1. Recruiting can sometimes be about vibes or what is trending, and that will be put to the test for NC State in the class of 2025.
The football players have seen NC State run the gamut the last two years in combining to go 17-9. Will the recent run of flipping wide receiver Keenan Jackson of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington from North Carolina, along with the bringing back home in the transfer portal of running back Daylan Smothers of West Charlotte (N.C.) High, wide receiver Noah Rogers and Tamarcus Cooley of Rolesville (N.C.) High and wide receiver Wesley Grimes of Raleigh Millbrook. Those moves will pay off in recruiting, but will it be in 2025 or the mega-loaded class of 2026? The vibe seems to be that the 2025 class might be more about building strong relationships with prospects in the surrounding states.
Here is a look at the Rivals.com top 10 in-state players in the class of 2025:
The recruitment for the Rivals.com No. 1-ranked overall player is starting to take shape. This might be the rare situation where this early in the process, an elite player has essentially said he’s leaving the state. The departure of offensive line coach John Garrison hurt the Wolfpack at this time last year. Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee seem to have separated from the group.
Davis is an elite defensive end, but suffered a knee injury this past fall at Grimsley. NC State offered early but always had an uphill climb due to its 3-3-5 defensive scheme. So give Davis high marks for his honesty because he didn’t string along the Wolfpack. North Carolina, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Duke and perhaps Miami to be highest on his list.
If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said Campbell was the must-get prospect for the Wolfpack in the class of 2025. He and his family absolutely love NC State assistant to the head coach Ruffin McNeill and he is related to former NCSU defensive tackle DeMario Pressley. The move from Snow Hill (N.C.) Greene Central to Southern Durham (N.C.) High was expected to be a welcomed boost. However, it never really came together and he picked Clemson over North Carolina. Maybe a part of it was wanting to be in a four-man line.
NC State zeroed in on Baker early at Walkertown (N.C.) High and offered, but also zeroed in on Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast quarterback Will Wilson in the class. Wilson committed to NC State and that led to Baker to commit to North Carolina. We’ll see if Baker makes his way to Chapel Hill with coach Mack Brown possibly retiring or being forced into retirement at some point.
Young can play wide receiver or free safety, and colleges clearly love him. He’s made the rounds to various colleges with NC State, North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Alabama, Penn State and Tennessee in the mix. Young is a pretty good poker player, but it’s clear that he’s a major priority in the class.
If there ever was a prospect that is poised to be a NC State vs. North Carolina battle, it’s Peterkin. He’s a smooth, gliding receiver, who is kind of sneaky fast. He’s slender now, but he’ll gain weight over time. He’s also a solid basketball player and would love to play both sports in college. NC State and South Carolina have toyed with that idea. NCSU basketball assistant coach Joel Justus went to Mount Tabor. Peterkin grew up a UNC fan and the Tar Heels have a slight lead, but it’s close. It could be the kind of recruitment where whoever comes up with the best NIL offer in the end, gets it done. Another factor that could help NC State is if prep teammate JaDon Blair becomes a key target.
Speaking of Blair, the Wolfpack joined the party in offering him in January. Other schools have been on him longer, so the Wolfpack have work to do to get in the mix. Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, could be in line for official visits. He plays safety at Mount Tabor, but could end up at outside linebacker in college.
After talking to Smith about 10 days ago, his recruitment is wide open at this point. He’s been to North Carolina and Cincinnati, and I think he’d love to commit soon, but who truly wants him? Some believe UNC has some others on its board that they want to see what will happen with first. Smith can play wide receiver and defensive back and helped Trinity Christian reach the NCISAA Division II state title game.
Ritchey had two different big waves in his recruitment, with the second one resulting in him picking North Carolina and then flipping to NC State about 12 days later last August. Ritchey has emerged as a quality tight end prospect, after first being looked at on the defensive line. He has good hands and brings a physical edge to blocking. Ritchey enjoys the attention of being recruited, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he graduated early from high school and end up at NC State next August.
The rise of Odom has been impressive. NC State offered him in October, but now he’s a coast-to-coast recruit. His mom played basketball at California and in the WNBA, and then was an assistant coach at Duke, North Carolina and UCLA, before having a stint as head coach at North Carolina Central. His dad was a linebacker at California. After NCCU let go his mother as coach in Sept. 2023, it has led to a relocation from Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek to powerhouse Matthews (N.C.) Weddington.
The football players have seen NC State run the gamut the last two years in combining to go 17-9. Will the recent run of flipping wide receiver Keenan Jackson of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington from North Carolina, along with the bringing back home in the transfer portal of running back Daylan Smothers of West Charlotte (N.C.) High, wide receiver Noah Rogers and Tamarcus Cooley of Rolesville (N.C.) High and wide receiver Wesley Grimes of Raleigh Millbrook. Those moves will pay off in recruiting, but will it be in 2025 or the mega-loaded class of 2026? The vibe seems to be that the 2025 class might be more about building strong relationships with prospects in the surrounding states.
Here is a look at the Rivals.com top 10 in-state players in the class of 2025:
