1. Friday is a big day of unofficial visitors, but for four in particular.
Georgia Tech running back commit Duke Watson verbally committed to the Yellow Jackets on March 11, and yet is in Raleigh two weeks later. That is recruiting in 2023.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder from Forsyth (Ga.) Mary Person’s High had told me in late February that he was hoping to see NC State and was taking things slow. Then he committed to Georgia Tech two weeks later, so also recruiting in 2023.
NC State running backs coach and special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel offered him Feb. 9 and he has 18 scholarships total. Rivals.com has him as the No. 42 running back in the country in the class of 2024.
He had 200 carries for 1,669 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus caught 17 passes for 184 yards and two scores this past fall. He also had 230 rushing attempts for 1,716 yards and 25 scores in 2021.
One thing Watson has made clear is that he wants to be relatively close to home and Raleigh is 6 1/2 hours away, and that qualifies as close to home.
One source simply said that NC State feels good about getting a running back from Georgia, it just comes down to which one. Watson is Friday, Duke Scott of Stockbridge (Ga.) High just came through and Keenan Phillips of Bainbridge (Ga.) High is coming next Tuesday. Add in Cole Tabb of Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) Choctawhatchee and odds are good that NC State will get someone to add to the young core of freshman Kendrick Raphael and sophomore Michael Allen.
Jameer Grimsley played at Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale High last year and had 25 catches for 356 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games per MaxPreps.com. The video looks pretty exciting and he has a lengthy offer list. He’s now at powerhouse Tampa (Fla.) Catholic, which probably helped his recruitment grow. He legit could be a college wide receiver or cornerback, with blazing speed at a lanky 6-3 and 185 pounds.
For a player coming in out of state like Watson or Grimsley, the goal is to impress them enough to want to take an official visit in the future. It is a different dynamic compared to junior wide receiver Terrell Anderson of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley or safety Brody Barnhardt of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day, who have been to NC State a handful of times in the past, including this past January.
Barnhardt has his own built-in urgency because he’ll likely verbally commit to college in the next few months, and could just as easily take his official visit after committing.
Anderson might not have that same timeline this spring, but the Wolfpack will need to battle Tennessee down the stretch and hope that Michigan doesn’t make a strong move with him. Anderson is originally from Michigan.
NC State, Penn State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Auburn, Louisville, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Central Florida made Anderson’s top 10, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it came down the four colleges closest to home and Michigan as the wild card.
Christopher Isaiah Campbell has already emerged as a “must-get” type in the class of 2025 with his various NC State tie-ins. The Snow Hill (N.C.) Greene Central product along with junior defensive end Jaylen Carl of High Point (N.C.) Southwest Guilford are part of a group of linemen that have been taking unofficial visits this winter and spring to regional colleges.
Matthews (N.C.) Butler sophomore quarterback Zachary Lawrence will be battling sophomore Bryce Baker (more on him down below) for top quarterback in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2025. Lawrence can sling it but isn’t a dual-threat type, but has good poise in the pocket and can buy some time when needed. Butler High should be loaded next fall.
Will NC State offer him and he joins the fray with Baker and Will Wilson of Blythewood (S.C.) Richland Northeast High? It would be a number of years since NC State had three viable options within driving distance of campus this early in the recruiting process.
Lawrence went 165-of-261 passing for 2,557 yards, 32 touchdowns and just nine interceptions for 10-3 Butler.
Class of 2025
2. Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day junior quarterback Jadyn Davis announced for Michigan on SportsCenter today.
The key is who will Davis bring with him. That is where it affects NC State football recruiting. If Davis can push for junior wide receiver teammates Channing Goodwin and Jordan Shipp or Charlotte Christian junior receiver Micah Gilbert, there will be a ripple affect. Goodwin has deep family ties to Michigan and NC State never offered Gilbert for whatever reasons, but Shipp is a major Wolfpack target, and the coaches first offered him Jan. 25, 2022. He’s been a main priority of wide receivers coach Joker Phillips and has the personality to help get other recruits to come with him. Besides all that, NC State just needs to simply upgrade the wide receiver room in a major way. Maybe the addition of offensive coordinator Robert Anae is the secret sauce, but the Wolfpack lacked any kind of big-playmaking ability.
Shipp has good speed, but his calling card is very much his eye-hand coordinator and ability to go up and make a play. Shipp and Alex Taylor of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley overlap in that regard.
Some think Davis has helped Michigan land a star running back from Ohio and away from Ohio State and influenced an offensive lineman to pick the Wolverines in recent weeks. That shows he's an effective recruiter.
Georgia Tech running back commit Duke Watson verbally committed to the Yellow Jackets on March 11, and yet is in Raleigh two weeks later. That is recruiting in 2023.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder from Forsyth (Ga.) Mary Person’s High had told me in late February that he was hoping to see NC State and was taking things slow. Then he committed to Georgia Tech two weeks later, so also recruiting in 2023.
NC State running backs coach and special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel offered him Feb. 9 and he has 18 scholarships total. Rivals.com has him as the No. 42 running back in the country in the class of 2024.
He had 200 carries for 1,669 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus caught 17 passes for 184 yards and two scores this past fall. He also had 230 rushing attempts for 1,716 yards and 25 scores in 2021.
One thing Watson has made clear is that he wants to be relatively close to home and Raleigh is 6 1/2 hours away, and that qualifies as close to home.
One source simply said that NC State feels good about getting a running back from Georgia, it just comes down to which one. Watson is Friday, Duke Scott of Stockbridge (Ga.) High just came through and Keenan Phillips of Bainbridge (Ga.) High is coming next Tuesday. Add in Cole Tabb of Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) Choctawhatchee and odds are good that NC State will get someone to add to the young core of freshman Kendrick Raphael and sophomore Michael Allen.
Jameer Grimsley played at Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale High last year and had 25 catches for 356 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games per MaxPreps.com. The video looks pretty exciting and he has a lengthy offer list. He’s now at powerhouse Tampa (Fla.) Catholic, which probably helped his recruitment grow. He legit could be a college wide receiver or cornerback, with blazing speed at a lanky 6-3 and 185 pounds.
For a player coming in out of state like Watson or Grimsley, the goal is to impress them enough to want to take an official visit in the future. It is a different dynamic compared to junior wide receiver Terrell Anderson of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley or safety Brody Barnhardt of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day, who have been to NC State a handful of times in the past, including this past January.
Barnhardt has his own built-in urgency because he’ll likely verbally commit to college in the next few months, and could just as easily take his official visit after committing.
Anderson might not have that same timeline this spring, but the Wolfpack will need to battle Tennessee down the stretch and hope that Michigan doesn’t make a strong move with him. Anderson is originally from Michigan.
NC State, Penn State, North Carolina, Tennessee, Auburn, Louisville, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Central Florida made Anderson’s top 10, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it came down the four colleges closest to home and Michigan as the wild card.
Christopher Isaiah Campbell has already emerged as a “must-get” type in the class of 2025 with his various NC State tie-ins. The Snow Hill (N.C.) Greene Central product along with junior defensive end Jaylen Carl of High Point (N.C.) Southwest Guilford are part of a group of linemen that have been taking unofficial visits this winter and spring to regional colleges.
Matthews (N.C.) Butler sophomore quarterback Zachary Lawrence will be battling sophomore Bryce Baker (more on him down below) for top quarterback in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2025. Lawrence can sling it but isn’t a dual-threat type, but has good poise in the pocket and can buy some time when needed. Butler High should be loaded next fall.
Will NC State offer him and he joins the fray with Baker and Will Wilson of Blythewood (S.C.) Richland Northeast High? It would be a number of years since NC State had three viable options within driving distance of campus this early in the recruiting process.
Lawrence went 165-of-261 passing for 2,557 yards, 32 touchdowns and just nine interceptions for 10-3 Butler.
Class of 2025
2. Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day junior quarterback Jadyn Davis announced for Michigan on SportsCenter today.
The key is who will Davis bring with him. That is where it affects NC State football recruiting. If Davis can push for junior wide receiver teammates Channing Goodwin and Jordan Shipp or Charlotte Christian junior receiver Micah Gilbert, there will be a ripple affect. Goodwin has deep family ties to Michigan and NC State never offered Gilbert for whatever reasons, but Shipp is a major Wolfpack target, and the coaches first offered him Jan. 25, 2022. He’s been a main priority of wide receivers coach Joker Phillips and has the personality to help get other recruits to come with him. Besides all that, NC State just needs to simply upgrade the wide receiver room in a major way. Maybe the addition of offensive coordinator Robert Anae is the secret sauce, but the Wolfpack lacked any kind of big-playmaking ability.
Shipp has good speed, but his calling card is very much his eye-hand coordinator and ability to go up and make a play. Shipp and Alex Taylor of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley overlap in that regard.
Some think Davis has helped Michigan land a star running back from Ohio and away from Ohio State and influenced an offensive lineman to pick the Wolverines in recent weeks. That shows he's an effective recruiter.
