The Wolfpack Central is overflowing with football recruiting knowledge, so we’ll keep this part to a narrow focus to the last 48 hours. NC State was expecting at least 97 unofficial visitors for the Louisville at NC State game Saturday night. Some were commits, but others targets over a variety of classes.
Some we’ve seen play already and interviewed Sunday afternoon, and others maybe we’ll get to see in the playoffs. The recruits were excited by the Homecoming hype, combined with sitting behind the student sections. It’s also clear that the presence of star sophomore left tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu has gotten the attention of numerous recruits, especially from the Charlotte area and along the offensive line.
NC State commits:
Running back Michael Allen of Greenville (N.C.) Rose High
Nickel Isaiah Crowell of Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Wide receiver Terrell Timmons of Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford High
Center/defensive end Rylan Vann of Cary (N.C.) High
Cornerback Jackson Vick of Bailey (N.C.) Bailey Nash High
Quarterback Lex Thomas of Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High (in 2023)
Class of 2023:
Running back Daylan Smothers of Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers High
Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion of Chambers High
Athlete Kyron Jones of Charlotte Christian
Lineman Jamal Jarrett of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley High
Wide receiver Nathan Leacock of Raleigh (N.C.) Millbrook High
Quarterback Amari Odom of Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
Offensive tackle Sam Pendleton of Pffaftown (N.C.) Reagan High
Wide receiver Noah Rogers of Rolesville (N.C.) High
Defensive end Isaiah Shirley of Boone (N.C.) Watauga High
Athlete Chris Peal of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day
Class of 2024:
Athlete Jonathan Paylor of Burlington (N.C.) Cummings High
Athlete Alex Taylor of Greensboro Grimsley High
Wide receiver Channing Goodwin of Charlotte Providence Day
Wide receiver Jordan Shipp of Charlotte Providence Day
The Wolfpack Central caught up with numerous unofficial visitors Sunday, and Rivals.com went on-site with Rogers last week.
Notable out of state unofficial visitors include junior defensive end Monteque Rhames of Sumter (S.C.) High and sophomore quarterback Jayden Bradford of Chapin (S.C.) High.
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The Robert Dillingham recruitment has been simply fascinating. The junior shooting guard from Hickory, N.C, has had quite an eventful last year. After spending his first two years at Combine Academy in Lincolnton, N.C., which is coached by former UNC and NBA point guard Jeff McInnis, he made the controversial move to Donda Academy in Simi Valley, Calif.
For those unfamiliar with Donda Academy, it is named after Kanye West’s late mother and is heavily tied into adidas, which West has a creative deal with. Many other elite players have also made the move to Donda Academy, which has yet to create a building for the players to take their online classes. The perceived story is that adidas was “all-in” on junior guard Mikey Williams of Charlotte (N.C.) Vertical Academy, who is coveted due to having over 3.3 million instagram followers. The San Diego, Calif., native went to Huntersville (N.C.) Lake Norman Christian a year ago. The problem with adidas’ plan was Puma came in with a better offer and snatched up Williams. Then adidas pivoted to Dillingham and we see the chain reaction of that move.
Reclassed junior center Brandon White, who previously played at Spencer (N.C.) North Rowan High and Winston-Salem (N.C.) Christian High, also joined Dillingham at Donda Academy and is an NC State target.
Now, the drama came after Dillingham’s father shredded the move on Facebook. It also made it clear that he doesn’t have much influence remaining in his son’s life.
Some have wondered does NC State even have a chance with that kind of back story? According to some well-placed sources, if the decision comes down to what Dillingham wants, look for it to be a NC State vs. LSU battle. The allure of Overtime doesn’t seem to be looming, and not sure if G-League Invite is a current option. This doesn’t seem to be another situation similar to what NC State went through with fifth-year seniors Jalen Lecque and Josh Hall, who both signed with the Wolfpack, but elected to play professionally. Hall is now a second-year player for the Toronto Raptors 905 in the G-League, and Lecque is with the Wisconsin Herd in the G-League.
Kentucky could easily land No. 1-ranked overall player and shooting guard DaJuan Wagner Jr., whose father played for coach John Calipari at Memphis. UNC landed No. 15-ranked wing Simeon Wilcher and Dillingham might not be considering the Tar Heels as a result. Memphis is another program in the mix.
Rivals.com ranks Dillingham the No. 12-ranked overall player in the class of 2023, and he plays similarly to another player who had NC State and LSU going after him — Cameron Thomas of Chesapeake, Va. Thomas picked LSU over NC State, UCLA and Florida, among others and was a one-and-done for the Tigers. He got drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the No. 27 overall pick last June.
The key to the Dillingham recruitment thus far is that he relates really well to coach Kevin Keatts, and if adidas helps in any ways, that can be a good thing too in the Name, Image, Likeness era.
•••
In the less complex recruitments, five-star sophomore power forward R.J. Jones of The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., unofficially visited NC State, Duke and North Carolina this weekend. The 6-9 post earned an offer from the Wolfpack and is from the same town as current freshman power forward Ernest Ross.
Four-star sophomore power forward Jarin Stevenson is the clubhouse leader as the top prospect in the state in his class. He helped Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood finish second in the NCHSAA 3A state tournament. He is now at the new Seaforth High in Pittsboro, with his father Jarod Stevenson his coach. Jarod Stevenson played men’s basketball at Richmond (1994-98) and his mother, Nicole Walker Stevenson, played women’s basketball at North Carolina. Some have privately wondered if Stevenson is UNC’s to lose, but NC State has been trying hard the last several weeks and offered him this fall.
Rivals.com ranks Jones the No. 15 overall player in the class of 2024, and Stevenson checks in at No. 24 nationally.
History could be slotted with a home game against Pittsboro Northwood and star sophomore wing Drake Powell on Nov. 23, which is Seaforth’s inaugural game.
Some we’ve seen play already and interviewed Sunday afternoon, and others maybe we’ll get to see in the playoffs. The recruits were excited by the Homecoming hype, combined with sitting behind the student sections. It’s also clear that the presence of star sophomore left tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu has gotten the attention of numerous recruits, especially from the Charlotte area and along the offensive line.
NC State commits:
Running back Michael Allen of Greenville (N.C.) Rose High
Nickel Isaiah Crowell of Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Wide receiver Terrell Timmons of Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford High
Center/defensive end Rylan Vann of Cary (N.C.) High
Cornerback Jackson Vick of Bailey (N.C.) Bailey Nash High
Quarterback Lex Thomas of Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High (in 2023)
Class of 2023:
Running back Daylan Smothers of Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers High
Wide receiver Kevin Concepcion of Chambers High
Athlete Kyron Jones of Charlotte Christian
Lineman Jamal Jarrett of Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley High
Wide receiver Nathan Leacock of Raleigh (N.C.) Millbrook High
Quarterback Amari Odom of Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
Offensive tackle Sam Pendleton of Pffaftown (N.C.) Reagan High
Wide receiver Noah Rogers of Rolesville (N.C.) High
Defensive end Isaiah Shirley of Boone (N.C.) Watauga High
Athlete Chris Peal of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day
Class of 2024:
Athlete Jonathan Paylor of Burlington (N.C.) Cummings High
Athlete Alex Taylor of Greensboro Grimsley High
Wide receiver Channing Goodwin of Charlotte Providence Day
Wide receiver Jordan Shipp of Charlotte Providence Day
The Wolfpack Central caught up with numerous unofficial visitors Sunday, and Rivals.com went on-site with Rogers last week.
Notable out of state unofficial visitors include junior defensive end Monteque Rhames of Sumter (S.C.) High and sophomore quarterback Jayden Bradford of Chapin (S.C.) High.
•••
The Robert Dillingham recruitment has been simply fascinating. The junior shooting guard from Hickory, N.C, has had quite an eventful last year. After spending his first two years at Combine Academy in Lincolnton, N.C., which is coached by former UNC and NBA point guard Jeff McInnis, he made the controversial move to Donda Academy in Simi Valley, Calif.
For those unfamiliar with Donda Academy, it is named after Kanye West’s late mother and is heavily tied into adidas, which West has a creative deal with. Many other elite players have also made the move to Donda Academy, which has yet to create a building for the players to take their online classes. The perceived story is that adidas was “all-in” on junior guard Mikey Williams of Charlotte (N.C.) Vertical Academy, who is coveted due to having over 3.3 million instagram followers. The San Diego, Calif., native went to Huntersville (N.C.) Lake Norman Christian a year ago. The problem with adidas’ plan was Puma came in with a better offer and snatched up Williams. Then adidas pivoted to Dillingham and we see the chain reaction of that move.
Reclassed junior center Brandon White, who previously played at Spencer (N.C.) North Rowan High and Winston-Salem (N.C.) Christian High, also joined Dillingham at Donda Academy and is an NC State target.
Now, the drama came after Dillingham’s father shredded the move on Facebook. It also made it clear that he doesn’t have much influence remaining in his son’s life.
Some have wondered does NC State even have a chance with that kind of back story? According to some well-placed sources, if the decision comes down to what Dillingham wants, look for it to be a NC State vs. LSU battle. The allure of Overtime doesn’t seem to be looming, and not sure if G-League Invite is a current option. This doesn’t seem to be another situation similar to what NC State went through with fifth-year seniors Jalen Lecque and Josh Hall, who both signed with the Wolfpack, but elected to play professionally. Hall is now a second-year player for the Toronto Raptors 905 in the G-League, and Lecque is with the Wisconsin Herd in the G-League.
Kentucky could easily land No. 1-ranked overall player and shooting guard DaJuan Wagner Jr., whose father played for coach John Calipari at Memphis. UNC landed No. 15-ranked wing Simeon Wilcher and Dillingham might not be considering the Tar Heels as a result. Memphis is another program in the mix.
Rivals.com ranks Dillingham the No. 12-ranked overall player in the class of 2023, and he plays similarly to another player who had NC State and LSU going after him — Cameron Thomas of Chesapeake, Va. Thomas picked LSU over NC State, UCLA and Florida, among others and was a one-and-done for the Tigers. He got drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the No. 27 overall pick last June.
The key to the Dillingham recruitment thus far is that he relates really well to coach Kevin Keatts, and if adidas helps in any ways, that can be a good thing too in the Name, Image, Likeness era.
•••
In the less complex recruitments, five-star sophomore power forward R.J. Jones of The Rock School in Gainesville, Fla., unofficially visited NC State, Duke and North Carolina this weekend. The 6-9 post earned an offer from the Wolfpack and is from the same town as current freshman power forward Ernest Ross.
Four-star sophomore power forward Jarin Stevenson is the clubhouse leader as the top prospect in the state in his class. He helped Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood finish second in the NCHSAA 3A state tournament. He is now at the new Seaforth High in Pittsboro, with his father Jarod Stevenson his coach. Jarod Stevenson played men’s basketball at Richmond (1994-98) and his mother, Nicole Walker Stevenson, played women’s basketball at North Carolina. Some have privately wondered if Stevenson is UNC’s to lose, but NC State has been trying hard the last several weeks and offered him this fall.
Rivals.com ranks Jones the No. 15 overall player in the class of 2024, and Stevenson checks in at No. 24 nationally.
History could be slotted with a home game against Pittsboro Northwood and star sophomore wing Drake Powell on Nov. 23, which is Seaforth’s inaugural game.
