1. With Alpha Wolf in a week next Friday, NC State has invited all 10 commits, though one for sure can’t make it. The Wolfpack will also have numerous players coming from the class of 2023, 2024 and 2025.
This is a fluid list, so it likely will get added upon and tweaked between now and Friday.
Confirmed Class of 2023 commits:
Cornerback Brandon Cisse
Athlete Tamarcus Cooley
Defensive back Zack Myers
Offensive lineman Obadiah Obasuyi
Offensive lineman Darion Rivers
Defensive end Isaiah Shirley
Offensive lineman Kamen Smith
Offensive lineman Charlie Symonds
Quarterback Lex Thomas
H-back Javonte Vereen
Won’t be able to make it:
Safety Daemon Fagan
•••
Class of 2023 targets
Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (maybe)
Running back Kyron Jones
Defensive end Shymeik Jones
Cornerback Chris Peal
•••
Class of 2024 targets:
Wide receiver Alex Taylor
Wide receiver Channing Goodwin
Wide receiver Jordan Shipp
Linebacker Cannon Lewis
Safety Brody Barnhardt
Offensive lineman Ethan Calloway
Linebacker Seneca Moore
•••
Class of 2025 targets:
Tackle David Sanders
Defensive end/tight end Gus Ritchey
Tight end Ryan Ghea
Quarterback Camren Boykin
Quarterback Dan Mahan
•••
Two prospects that might show up but truly are unknown on plans include Burlington (N.C.) Cummings junior wide receiver Jonathan Paylor, and senior wide receiver Micah Mays of North Palm Beach (Fla.) Benjamin School.
Paylor said he knows he’ll go to Tennessee for sure on July 30. NC State and Penn State seem to be in a tug of war over Mays unofficially visiting, with the loser likely unlikely to have a chance at getting his commitment.
Peal will be going to Georgia on July 30. Peal, Goodwin, Shipp and junior quarterback Jadyn Davis will be going to Michigan on July 31. Barnhardt will also be going to West Virginia unofficially. It's also a small victory, but Sanders is only going to NC State coming up, and has plans to watch several Wolpack games this fall.
Unrelated, Vereen and New Bern (N.C.) High senior defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr., a Florida State commit, are inching closer to officially visiting NC State on Sept. 16-18, when Texas Tech comes to town. The two good friends will definitely officially visit NC State together.
2. To put things in perspective, here is the list from Alpha Wolf a year ago July 25, 2021:
Class of 2022:
Defensive lineman Nick Campbell (NC State signee)
Defensive lineman Davin Jackson (NC State signee)
Outside linebacker Daejuan Thompson (NC State signee)
Running back Michael Allen (NC State signee)
Outside linebacker Torren Wright (NC State signee)
Center Rylan Vann (NC State signee)
Defensive back Isaiah Crowell (NC State signee)
Wide receiver Wesley Grimes (Wake Forest signee)
Running back Bennett Galloway
Class of 2023:
Quarterback Lex Thomas (NC State commit)
Defensive back Zack Myers (NC State commit)
Defensive end Rico Walker (UNC commit)
Wide receiver Noah Rogers (Ohio State commit)
Wide receiver Nathan Leacock
Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion
Offensive lineman Sullivan Absher (Notre Dame commit)
Athlete Devin Roche
Safety Christian Garrett
Class of 2024:
Wide receiver Jonathan Paylor
Tackle Cam’ron Warren
•••
Offensive linemen Andre Roye (Maryland commit) and Jalen Klemm (Kansas State) both unofficially visited that day. Jackson committed a week after Alpha Wolf, and the other signees that attended had already committed.
NC State coach Dave Doeren had talked this week about roster management being a major issue. By Aug. 2, 2021, the only players the Wolfpack added were wide receiver Terrell Timmons on Sept. 19 and offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak on Dec. 15. That might never happen again.
3. From being offered June 6, 2021, and attending Alpha Wolf a year ago, Nathan Leacock’s recruitment is coming to an end at 3 p.m. today at Raleigh Millbrook High.
The Leacock recruitment will go down as a somewhat strange one, no matter how it turns out. The news broke during the first week of July that Tennessee had a firm lead in the situation, and nothing has really changed that.
If he does pick the Volunteers, maybe it’s a case of not wanting to be too close to home or the power of UT quarterback commitment Nico Iamaleava, who is No. 8 overall in the country in the class of 2023.
NC State was the first school to offer him, his father did track and field for NC State and he is friends with Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High senior quarterback commit Lex Thomas. Leacock is even trained in track by former NC State wide receiver T.J. Graham. Then add in that Leacock has been a steady visitor to NC State. Some think that Leacock not doing an official visit was a major factor in his recruitment, and maybe it was in retrospect. He had planned to officially visit around June 22-23, but by then the Wolfpack coaches were starting to take planned vacations after a grueling stretch of camp and official visitors.
The impending Leacock decision, combined with wide receiver Noah Rogers picking Ohio State and running back Daylan Smothers selecting Oklahoma, has slowed the momentum of NC State recruiting. It is also clear that Meridian (Idaho) Rocky Mountain senior tight end CJ Jacobsen will not be deciding soon. So, in a way, Alpha Wolf couldn’t arrive at a better time to recharge the recruiting batteries for NC State. Get some recruiting momentum from Alpha Wolf and then land wide receiver Kevin Concepcion of Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers High on Aug. 6, and some good mojo will return NC State’s way.
4. One very large human being picked Georgia this past week, and another could be about to blow up in the class of 2024.
The former is Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley senior nose tackle Jamaal Jarrett, who picked Georgia over North Carolina. I could make an argument that NC State finished third, but that’s water under the bridge. The Wolfpack eyed the 6-5, 353-pound Jarrett on the offensive line, but he wanted to play on defense. NCSU offered the chance to play nose tackle later in the process, but by then Georgia and North Carolina had separated from the field.
Now, the next in line is Concord (N.C.) Robinson High junior defensive tackle D’Nas White. The 6-5, 315-pounder (who might weigh more than that) has been slowly blowing up this summer. Virginia Tech, Michigan, Georgia and Florida State have offered him.
White plays on the defensive line senior Daevin Hobbs, so there has likely been some spillover affect from colleges looking at Hobbs, who appeared poised to pick North Carolina on Aug. 1, but has since delayed his announcement with Clemson stepping up its recruitment of him.
White’s video looks legit, though some have pointed out that he’s missed some valuable time in high school due to injury and his time on the varsity has been affected. If he proves he can move well at his size, his offer list could explode by next December.
White will follow in the recent big men footsteps of Jarrett, Travis Shaw (North Carolina), Joshua Harris (NC State) and perhaps C.J. Clark (NC State) also could apply.
Recent supersized NFL defensive tackles/nose tackles from North Carolina:
Daniel McCullers: 6-7, 352, Southeast Raleigh High, Tennessee
Sixth round pick, No. 215 overall — NFL from 2014-2020
D.J. Reader: 6-3, 347, Greensboro Grimsley, Clemson
Fifth round pick, No. 166 overall — NFL since 2016
Carlos Watkins: 6-3, 305, Forest City (N.C.) Chase, Clemson
Fourth round pick, No. 142 overall — NFL since 2017
Shy Tuttle: 6-3, 300, Lexington North Davidson High, Tennessee
Undrafted free agent — NFL since 2019
Dexter Lawrence: 6-4, 342, Wake Forest High, Clemson
First round pick, No. 17 overall — NFL since 2019
Jordan Davis: 6-6, 340, Charlotte Mallard Creek, Georgia
First round pick, No. 13 overall — Rookie NFL season
This is a fluid list, so it likely will get added upon and tweaked between now and Friday.
Confirmed Class of 2023 commits:
Cornerback Brandon Cisse
Athlete Tamarcus Cooley
Defensive back Zack Myers
Offensive lineman Obadiah Obasuyi
Offensive lineman Darion Rivers
Defensive end Isaiah Shirley
Offensive lineman Kamen Smith
Offensive lineman Charlie Symonds
Quarterback Lex Thomas
H-back Javonte Vereen
Won’t be able to make it:
Safety Daemon Fagan
•••
Class of 2023 targets
Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion (maybe)
Running back Kyron Jones
Defensive end Shymeik Jones
Cornerback Chris Peal
•••
Class of 2024 targets:
Wide receiver Alex Taylor
Wide receiver Channing Goodwin
Wide receiver Jordan Shipp
Linebacker Cannon Lewis
Safety Brody Barnhardt
Offensive lineman Ethan Calloway
Linebacker Seneca Moore
•••
Class of 2025 targets:
Tackle David Sanders
Defensive end/tight end Gus Ritchey
Tight end Ryan Ghea
Quarterback Camren Boykin
Quarterback Dan Mahan
•••
Two prospects that might show up but truly are unknown on plans include Burlington (N.C.) Cummings junior wide receiver Jonathan Paylor, and senior wide receiver Micah Mays of North Palm Beach (Fla.) Benjamin School.
Paylor said he knows he’ll go to Tennessee for sure on July 30. NC State and Penn State seem to be in a tug of war over Mays unofficially visiting, with the loser likely unlikely to have a chance at getting his commitment.
Peal will be going to Georgia on July 30. Peal, Goodwin, Shipp and junior quarterback Jadyn Davis will be going to Michigan on July 31. Barnhardt will also be going to West Virginia unofficially. It's also a small victory, but Sanders is only going to NC State coming up, and has plans to watch several Wolpack games this fall.
Unrelated, Vereen and New Bern (N.C.) High senior defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr., a Florida State commit, are inching closer to officially visiting NC State on Sept. 16-18, when Texas Tech comes to town. The two good friends will definitely officially visit NC State together.
2. To put things in perspective, here is the list from Alpha Wolf a year ago July 25, 2021:
Class of 2022:
Defensive lineman Nick Campbell (NC State signee)
Defensive lineman Davin Jackson (NC State signee)
Outside linebacker Daejuan Thompson (NC State signee)
Running back Michael Allen (NC State signee)
Outside linebacker Torren Wright (NC State signee)
Center Rylan Vann (NC State signee)
Defensive back Isaiah Crowell (NC State signee)
Wide receiver Wesley Grimes (Wake Forest signee)
Running back Bennett Galloway
Class of 2023:
Quarterback Lex Thomas (NC State commit)
Defensive back Zack Myers (NC State commit)
Defensive end Rico Walker (UNC commit)
Wide receiver Noah Rogers (Ohio State commit)
Wide receiver Nathan Leacock
Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion
Offensive lineman Sullivan Absher (Notre Dame commit)
Athlete Devin Roche
Safety Christian Garrett
Class of 2024:
Wide receiver Jonathan Paylor
Tackle Cam’ron Warren
•••
Offensive linemen Andre Roye (Maryland commit) and Jalen Klemm (Kansas State) both unofficially visited that day. Jackson committed a week after Alpha Wolf, and the other signees that attended had already committed.
NC State coach Dave Doeren had talked this week about roster management being a major issue. By Aug. 2, 2021, the only players the Wolfpack added were wide receiver Terrell Timmons on Sept. 19 and offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak on Dec. 15. That might never happen again.
3. From being offered June 6, 2021, and attending Alpha Wolf a year ago, Nathan Leacock’s recruitment is coming to an end at 3 p.m. today at Raleigh Millbrook High.
The Leacock recruitment will go down as a somewhat strange one, no matter how it turns out. The news broke during the first week of July that Tennessee had a firm lead in the situation, and nothing has really changed that.
If he does pick the Volunteers, maybe it’s a case of not wanting to be too close to home or the power of UT quarterback commitment Nico Iamaleava, who is No. 8 overall in the country in the class of 2023.
NC State was the first school to offer him, his father did track and field for NC State and he is friends with Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High senior quarterback commit Lex Thomas. Leacock is even trained in track by former NC State wide receiver T.J. Graham. Then add in that Leacock has been a steady visitor to NC State. Some think that Leacock not doing an official visit was a major factor in his recruitment, and maybe it was in retrospect. He had planned to officially visit around June 22-23, but by then the Wolfpack coaches were starting to take planned vacations after a grueling stretch of camp and official visitors.
The impending Leacock decision, combined with wide receiver Noah Rogers picking Ohio State and running back Daylan Smothers selecting Oklahoma, has slowed the momentum of NC State recruiting. It is also clear that Meridian (Idaho) Rocky Mountain senior tight end CJ Jacobsen will not be deciding soon. So, in a way, Alpha Wolf couldn’t arrive at a better time to recharge the recruiting batteries for NC State. Get some recruiting momentum from Alpha Wolf and then land wide receiver Kevin Concepcion of Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers High on Aug. 6, and some good mojo will return NC State’s way.
4. One very large human being picked Georgia this past week, and another could be about to blow up in the class of 2024.
The former is Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley senior nose tackle Jamaal Jarrett, who picked Georgia over North Carolina. I could make an argument that NC State finished third, but that’s water under the bridge. The Wolfpack eyed the 6-5, 353-pound Jarrett on the offensive line, but he wanted to play on defense. NCSU offered the chance to play nose tackle later in the process, but by then Georgia and North Carolina had separated from the field.
Now, the next in line is Concord (N.C.) Robinson High junior defensive tackle D’Nas White. The 6-5, 315-pounder (who might weigh more than that) has been slowly blowing up this summer. Virginia Tech, Michigan, Georgia and Florida State have offered him.
White plays on the defensive line senior Daevin Hobbs, so there has likely been some spillover affect from colleges looking at Hobbs, who appeared poised to pick North Carolina on Aug. 1, but has since delayed his announcement with Clemson stepping up its recruitment of him.
White’s video looks legit, though some have pointed out that he’s missed some valuable time in high school due to injury and his time on the varsity has been affected. If he proves he can move well at his size, his offer list could explode by next December.
White will follow in the recent big men footsteps of Jarrett, Travis Shaw (North Carolina), Joshua Harris (NC State) and perhaps C.J. Clark (NC State) also could apply.
Recent supersized NFL defensive tackles/nose tackles from North Carolina:
Daniel McCullers: 6-7, 352, Southeast Raleigh High, Tennessee
Sixth round pick, No. 215 overall — NFL from 2014-2020
D.J. Reader: 6-3, 347, Greensboro Grimsley, Clemson
Fifth round pick, No. 166 overall — NFL since 2016
Carlos Watkins: 6-3, 305, Forest City (N.C.) Chase, Clemson
Fourth round pick, No. 142 overall — NFL since 2017
Shy Tuttle: 6-3, 300, Lexington North Davidson High, Tennessee
Undrafted free agent — NFL since 2019
Dexter Lawrence: 6-4, 342, Wake Forest High, Clemson
First round pick, No. 17 overall — NFL since 2019
Jordan Davis: 6-6, 340, Charlotte Mallard Creek, Georgia
First round pick, No. 13 overall — Rookie NFL season
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