1. I painted a picture last week on how reclassed senior combo guard Freddie Dilione of Raleigh Word of God picking Tennessee could help NC State, and that picture has become much clearer.
Tennessee led for both Dilione and Raleigh native Silas Demary Jr., who is also a reclassed senior combo guard, who attends Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy. They sold the two on playing together and it looked like it was working, and then as often happens, not everyone was on the same page. As a result, the vibe is that Tennessee has moved on.
Demary has blown up some, which is reflected in getting ranked No. 58 overall in the class of 2023 by Rivals.com. That has led to Demary to enjoy the recruiting process and experience attention that he hadn’t truly gotten before.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder was offered by NC State on July 18, which normally would be too late in the process, but with Demary in delay mode, it’s giving the Wolfpack a chance to catch up.
A pair of sources believe NC State is in the driver’s seat for the former Millbrook High product. NCSU assistant coach Joel Justus is the point man on the recruitment.
The rise of Demary started with playing well at the NBPA Camp. After three years at Millbrook, he wasn’t considered much for the rankings. After a year at Charlotte (N.C.) Liberty Heights, he’d been in the 140-170 range, sometimes getting ranked, and sometimes falling out of the Rivals150.
The key for NC State is to keep its eyes on the prize and not worry about what Kansas might do, or if USC is really a player, even though it’s a gazillion miles from home. Demary’s dad played professional football in Los Angeles in the Arena Football League, and that has been brought up after the Trojans offer. Wake Forest just offered Demary and it could end up being an old fashioned Wolfpack vs. Demon Deacons battle.
NC State could be going through another roster overhaul next April, and there are a lot of pieces that need to fall in place, but Demary and another guard in the portal would be a good start in solidifying the backcourt, with the expected returns of sophomore Breon Pass and freshman L.J. Thomas.
2. There is a growing consensus that if the current NC State staff fights through being on the hot seat, watch for Durham, N.C., native Zion Collins to become a major, major target in the future.
Why wouldn’t Collins be a major target no matter who is NC State’s coach? It’s because it’s a complex situation. There is a reason he hasn’t been brought up much the last year, actually multiple reasons, but we’ll start at the beginning.
Collins first gained a reputation during his eighth-grade year in local circles, and went to Durham Hillside High his freshman year, but COVID interrupted that season. That is the same high school that Torian Graham attended his first two years, and then he transferred to Raleigh Word of God for his junior year. Collins transferred to Winston-Salem (N.C.) Christian and reclassed this past year for his second freshman year. The reason he was under the radar is that he got hurt. He suffered a hamstring and wrist injury and that dashed his season.
Now, Collins is making the move to Word of God, just like Graham did, and Collins played for an assortment of travel teams, including Boo Williams 16s and Team Loaded NC 17s. I got to see him live for the first time in three games with Team Loaded NC, where he came off the bench behind his future Word of God teammates Dilione and wings Isaiah Coleman and Davin Cosby. He looked a little lost in that setting.
After that event, he unofficially visited NC State on Aug. 1, before the team took off for the Bahamas trip. It also became clear that Collins and Graham have a real-life relationship and not just eery similarities.
Collins played in the CP3 Rising Stars Camp this past weekend, which brought in players from the classes of 2025 and 2026 in Greensboro, N.C. After not seeing him play well with Team Loaded NC in Rock Hill, S.C., he got red hot in his camp game Saturday night. He’s always been a freak at dunking the ball, but he showed a good jumper and pull-up jumper. He made the top 20 game Sunday, and played pretty solid in that game too, establishing the fact that he’s a gifted scorer. He’ll turn 17 in February, but a good jumper is a good jumper.
There definitely are a lot of twists and turns on the horizon with Collins and NC State, but then Graham was an epic recruitment.
Graham went to five high schools and verbally committed to NC State twice, but there was always a vibe that he wasn’t going to quality academically. He didn’t qualify and ended up at Chipola Junior College in Florida, and then embarked to Houston, Buffalo and Arizona State. The last two stops were due to NC State assistant coach Levi Watkins.
Graham never played at Houston or Buffalo, but in his one year at ASU, he averaged 18.6 points per game and shot 38.7 percent on three-pointers.
Collins said he has offers from Wake Forest, Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Western Carolina, but just Hampton in the last 11 months. Simply put, with Collins’ recruitment, it’s time to buckle up.
3. There is a growing sense that Charlotte Providence Day senior cornerback Chris Peal is now leaning toward Michigan and that Georgia maybe has grown tired of waiting on him.
To understand Peal, he’s an introvert and doesn’t seem enthralled about the recruiting process. That has frustrated college coaches, but it also has been working in NC State’s favor because one aspect that hasn’t changed over the last 10 months is the Wolfpack are his top in-state choice. Part of the Michigan vibe is due in part that a swarm of Wolverines’ media folks came down to watch him against an overmatched squad last Friday. Michigan is also recruiting three of his teammates — junior quarterback Jadyn Davis and junior wide receivers Channing Goodwin and Jordan Shipp. Goodwin is a Michigan legacy and the four of them recently flew up to Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit.
Admittedly, Rock Hill (S.C.) Legion Collegiate Academy isn’t a team to gauge players against — but apparently three different Michigan Web sites came for the game — hence all the new-found Wolverines buzz. Peal caught four passes for 150 yards and three scores, and rushed five times for 36 yards in a 42-7 win. He added two tackles on defense and LCA had 114 yards of total offense.
The 6-2, 180-pound Peal plays all over for Providence Day and also makes an impact on special teams. He could be a solid Division I prospect at running back if he wasn’t so gifted at defensive back.
Peal, Concord (N.C.) Robinson defensive end Daevin Hobbs and Charlotte Christian athletes Grant Tucker and Kyron Jones are some of the biggest names left on the board in the state of North Carolina. NC State has targeted Jones at running back, but never offered Tucker or Hobbs. Tucker is a terrific athlete but lost weight during track season. He officially visited Georgia Tech during the summer, but is betting on himself this fall.
Hobbs was expected to pick North Carolina on Aug. 1, but not only did he not want to pick a college in August, the Tar Heels might not be a factor anymore. Hobbs has gained 20-25 pounds this offseason while maintaining his athleticism, and has Georgia and Alabama fighting over him now.
Odds are always good that someone will emerge this fall, but it’s hard to know what might be a fit for NC State. In years past, Branden Palmer of Cornelius Hough would have been a good outside linebacker type. At 6-4 and 205 pounds, he’s fast and rangy, with Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia in the mix. But is he a great fit for NC State 3-3-5 scheme? Only time will tell.
Tennessee led for both Dilione and Raleigh native Silas Demary Jr., who is also a reclassed senior combo guard, who attends Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy. They sold the two on playing together and it looked like it was working, and then as often happens, not everyone was on the same page. As a result, the vibe is that Tennessee has moved on.
Demary has blown up some, which is reflected in getting ranked No. 58 overall in the class of 2023 by Rivals.com. That has led to Demary to enjoy the recruiting process and experience attention that he hadn’t truly gotten before.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder was offered by NC State on July 18, which normally would be too late in the process, but with Demary in delay mode, it’s giving the Wolfpack a chance to catch up.
A pair of sources believe NC State is in the driver’s seat for the former Millbrook High product. NCSU assistant coach Joel Justus is the point man on the recruitment.
The rise of Demary started with playing well at the NBPA Camp. After three years at Millbrook, he wasn’t considered much for the rankings. After a year at Charlotte (N.C.) Liberty Heights, he’d been in the 140-170 range, sometimes getting ranked, and sometimes falling out of the Rivals150.
The key for NC State is to keep its eyes on the prize and not worry about what Kansas might do, or if USC is really a player, even though it’s a gazillion miles from home. Demary’s dad played professional football in Los Angeles in the Arena Football League, and that has been brought up after the Trojans offer. Wake Forest just offered Demary and it could end up being an old fashioned Wolfpack vs. Demon Deacons battle.
NC State could be going through another roster overhaul next April, and there are a lot of pieces that need to fall in place, but Demary and another guard in the portal would be a good start in solidifying the backcourt, with the expected returns of sophomore Breon Pass and freshman L.J. Thomas.
2. There is a growing consensus that if the current NC State staff fights through being on the hot seat, watch for Durham, N.C., native Zion Collins to become a major, major target in the future.
Why wouldn’t Collins be a major target no matter who is NC State’s coach? It’s because it’s a complex situation. There is a reason he hasn’t been brought up much the last year, actually multiple reasons, but we’ll start at the beginning.
Collins first gained a reputation during his eighth-grade year in local circles, and went to Durham Hillside High his freshman year, but COVID interrupted that season. That is the same high school that Torian Graham attended his first two years, and then he transferred to Raleigh Word of God for his junior year. Collins transferred to Winston-Salem (N.C.) Christian and reclassed this past year for his second freshman year. The reason he was under the radar is that he got hurt. He suffered a hamstring and wrist injury and that dashed his season.
Now, Collins is making the move to Word of God, just like Graham did, and Collins played for an assortment of travel teams, including Boo Williams 16s and Team Loaded NC 17s. I got to see him live for the first time in three games with Team Loaded NC, where he came off the bench behind his future Word of God teammates Dilione and wings Isaiah Coleman and Davin Cosby. He looked a little lost in that setting.
After that event, he unofficially visited NC State on Aug. 1, before the team took off for the Bahamas trip. It also became clear that Collins and Graham have a real-life relationship and not just eery similarities.
Collins played in the CP3 Rising Stars Camp this past weekend, which brought in players from the classes of 2025 and 2026 in Greensboro, N.C. After not seeing him play well with Team Loaded NC in Rock Hill, S.C., he got red hot in his camp game Saturday night. He’s always been a freak at dunking the ball, but he showed a good jumper and pull-up jumper. He made the top 20 game Sunday, and played pretty solid in that game too, establishing the fact that he’s a gifted scorer. He’ll turn 17 in February, but a good jumper is a good jumper.
There definitely are a lot of twists and turns on the horizon with Collins and NC State, but then Graham was an epic recruitment.
Graham went to five high schools and verbally committed to NC State twice, but there was always a vibe that he wasn’t going to quality academically. He didn’t qualify and ended up at Chipola Junior College in Florida, and then embarked to Houston, Buffalo and Arizona State. The last two stops were due to NC State assistant coach Levi Watkins.
Graham never played at Houston or Buffalo, but in his one year at ASU, he averaged 18.6 points per game and shot 38.7 percent on three-pointers.
Collins said he has offers from Wake Forest, Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Western Carolina, but just Hampton in the last 11 months. Simply put, with Collins’ recruitment, it’s time to buckle up.
3. There is a growing sense that Charlotte Providence Day senior cornerback Chris Peal is now leaning toward Michigan and that Georgia maybe has grown tired of waiting on him.
To understand Peal, he’s an introvert and doesn’t seem enthralled about the recruiting process. That has frustrated college coaches, but it also has been working in NC State’s favor because one aspect that hasn’t changed over the last 10 months is the Wolfpack are his top in-state choice. Part of the Michigan vibe is due in part that a swarm of Wolverines’ media folks came down to watch him against an overmatched squad last Friday. Michigan is also recruiting three of his teammates — junior quarterback Jadyn Davis and junior wide receivers Channing Goodwin and Jordan Shipp. Goodwin is a Michigan legacy and the four of them recently flew up to Ann Arbor for an unofficial visit.
Admittedly, Rock Hill (S.C.) Legion Collegiate Academy isn’t a team to gauge players against — but apparently three different Michigan Web sites came for the game — hence all the new-found Wolverines buzz. Peal caught four passes for 150 yards and three scores, and rushed five times for 36 yards in a 42-7 win. He added two tackles on defense and LCA had 114 yards of total offense.
The 6-2, 180-pound Peal plays all over for Providence Day and also makes an impact on special teams. He could be a solid Division I prospect at running back if he wasn’t so gifted at defensive back.
Peal, Concord (N.C.) Robinson defensive end Daevin Hobbs and Charlotte Christian athletes Grant Tucker and Kyron Jones are some of the biggest names left on the board in the state of North Carolina. NC State has targeted Jones at running back, but never offered Tucker or Hobbs. Tucker is a terrific athlete but lost weight during track season. He officially visited Georgia Tech during the summer, but is betting on himself this fall.
Hobbs was expected to pick North Carolina on Aug. 1, but not only did he not want to pick a college in August, the Tar Heels might not be a factor anymore. Hobbs has gained 20-25 pounds this offseason while maintaining his athleticism, and has Georgia and Alabama fighting over him now.
Odds are always good that someone will emerge this fall, but it’s hard to know what might be a fit for NC State. In years past, Branden Palmer of Cornelius Hough would have been a good outside linebacker type. At 6-4 and 205 pounds, he’s fast and rangy, with Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia in the mix. But is he a great fit for NC State 3-3-5 scheme? Only time will tell.
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