1. Usually in-state players will list both NC State and North Carolina up to a certain point, and covet offers from both.
By the spring of their junior years, it becomes more clear if it will be red or blue if they are going to stay near home for college. Most of the top players in the state in the class of 2025 and 2026 should be in attendance for Saturday night's North Carolina at NC State game, though the 8 p.m. kickoff could affect the Charlotte area prospects.
NC State was able to make the big flip for Payton Wilson in the class of 2018, and that is paying off tremendously this season. The timing was perfect in many ways. Wilson grew up going to Duke home games, and his older brother was once a UNC baseball commitment but signed with the Atlanta Braves organization out of Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange High.
Payton Wilson picked UNC on May 1, 2017, and at the time, NC State was coming off a 7-6 season and 3-5 in the ACC. UNC coach Larry Fedora was riding high at the time in 2015-16, with a combined 19-8 overall record, and 13-3 mark in the ACC, including a Coastal Division title.
What happened next had the two programs go in opposite directions in 2017. Usually, recruits don’t let on-field performance dictate decisions after committing. In this case, Fedora and UNC was in the midst of going 3-9 overall and 1-7 in the ACC. The ship was starting to sink.
Doeren and the Wolfpack went 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the league. One program was going up and the other was going down, and Wilson made the smart move to flip to the Wolfpack. Former NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable played a key role in landing Wilson.
UNC has flipped three players that are still in college football, but one isn’t with the Tar Heels anymore, and none have made the kind of impact Wilson has. Long snapper Drew Little of New London (N.C.) North Stanly made the move to UNC in 2019.
With NC State struggling on the field in 2019, North Carolina flipped wide receiver Stephen Gosnell of Pilot Mountain (N.C.) East Surry and offensive lineman Jonathan Adorno of Rolesville (N.C.) High in the class of 2020. NC State just played Gosnell on Saturday, after he transferred to Virginia Tech and Adorno is a rotational lineman this season.
The class of 2025 will have the next big flip between the rivals, with Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood High junior tight end Gus Ritchey going from North Carolina to NC State within 12 days. NC State’s tight end position has been a sore spot this season, so Ritchey’s arrival will be welcomed.
At least 21 players from North Carolina’s current roster, were also offered by NC State. Another five in UNC’s class of 2024 arrive if they all sign Dec. 20. Wide receivers Jordan Shipp, Alex Taylor and Keenan Jackson, all officially visited both colleges last summer.
From the NC State side of things, the Wolfpack beat out the Tar Heels on senior wide receiver Jonathan Paylor of Burlington (N.C.) Cummings High. Wide receiver Terrell Anderson of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley and safety Brody Barnhardt of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day were also offered by North Carolina.
Top four recruiting battles NC State has won over UNC, other than Wilson, among players on the sidelines Saturday:
• Kevin Concepcion, WR, Charlotte Chambers, Class of 2023: Concepcion grew up a North Carolina fan, but NC State prioritized him right after his sophomore year June 23, 2021. He helped Chambers to the NCHSAA state title that spring, and the Wolfpack wanted Concepcion and running back Dylan Smothers, who ultimately picked Oklahoma. Concepcion received numerous offers, but it came down to a NC State vs. North Carolina battle. The Wolfpack had invested more time into Concepcion's recruitment and won out.
• C.J. Clark, nose tackle, New London (N.C.) North Stanly, Class of 2019:
Getting Clark to sign was a big deal, and NC State had to hold off UNC after the hiring of coach Mack Brown on Nov. 27, 2018. Clark was friends with long snapper Drew Little, who committed to the Wolfpack and flipped to UNC. The No. 186 overall player in the country by Rivals.com stayed solid to NC State despite attempts from North Carolina and Georgia.
• Anthony Carter, guard, Matthews (N.C.) Butler, Class of 2020: Carter had a super low-key recruitment, but NC State and North Carolina wanted him at various points along the way. He just didn’t visit colleges much, which happens sometimes. Carter waited and waited, and he picked the Wolfpack on Jan. 8, 2020, a few weeks before Signing Day.
• Kamen Smith, guard, Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central, Class of 2023: Smith had a pretty clear list with NC State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. He officially visited all three in June going into his senior year, and picked NC State on July 10, 2022. He still paid attention and unofficially visited UNC and Virginia Tech the following fall, but he stayed sold on NC State, even after offensive line coach John Garrison went to Ole Miss.
2. November is the calm before the storm, with just some drips here and there.
The craziness of the December includes making sure the 20 prep commits get to the finish line Dec. 20, and a few more to it. The Wolfpack’s class is currently ranked No. 30 overall in the country, which is pretty impressive.
To put that national ranking in perspective, Washington is ranked No. 47, Louisville is No. 57 and Oregon State is No. 64. The Huskies are fourth in The Associated Press poll Sunday, Cardinals are No. 9 and Beavers are No. 15.
NCSU will assuredly lose some players following the regular season game against North Carolina on Nov. 25. The transfer portal window starts once postseason selections are announced in December and last for 45 days.
The Wolfpack will join the chase on going after transfer portal players, and it will likely be obvious what positions need to get fortified by who is getting offers. Between transfers, junior college prospects and prep players, the staff will have to make time for official visits.
Then add in that NC State will be trying to prepare for a bowl game, that likely happen after Christmas. A handful of players will also be finding out their NFL Draft chances.
Hopefully, there isn’t any staff attrition, but then NC State lost its offensive coordinator and offensive line coach a year ago, so it does happen. For schools that do lose staff members, getting new ones in place is just another layer to December and usually January.
Coaches want changes to the December calendar to slow this down and make it what it used to be, but so far there has been no action on changing the early signing date. Critics will say that is why they get paid the big money, but something will always give between recruiting and bowl prep in December.
By the spring of their junior years, it becomes more clear if it will be red or blue if they are going to stay near home for college. Most of the top players in the state in the class of 2025 and 2026 should be in attendance for Saturday night's North Carolina at NC State game, though the 8 p.m. kickoff could affect the Charlotte area prospects.
NC State was able to make the big flip for Payton Wilson in the class of 2018, and that is paying off tremendously this season. The timing was perfect in many ways. Wilson grew up going to Duke home games, and his older brother was once a UNC baseball commitment but signed with the Atlanta Braves organization out of Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange High.
Payton Wilson picked UNC on May 1, 2017, and at the time, NC State was coming off a 7-6 season and 3-5 in the ACC. UNC coach Larry Fedora was riding high at the time in 2015-16, with a combined 19-8 overall record, and 13-3 mark in the ACC, including a Coastal Division title.
What happened next had the two programs go in opposite directions in 2017. Usually, recruits don’t let on-field performance dictate decisions after committing. In this case, Fedora and UNC was in the midst of going 3-9 overall and 1-7 in the ACC. The ship was starting to sink.
Doeren and the Wolfpack went 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the league. One program was going up and the other was going down, and Wilson made the smart move to flip to the Wolfpack. Former NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable played a key role in landing Wilson.
UNC has flipped three players that are still in college football, but one isn’t with the Tar Heels anymore, and none have made the kind of impact Wilson has. Long snapper Drew Little of New London (N.C.) North Stanly made the move to UNC in 2019.
With NC State struggling on the field in 2019, North Carolina flipped wide receiver Stephen Gosnell of Pilot Mountain (N.C.) East Surry and offensive lineman Jonathan Adorno of Rolesville (N.C.) High in the class of 2020. NC State just played Gosnell on Saturday, after he transferred to Virginia Tech and Adorno is a rotational lineman this season.
The class of 2025 will have the next big flip between the rivals, with Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood High junior tight end Gus Ritchey going from North Carolina to NC State within 12 days. NC State’s tight end position has been a sore spot this season, so Ritchey’s arrival will be welcomed.
At least 21 players from North Carolina’s current roster, were also offered by NC State. Another five in UNC’s class of 2024 arrive if they all sign Dec. 20. Wide receivers Jordan Shipp, Alex Taylor and Keenan Jackson, all officially visited both colleges last summer.
From the NC State side of things, the Wolfpack beat out the Tar Heels on senior wide receiver Jonathan Paylor of Burlington (N.C.) Cummings High. Wide receiver Terrell Anderson of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley and safety Brody Barnhardt of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day were also offered by North Carolina.
Top four recruiting battles NC State has won over UNC, other than Wilson, among players on the sidelines Saturday:
• Kevin Concepcion, WR, Charlotte Chambers, Class of 2023: Concepcion grew up a North Carolina fan, but NC State prioritized him right after his sophomore year June 23, 2021. He helped Chambers to the NCHSAA state title that spring, and the Wolfpack wanted Concepcion and running back Dylan Smothers, who ultimately picked Oklahoma. Concepcion received numerous offers, but it came down to a NC State vs. North Carolina battle. The Wolfpack had invested more time into Concepcion's recruitment and won out.
• C.J. Clark, nose tackle, New London (N.C.) North Stanly, Class of 2019:
Getting Clark to sign was a big deal, and NC State had to hold off UNC after the hiring of coach Mack Brown on Nov. 27, 2018. Clark was friends with long snapper Drew Little, who committed to the Wolfpack and flipped to UNC. The No. 186 overall player in the country by Rivals.com stayed solid to NC State despite attempts from North Carolina and Georgia.
• Anthony Carter, guard, Matthews (N.C.) Butler, Class of 2020: Carter had a super low-key recruitment, but NC State and North Carolina wanted him at various points along the way. He just didn’t visit colleges much, which happens sometimes. Carter waited and waited, and he picked the Wolfpack on Jan. 8, 2020, a few weeks before Signing Day.
• Kamen Smith, guard, Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central, Class of 2023: Smith had a pretty clear list with NC State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. He officially visited all three in June going into his senior year, and picked NC State on July 10, 2022. He still paid attention and unofficially visited UNC and Virginia Tech the following fall, but he stayed sold on NC State, even after offensive line coach John Garrison went to Ole Miss.
2. November is the calm before the storm, with just some drips here and there.
The craziness of the December includes making sure the 20 prep commits get to the finish line Dec. 20, and a few more to it. The Wolfpack’s class is currently ranked No. 30 overall in the country, which is pretty impressive.
To put that national ranking in perspective, Washington is ranked No. 47, Louisville is No. 57 and Oregon State is No. 64. The Huskies are fourth in The Associated Press poll Sunday, Cardinals are No. 9 and Beavers are No. 15.
NCSU will assuredly lose some players following the regular season game against North Carolina on Nov. 25. The transfer portal window starts once postseason selections are announced in December and last for 45 days.
The Wolfpack will join the chase on going after transfer portal players, and it will likely be obvious what positions need to get fortified by who is getting offers. Between transfers, junior college prospects and prep players, the staff will have to make time for official visits.
Then add in that NC State will be trying to prepare for a bowl game, that likely happen after Christmas. A handful of players will also be finding out their NFL Draft chances.
Hopefully, there isn’t any staff attrition, but then NC State lost its offensive coordinator and offensive line coach a year ago, so it does happen. For schools that do lose staff members, getting new ones in place is just another layer to December and usually January.
Coaches want changes to the December calendar to slow this down and make it what it used to be, but so far there has been no action on changing the early signing date. Critics will say that is why they get paid the big money, but something will always give between recruiting and bowl prep in December.
