Current commits:
Three-star receiver Jakolbe Baldwin, Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond County High
Two-star safety Sean Brown, Charlotte (N.C.) Hough High
Three-star offensive lineman Lyndon Cooper, Carrollton (Ga.) High
Four-star receiver Micah Crowell, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Three-star offensive tackle Jaleel Davis, Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond County High
Three-star cornerback Nate Evans, Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox High
Three-star linebacker Caden Fordham, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles High
Two-star offensive lineman Thornton Gentry, Chapin (S.C.) High
Three-star receiver Julian Gray, Huntersville (N.C.) Hopewell High
Three-star cornerback Mario Love Jr., Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High
Three-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin, Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark High
Three-star linebacker Jordan Poole, Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High
Three-star defensive lineman Travali Price, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln
Three-star defensive end Zyun Reeves, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Three-star tight end Cedric Seabrough, Swainsboro (Ga.) High
Three-star tight end Fredrick Seabrough, Swainsboro (Ga.) High
Two-star running back/athlete Demie Sumo, Willingboro (N.J.) High
Two-star defensive tackle/long snapper Jayden Tate, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln High
These are the top 10 players ranked in order of the odds we see them ending up at NC State.
1. Defensive tackle Rasheed Lyles, Athens (Tex.) Trinity Valley C.C.
Lyles continues to pick up smaller school offers, but NC State is his lone major one. It also continues to recruit him aggressively. Unless that changes on either front, he will hold the top spot until either he commits or players potentially beat him to the last remaining spots on the defensive line in the class (which is quite possible). Lyles had 29 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, as a freshman at Trinity Valley. He is a native of Winnfield, La.
Last week: 1
Projection: NC State
2. Three-star safety Chase Hattley, Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
We are holding onto our NC State projection for Hattley, but make no mistake that the recent South Carolina offer has the potential to disrupt the Pack’s momentum here (see our War Room for more information). The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is a good athlete (has cleared 6-foot-4 in the high jump in track) and productive. He had 29 tackles, nine interceptions and five pass breakups as a junior. On offense he caught seven passes for 161 yards and three scores.
Last week: 2
Projection: NC State
3. Three-star defensive lineman Marquise Brunson, Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne High
Among the prep defensive linemen on this list, to us Brunson seems the most realistic at the moment. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder released a top 11, and based on the list our guess is the top schools at the moment are NC State, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Maryland and Minnesota. Maryland could be a sneaky team, and the other factor is there may be a run on defensive linemen for NC State soon. However, when we talked with Brunson after he made his own visit to Raleigh it was very clear to us that NC State was a very strong contender if not an outright leader.
Last week: 4
Projection: NC State
4. Three-star defensive back Nykelius Johnson, West Florence (S.C.) High
Johnson is a Virginia Tech commit that was offered by NC State by the Hokies former and now Wolfpack current corners coach Brian Mitchell. Johnson’s social media likes since late-summer have consistently suggested that NC State has emerged as a heavy player here. There was a point where Johnson seemed to be holding strong despite other VT decommits, but we now seriously believe he could end up being one himself. We have a projection for Virginia Tech, but that is mainly because until someone decommits we usually leave our projection for the school he is currently pledged for.
Last week: 5
Projection: Virginia Tech
5. Three-star offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil, Murphy (N.C.) High
We believe the Wolfpack is prominently in the mix for Mugharbil. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder announced a top seven in late July of NC State, Florida, Louisville, North Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. A strong start may do NC State some good here as if you made us make a projection on Mugharbil right now it might be Florida.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
6. Three-star defensive tackle Devin Lee, McDonough (Ga.) OLA
We said last week that a new development was that Vanderbilt could be trending with Lee, and that vibe has persisted even stronger over the past week. Lee had 53 total tackles last season, including 26 for loss and 17 sacks. He also had 11 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
7. Three-star defensive tackle Taleeq Robbins, Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute Charter School
Robbins came out with a top five that included the Wolfpack on it, along with Arizona State, Georgia, Ole Miss and perceived favorite Texas A&M. Robbins has teased that he may go ahead and announce a commitment sooner rather than later, as well. Even if NC State does not land Robbins, it did a nice job with his recruitment.
Last week: 8
Projection: Texas A&M
Three-star receiver Jakolbe Baldwin, Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond County High
Two-star safety Sean Brown, Charlotte (N.C.) Hough High
Three-star offensive lineman Lyndon Cooper, Carrollton (Ga.) High
Four-star receiver Micah Crowell, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Three-star offensive tackle Jaleel Davis, Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond County High
Three-star cornerback Nate Evans, Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox High
Three-star linebacker Caden Fordham, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles High
Two-star offensive lineman Thornton Gentry, Chapin (S.C.) High
Three-star receiver Julian Gray, Huntersville (N.C.) Hopewell High
Three-star cornerback Mario Love Jr., Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High
Three-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin, Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark High
Three-star linebacker Jordan Poole, Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High
Three-star defensive lineman Travali Price, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln
Three-star defensive end Zyun Reeves, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Three-star tight end Cedric Seabrough, Swainsboro (Ga.) High
Three-star tight end Fredrick Seabrough, Swainsboro (Ga.) High
Two-star running back/athlete Demie Sumo, Willingboro (N.J.) High
Two-star defensive tackle/long snapper Jayden Tate, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln High
These are the top 10 players ranked in order of the odds we see them ending up at NC State.
1. Defensive tackle Rasheed Lyles, Athens (Tex.) Trinity Valley C.C.
Lyles continues to pick up smaller school offers, but NC State is his lone major one. It also continues to recruit him aggressively. Unless that changes on either front, he will hold the top spot until either he commits or players potentially beat him to the last remaining spots on the defensive line in the class (which is quite possible). Lyles had 29 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, as a freshman at Trinity Valley. He is a native of Winnfield, La.
Last week: 1
Projection: NC State
2. Three-star safety Chase Hattley, Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
We are holding onto our NC State projection for Hattley, but make no mistake that the recent South Carolina offer has the potential to disrupt the Pack’s momentum here (see our War Room for more information). The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is a good athlete (has cleared 6-foot-4 in the high jump in track) and productive. He had 29 tackles, nine interceptions and five pass breakups as a junior. On offense he caught seven passes for 161 yards and three scores.
Last week: 2
Projection: NC State
3. Three-star defensive lineman Marquise Brunson, Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne High
Among the prep defensive linemen on this list, to us Brunson seems the most realistic at the moment. The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder released a top 11, and based on the list our guess is the top schools at the moment are NC State, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Maryland and Minnesota. Maryland could be a sneaky team, and the other factor is there may be a run on defensive linemen for NC State soon. However, when we talked with Brunson after he made his own visit to Raleigh it was very clear to us that NC State was a very strong contender if not an outright leader.
Last week: 4
Projection: NC State
4. Three-star defensive back Nykelius Johnson, West Florence (S.C.) High
Johnson is a Virginia Tech commit that was offered by NC State by the Hokies former and now Wolfpack current corners coach Brian Mitchell. Johnson’s social media likes since late-summer have consistently suggested that NC State has emerged as a heavy player here. There was a point where Johnson seemed to be holding strong despite other VT decommits, but we now seriously believe he could end up being one himself. We have a projection for Virginia Tech, but that is mainly because until someone decommits we usually leave our projection for the school he is currently pledged for.
Last week: 5
Projection: Virginia Tech
5. Three-star offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil, Murphy (N.C.) High
We believe the Wolfpack is prominently in the mix for Mugharbil. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder announced a top seven in late July of NC State, Florida, Louisville, North Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. A strong start may do NC State some good here as if you made us make a projection on Mugharbil right now it might be Florida.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
6. Three-star defensive tackle Devin Lee, McDonough (Ga.) OLA
We said last week that a new development was that Vanderbilt could be trending with Lee, and that vibe has persisted even stronger over the past week. Lee had 53 total tackles last season, including 26 for loss and 17 sacks. He also had 11 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
7. Three-star defensive tackle Taleeq Robbins, Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute Charter School
Robbins came out with a top five that included the Wolfpack on it, along with Arizona State, Georgia, Ole Miss and perceived favorite Texas A&M. Robbins has teased that he may go ahead and announce a commitment sooner rather than later, as well. Even if NC State does not land Robbins, it did a nice job with his recruitment.
Last week: 8
Projection: Texas A&M
