looks the part and is a very outgoing kid. Last year was his first season playing defensive end. He claims at 240 pounds he can run under 23 seconds in the 200-meter dash. NC State loves him and was one of the first on him, which will help, but Ritzie obviously has a long ways to go.
• Class of 2021 wide receiver Kobe Paysour from King's Mountain (N.C.) High has been hugely productive. He will emerge on the radar, but Paysour admits he's a bit of a UNC fan in both basketball and football.
• Class of 2020 running back Jaquan Snipes from Randleman (N.C.) High is a bit of a sleeper but he rushed for over 1,800 yards last year, and he said that NC State and Wake Forest are recruiting him the hardest.
• Former Tennessee/NFL quarterback Heath Shuler and I talked for a good bit, and I can tell you that Heath is a HUGE fan of new NC State quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper.
• Couple of other observations: the class of 2020 and 2021 in Charlotte-area is very tight and close-knit. NC State commit Porter Rooks is one of the leaders of that group, which will help NC State. Shipley is also very popular. Vital for the Pack to have a strong recruiting presence after the departure of Faulkner. Shipley said he is still waiting to hear who will be the new recruiter, but my money is on George McDonald taking it over.
Also probably need to get to know Travis Shaw, lineman from Greensboro Grimsley High in the 2022 class, well. He has more than big-time written all over him. Expect him to be one of the nation's elite in a couple of years.
