1. You know it is a big game when recruits want to see the visiting team as much as the home team.
This has always been the case when NC State plays at North Carolina or Wake Forest or Duke. I don’t know how often it has happened at Clemson, but in recruiting circles, this is the hot ticket for the weekend.
At least eight recruits are currently listing NC State, who will be in attendance Saturday. Four of the eight belong in the category of major Wolfpack targets.
For instance, junior interior lineman Jake Guarnera of Ponte Vedra (Fla.) High has been to NC State six times unofficially, including the Texas Tech at NCSU game.
Burlington (N.C.) Cummings junior wide receiver Jonathan Paylor could easily be called NC State’s top target in the class, and it will be a fierce battle among the Wolfpack, North Carolina, Clemson, Alabama and others.
Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley junior wide receiver Alex Taylor has been going back and forth to NC State and North Carolina, and now returning to Clemson.
Sophomore tackle David Sanders of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day is the prize of the class of 2025, and NC State, Clemson, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina are lining up.
NC State has had junior cornerback Asaad Brown of Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith to games this season and last year. He lists NC State in his top 10.
KingJoseph Edwards, the injured junior defensive end from Buford (Ga.) High, has unofficially visited at least three times in the last year, including this past June.
Can NC State land an offensive lineman from South Carolina? They are trying with junior Kam Pringle of Dorchester (S.C.) Woodland High and junior tackle Josiah Thompson of Dillon (S.C.) High.
In the class of 2023, Clemson offered seven players from North Carolina, but haven’t landed any of them.
Clemson and NC State both wanted current senior offensive linemen Sam Pendleton of Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan and Sullivan Absher of Belmont (N.C.) South Point. However, both picked Notre Dame.
Clemson offered nose tackle Jamaal Jarrett (Georgia) of Greensboro Grimsley, defensive tackle Keith Sampson Jr. (Florida State) of New Bern (N.C.) High and defensive end Rico Walker (North Carolina) of Hickory (N.C.) High.
Wide receivers Noah Rogers (Ohio State) of Rolesville (N.C.) High and Christian Hamilton (North Carolina) of Harrisburg (N.C.) Hickory Ridge, were both offered by the Tigers.
It remains to be seen what Clemson does with defensive end Daevin Hobbs of Concord (N.C.) Robinson, who Ohio State offered Thursday.
2. Clemson and NC State have had some spirited recruiting battles in the past — Dexter Lawrence, Stephone Anthony and Sean Pollard immediately come to mind.
Even Tyler Shatley, Dwayne Allen and Jefferie Gibson stir the memories. Shatley thought Raleigh was too big of a city for him, Allen was super close friends with NC State basketball player C.J. Williams and the Tigers flipped Gibson from the Wolfpack.
Clemson has signed 46 players from the state of North Carolina in the Rivals.com era. However, looking at the Clemson two-deep there isn’t much overlap except for one exception — sophomore running back Will Shipley of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High.
Shipley had strong momentum for NC State when he was younger, but then NC State either fired or had its assistant coaches leave for the NFL or other college jobs during that recruiting cycle. The final nail in that recruiting coffin was when co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Des Kitchings was let go, and Shipley picked Clemson over Notre Dame four months later May 5, 2020.
NC State did want Clemson backup junior right guard Mitchell Mayes, who played at both Raleigh Sanderson and Raleigh Leesville Road. He had played with former NC State player Alim McNeill and current player Trent Pennix at Sanderson High.
NC State offered senior defensive end K.J. Henry from Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth, but didn’t get a lot of traction there. NC State also offered star junior outside linebacker Trenton Simpson out of Mallard Creek, but he was going to UNC if he was going to stay in the state. Clemson offered late and the rest is history.
Backup defensive tackle Payton Page of Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley wasn’t offered by the Wolfpack.
Clemson wanted at least four Wolfpack defensive players — junior linebackers Payton Wilson and Drake Thomas, junior defensive end Savion Jackson and backup sophomore cornerback Shyheim Battle. Backup linebacker Jaylon Scott had NC State, North Carolina and Clemson, in his top group at one point.
3. At the beginning of the high school season, one of the players earmarked in a past The Run Down was that Cornelius (N.C.) Hough junior tackle Eagan Boyer would become a key class of 2024 recruit. At the time in mid-August, he hadn’t heard from NC State, but that has now changed.
Boyer will be unofficially visiting for the Florida State at NC State game Oct. 8, which is his first recruiting trip to Raleigh. This is big, not just because he’s 6-foot-8 and 248 pounds, but he’s also one of the few offensive lineman in North Carolina trending as a high major prospect in the class of 2024. Boyer moves well, obviously has the frame to be an easy 290-plus pounder one day and he’s making the tour of various colleges.
Boyer has offers from Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. He went to games to see the Hokies and Demon Deacons, and has trips coming up to NC State, Georgia, West Virginia and Maryland.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Boyer gets an NC State offer, sooner rather than later. Then eventually graduate to a must-get target due to supply and demand.
This has always been the case when NC State plays at North Carolina or Wake Forest or Duke. I don’t know how often it has happened at Clemson, but in recruiting circles, this is the hot ticket for the weekend.
At least eight recruits are currently listing NC State, who will be in attendance Saturday. Four of the eight belong in the category of major Wolfpack targets.
For instance, junior interior lineman Jake Guarnera of Ponte Vedra (Fla.) High has been to NC State six times unofficially, including the Texas Tech at NCSU game.
Burlington (N.C.) Cummings junior wide receiver Jonathan Paylor could easily be called NC State’s top target in the class, and it will be a fierce battle among the Wolfpack, North Carolina, Clemson, Alabama and others.
Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley junior wide receiver Alex Taylor has been going back and forth to NC State and North Carolina, and now returning to Clemson.
Sophomore tackle David Sanders of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day is the prize of the class of 2025, and NC State, Clemson, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina are lining up.
NC State has had junior cornerback Asaad Brown of Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith to games this season and last year. He lists NC State in his top 10.
KingJoseph Edwards, the injured junior defensive end from Buford (Ga.) High, has unofficially visited at least three times in the last year, including this past June.
Can NC State land an offensive lineman from South Carolina? They are trying with junior Kam Pringle of Dorchester (S.C.) Woodland High and junior tackle Josiah Thompson of Dillon (S.C.) High.
In the class of 2023, Clemson offered seven players from North Carolina, but haven’t landed any of them.
Clemson and NC State both wanted current senior offensive linemen Sam Pendleton of Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan and Sullivan Absher of Belmont (N.C.) South Point. However, both picked Notre Dame.
Clemson offered nose tackle Jamaal Jarrett (Georgia) of Greensboro Grimsley, defensive tackle Keith Sampson Jr. (Florida State) of New Bern (N.C.) High and defensive end Rico Walker (North Carolina) of Hickory (N.C.) High.
Wide receivers Noah Rogers (Ohio State) of Rolesville (N.C.) High and Christian Hamilton (North Carolina) of Harrisburg (N.C.) Hickory Ridge, were both offered by the Tigers.
It remains to be seen what Clemson does with defensive end Daevin Hobbs of Concord (N.C.) Robinson, who Ohio State offered Thursday.
2. Clemson and NC State have had some spirited recruiting battles in the past — Dexter Lawrence, Stephone Anthony and Sean Pollard immediately come to mind.
Even Tyler Shatley, Dwayne Allen and Jefferie Gibson stir the memories. Shatley thought Raleigh was too big of a city for him, Allen was super close friends with NC State basketball player C.J. Williams and the Tigers flipped Gibson from the Wolfpack.
Clemson has signed 46 players from the state of North Carolina in the Rivals.com era. However, looking at the Clemson two-deep there isn’t much overlap except for one exception — sophomore running back Will Shipley of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High.
Shipley had strong momentum for NC State when he was younger, but then NC State either fired or had its assistant coaches leave for the NFL or other college jobs during that recruiting cycle. The final nail in that recruiting coffin was when co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Des Kitchings was let go, and Shipley picked Clemson over Notre Dame four months later May 5, 2020.
NC State did want Clemson backup junior right guard Mitchell Mayes, who played at both Raleigh Sanderson and Raleigh Leesville Road. He had played with former NC State player Alim McNeill and current player Trent Pennix at Sanderson High.
NC State offered senior defensive end K.J. Henry from Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth, but didn’t get a lot of traction there. NC State also offered star junior outside linebacker Trenton Simpson out of Mallard Creek, but he was going to UNC if he was going to stay in the state. Clemson offered late and the rest is history.
Backup defensive tackle Payton Page of Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley wasn’t offered by the Wolfpack.
Clemson wanted at least four Wolfpack defensive players — junior linebackers Payton Wilson and Drake Thomas, junior defensive end Savion Jackson and backup sophomore cornerback Shyheim Battle. Backup linebacker Jaylon Scott had NC State, North Carolina and Clemson, in his top group at one point.
3. At the beginning of the high school season, one of the players earmarked in a past The Run Down was that Cornelius (N.C.) Hough junior tackle Eagan Boyer would become a key class of 2024 recruit. At the time in mid-August, he hadn’t heard from NC State, but that has now changed.
Boyer will be unofficially visiting for the Florida State at NC State game Oct. 8, which is his first recruiting trip to Raleigh. This is big, not just because he’s 6-foot-8 and 248 pounds, but he’s also one of the few offensive lineman in North Carolina trending as a high major prospect in the class of 2024. Boyer moves well, obviously has the frame to be an easy 290-plus pounder one day and he’s making the tour of various colleges.
Boyer has offers from Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. He went to games to see the Hokies and Demon Deacons, and has trips coming up to NC State, Georgia, West Virginia and Maryland.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Boyer gets an NC State offer, sooner rather than later. Then eventually graduate to a must-get target due to supply and demand.
