This is the third edition of The Wolfpacker’s mock class for NC State football recruiting in 2021.
In the first mock class we had 23 signees, and then in the second we had 24. This time we went with back to 23 players, on the low side of our projected range of 23-25 likely recruits to be signed. On defense, we are currently projecting a dozen players, the same as last time.
DE – Three-star Zyun Reeves, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Reeves is a 6-foot-6, 240-pounder who projects well as an edge player at NC State. He had 88 tackles, including 13.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks, last season. The Wolfpack would love to be able to add third East Forsyth player to join redshirt freshman safety Khalid Martin and recent commit Micah Crowell. East Forsyth has won back-to-back state titles. Reeves though is not a sure thing by any stretch, with Florida State and South Carolina two very strong challengers.
DL – Three-star Travali Price, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln
Price and Jayden Tate (below) are likely to be a package deal in college. NC State, Tennessee, South Carolina and Louisville are all providing that option. We have growing confidence in the Pack’s chances with Price, but it remains far from a slam dunk. Price prefers the low-key recruitment, and those types of recruitments tend to do well for NC State. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder had 84 tackles, including 21 for loss and 5.5 sacks, and 27 quarterback hurries last year.
LS/DT – Jayden Tate, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln High
We went with Tate and Price as a package deal. NC State and Louisville are looking at Tate as a defensive tackle, while South Carolina and Tennessee as a fullback. Tennessee’s option appears to be as a preferred walk-on.
DT — Three-star Marquise Brunson, Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne High
Adding a pure defensive tackle makes some sense in this class, but the board has been a bit slow to materialize there. One name though that would be a logical guess is Brunson, a 6-foot-3, 275-pounder. Based on what we can tell, the Pack is in his top four with Georgia Tech, Northwestern and Wisconsin. However, NC State has a distance advantage, and we have heard rumblings that Georgia Tech is about done with defensive tackle and could be more focused elsewhere.
Brunson replaces Jacquez Williams from our last mock class. Williams was a “projected offer down the road” prospect from Jenkins High in Savannah, Ga.
LB — Three-star Caden Fordham, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles High
In one big change from our last mock class, we replaced Trevin Wallace, who has committed to Boston College, with Fordham, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder who announced his verbal commitment to NC State in June. Fordham had 64 tackles, including six for loss and five sacks, as a junior. He also made four interceptions and forced two fumbles. Fordham picked NC State over Louisville, Georgia Tech and West Virginia, among others.
LB – Three-star Jabril McNeill, Raleigh Sanderson High
When McNeill’s older brother, NC State junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill, was going through the recruiting process, it was not until the end of the summer that he publicly make it clear he was favoring NC State. However, he later admitted to us that he had known for a long time he was going there, and he just wanted to enjoy the recruiting process. We could see Jabril (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) having a similar process play out. We’re also curious to see if McNeill grows into a defensive end prospect as he continues to fill out his frame nicely. McNeill had 35 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and two sacks, in 11 games last year.
LB – Three-star Jordan Poole, Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High
In our last mock class, we wondered if Poole’s inclusion in the All-American Game may prompt his stock to explode. He did pick up offers from Boston College and Florida State, but that was it thus far. Prior to that, he was gearing up for an early-summer decision on a timeline that was probably favorable to NCSU. The 6-foot, 215-pounder is an outstanding two-way performer. He ran 113 times for 1,534 yards and 21 touchdowns last year while making 36 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.
CB – Three-star Mario Love Jr., Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Love made us look good in our first mock class by picking NC State since then. Love had 23 tackles and an interception for Hough last year.
CB – Three-star Nate Evans, Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox High
Evans surprised us in June when he flipped his commitment from Tennessee to NC State. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder missed most of his junior season with a knee injury. Earlier we had Robert Simmons in this spot.
S – Two-star Sean Brown, Charlotte (N.C.) Hough High
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder also has offers from Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri and Wake Forest, but NC State has his teammate in the fold in Love. Confidence is high that Brown may not be far behind. Last season, Brown had 65 tackles, including four for loss and three sacks, in 13 games. Brown may also project to be able to play nickel.
S – Three-star Chase Hattley, Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
A bit of a roll of the dice here as he is a recent offer for NC State but earlier had received scholarship offers from Florida State and Oklahoma, among others. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is a good athlete and had 29 tackles, nine interceptions and fie pass breakups as a junior. The bet here is that proximity wins out at the end of the day.
S – Rakeim Ashford, Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had 39 tackles and four interceptions as a freshman for Jones County, one of the better junior college programs in the country. He was also an honor roll student. Ashford claimed an offer from NC State earlier this week, and presuming that to be correct the Wolfpack, being his lone Power Five offer, would be in great shape.
Safety position was a bit of an overhaul from the last projection. Brown remained the same, but Hattley and Ashford replaced Tyler Morehead and Kaemen Marley.
In the first mock class we had 23 signees, and then in the second we had 24. This time we went with back to 23 players, on the low side of our projected range of 23-25 likely recruits to be signed. On defense, we are currently projecting a dozen players, the same as last time.
DE – Three-star Zyun Reeves, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Reeves is a 6-foot-6, 240-pounder who projects well as an edge player at NC State. He had 88 tackles, including 13.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks, last season. The Wolfpack would love to be able to add third East Forsyth player to join redshirt freshman safety Khalid Martin and recent commit Micah Crowell. East Forsyth has won back-to-back state titles. Reeves though is not a sure thing by any stretch, with Florida State and South Carolina two very strong challengers.
DL – Three-star Travali Price, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln
Price and Jayden Tate (below) are likely to be a package deal in college. NC State, Tennessee, South Carolina and Louisville are all providing that option. We have growing confidence in the Pack’s chances with Price, but it remains far from a slam dunk. Price prefers the low-key recruitment, and those types of recruitments tend to do well for NC State. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder had 84 tackles, including 21 for loss and 5.5 sacks, and 27 quarterback hurries last year.
LS/DT – Jayden Tate, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln High
We went with Tate and Price as a package deal. NC State and Louisville are looking at Tate as a defensive tackle, while South Carolina and Tennessee as a fullback. Tennessee’s option appears to be as a preferred walk-on.
DT — Three-star Marquise Brunson, Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne High
Adding a pure defensive tackle makes some sense in this class, but the board has been a bit slow to materialize there. One name though that would be a logical guess is Brunson, a 6-foot-3, 275-pounder. Based on what we can tell, the Pack is in his top four with Georgia Tech, Northwestern and Wisconsin. However, NC State has a distance advantage, and we have heard rumblings that Georgia Tech is about done with defensive tackle and could be more focused elsewhere.
Brunson replaces Jacquez Williams from our last mock class. Williams was a “projected offer down the road” prospect from Jenkins High in Savannah, Ga.
LB — Three-star Caden Fordham, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles High
In one big change from our last mock class, we replaced Trevin Wallace, who has committed to Boston College, with Fordham, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder who announced his verbal commitment to NC State in June. Fordham had 64 tackles, including six for loss and five sacks, as a junior. He also made four interceptions and forced two fumbles. Fordham picked NC State over Louisville, Georgia Tech and West Virginia, among others.
LB – Three-star Jabril McNeill, Raleigh Sanderson High
When McNeill’s older brother, NC State junior defensive tackle Alim McNeill, was going through the recruiting process, it was not until the end of the summer that he publicly make it clear he was favoring NC State. However, he later admitted to us that he had known for a long time he was going there, and he just wanted to enjoy the recruiting process. We could see Jabril (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) having a similar process play out. We’re also curious to see if McNeill grows into a defensive end prospect as he continues to fill out his frame nicely. McNeill had 35 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and two sacks, in 11 games last year.
LB – Three-star Jordan Poole, Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High
In our last mock class, we wondered if Poole’s inclusion in the All-American Game may prompt his stock to explode. He did pick up offers from Boston College and Florida State, but that was it thus far. Prior to that, he was gearing up for an early-summer decision on a timeline that was probably favorable to NCSU. The 6-foot, 215-pounder is an outstanding two-way performer. He ran 113 times for 1,534 yards and 21 touchdowns last year while making 36 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.
CB – Three-star Mario Love Jr., Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Love made us look good in our first mock class by picking NC State since then. Love had 23 tackles and an interception for Hough last year.
CB – Three-star Nate Evans, Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox High
Evans surprised us in June when he flipped his commitment from Tennessee to NC State. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder missed most of his junior season with a knee injury. Earlier we had Robert Simmons in this spot.
S – Two-star Sean Brown, Charlotte (N.C.) Hough High
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder also has offers from Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri and Wake Forest, but NC State has his teammate in the fold in Love. Confidence is high that Brown may not be far behind. Last season, Brown had 65 tackles, including four for loss and three sacks, in 13 games. Brown may also project to be able to play nickel.
S – Three-star Chase Hattley, Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
A bit of a roll of the dice here as he is a recent offer for NC State but earlier had received scholarship offers from Florida State and Oklahoma, among others. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is a good athlete and had 29 tackles, nine interceptions and fie pass breakups as a junior. The bet here is that proximity wins out at the end of the day.
S – Rakeim Ashford, Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had 39 tackles and four interceptions as a freshman for Jones County, one of the better junior college programs in the country. He was also an honor roll student. Ashford claimed an offer from NC State earlier this week, and presuming that to be correct the Wolfpack, being his lone Power Five offer, would be in great shape.
Safety position was a bit of an overhaul from the last projection. Brown remained the same, but Hattley and Ashford replaced Tyler Morehead and Kaemen Marley.
