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 defensive lineman Travali Price, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln
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 20 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.
The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder received his official offer from NC State on Aug. 1, and it is the lone major offer for him at this point. However, Lyles continues to state that he is willing to be patient, which could be a factor if he starts waiting too long. 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 linebacker/defensive end Jabril McNeill, Raleigh Sanderson High
We’ve openly speculated that the extended dead period may play in NC State’s favor here. Only a couple of the other schools in his top 11 are really within driving distance. Within that top 11, many think the top two may be NC State and Oregon. We did have one source close to McNeill tell us over the summer that the intrigue of a national brand-name program was strong for him. Thus our projection is not a high confidence pick. As a junior, McNeill (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) had 35 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and two sacks, in 11 games. He also recovered a pair of fumbles.
Last week: 2
Projection: NC State
3. Three-star offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil, Murphy (N.C.) High
Mugharbil, 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, announced a top seven in late July of NC State, Florida, Louisville, North Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. We previously didn’t think that UNC would be a factor, but it appears the Heels are about to lose a commitment from in-state lineman Jared Wilson, and thus we would not be surprised if the Heels upped their pursuit with Mugharbil. Still, we’ve always felt that NC State was ahead of UNC for Mugharbil, and UNC insiders have been in agreement on that. Our best guess is that Florida and NC State are the ones standing out at the moment. There’s no question that NC State is putting the full court on Mugharbil.
Last week: 3
Projection: NC State
4. Three-star linebacker Jordan Poole, Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High
We believe that an announcement is coming this week from Poole. Three different sources have now told us they hear positive buzz for NC State. That is the reason we have switched our projection to NC State, but to be clear we have also yet to hear that it is definitely the Wolfpack. The athletic, 6-foot, 215-pounder ran 113 times for 1,534 yards and 21 touchdowns on offense (in eight games) and had 36 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, a pick and a forced fumble.
Last week: 3
Projection: NC State (previously unknown)
5. Three-star defensive end Zyun Reeves, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Reeves, despite releasing a recent top five, seems to have a clear top three of NC State, Florida State and South Carolina, but to be honest, we are not hearing a ton of South Carolina buzz with Reeves. Given circumstances, we somewhat like NC State’s odds there but probably view FSU as the bigger threat. The 6-6, 240-pound Reeves had 88 tackles, including 13.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks, last season. He’s also a pretty good basketball player who made all-conference.
Last week: 5
Projection: Unknown
6. Three-star safety Chase Hattley, Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
Hattley could be an interesting recruitment to watch. He has given all indications that he is going to be patient. However, the main three schools here are Florida State, NC State and Oklahoma. Visits are unlikely to happen anytime soon. Oklahoma also just picked up its fourth defensive back commit, which makes you wonder how much room the Sooners may have for another. 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: 6
Projection: Unknown
7. Three-star defensive end Zeiqui Lawton, South Charleston (W.V.) High
We reported last week that a source told us that it appears the emerging top three for Lawton is NC State, Cincinnati and Illinois, and although Cincy is the lone non-Power Five program on the list, the Bearcats could be a real team to watch here. That seemed to be confirmed in a recent ticker story.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
8 Three-star defensive tackle Devin Lee, McDonough (Ga.) OLA
Lee came up to Raleigh for a virtual tour in July, and we have been told the general feeling is that NC State could now be in Lee’s top three. Lee himself formally came out with a top six that included Duke, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. 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: 12
Projection: Unknown
9. Three-star cornerback Javon Bullard, Milledgeville (Ga.) Baldwin High.
The 6-foot, 170-pounder’s only visit was to NC State among his top schools, but on Aug. 1 he tweeted out an official offer from Georgia that would seem to indicate that the talk that Bullard was not a take for the Bulldogs was not true. Our hunch is the SEC schools will be tough to beat here, but NC State is definitely in the game.
Last week: 9
Projection: Unknown
10. Safety Chad Brown, Fresno (Calif.) City Community College
The 6-foot-3. 185-pounder picked up an offer from NC State earlier in July. It’s worth noting that Brown is a native of Baltimore, so the Pack is closest to his hometown among his current offers that also include Arizona, Boise State, Central Florida (which came last Friday), TCU, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Jose State. Brown had 24 tackles and six interceptions (one pick six) last year as a freshman. The million-dollar question is does the recent addition of junior college pickup Rakeim Ashford change the dynamics of the Brown recruitment.
Last week: 10
Projection: Unknown
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 defensive lineman Travali Price, Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln
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 20 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.
The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder received his official offer from NC State on Aug. 1, and it is the lone major offer for him at this point. However, Lyles continues to state that he is willing to be patient, which could be a factor if he starts waiting too long. 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 linebacker/defensive end Jabril McNeill, Raleigh Sanderson High
We’ve openly speculated that the extended dead period may play in NC State’s favor here. Only a couple of the other schools in his top 11 are really within driving distance. Within that top 11, many think the top two may be NC State and Oregon. We did have one source close to McNeill tell us over the summer that the intrigue of a national brand-name program was strong for him. Thus our projection is not a high confidence pick. As a junior, McNeill (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) had 35 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and two sacks, in 11 games. He also recovered a pair of fumbles.
Last week: 2
Projection: NC State
3. Three-star offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil, Murphy (N.C.) High
Mugharbil, 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, announced a top seven in late July of NC State, Florida, Louisville, North Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. We previously didn’t think that UNC would be a factor, but it appears the Heels are about to lose a commitment from in-state lineman Jared Wilson, and thus we would not be surprised if the Heels upped their pursuit with Mugharbil. Still, we’ve always felt that NC State was ahead of UNC for Mugharbil, and UNC insiders have been in agreement on that. Our best guess is that Florida and NC State are the ones standing out at the moment. There’s no question that NC State is putting the full court on Mugharbil.
Last week: 3
Projection: NC State
4. Three-star linebacker Jordan Poole, Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High
We believe that an announcement is coming this week from Poole. Three different sources have now told us they hear positive buzz for NC State. That is the reason we have switched our projection to NC State, but to be clear we have also yet to hear that it is definitely the Wolfpack. The athletic, 6-foot, 215-pounder ran 113 times for 1,534 yards and 21 touchdowns on offense (in eight games) and had 36 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, a pick and a forced fumble.
Last week: 3
Projection: NC State (previously unknown)
5. Three-star defensive end Zyun Reeves, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High
Reeves, despite releasing a recent top five, seems to have a clear top three of NC State, Florida State and South Carolina, but to be honest, we are not hearing a ton of South Carolina buzz with Reeves. Given circumstances, we somewhat like NC State’s odds there but probably view FSU as the bigger threat. The 6-6, 240-pound Reeves had 88 tackles, including 13.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks, last season. He’s also a pretty good basketball player who made all-conference.
Last week: 5
Projection: Unknown
6. Three-star safety Chase Hattley, Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek High
Hattley could be an interesting recruitment to watch. He has given all indications that he is going to be patient. However, the main three schools here are Florida State, NC State and Oklahoma. Visits are unlikely to happen anytime soon. Oklahoma also just picked up its fourth defensive back commit, which makes you wonder how much room the Sooners may have for another. 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: 6
Projection: Unknown
7. Three-star defensive end Zeiqui Lawton, South Charleston (W.V.) High
We reported last week that a source told us that it appears the emerging top three for Lawton is NC State, Cincinnati and Illinois, and although Cincy is the lone non-Power Five program on the list, the Bearcats could be a real team to watch here. That seemed to be confirmed in a recent ticker story.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
8 Three-star defensive tackle Devin Lee, McDonough (Ga.) OLA
Lee came up to Raleigh for a virtual tour in July, and we have been told the general feeling is that NC State could now be in Lee’s top three. Lee himself formally came out with a top six that included Duke, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. 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: 12
Projection: Unknown
9. Three-star cornerback Javon Bullard, Milledgeville (Ga.) Baldwin High.
The 6-foot, 170-pounder’s only visit was to NC State among his top schools, but on Aug. 1 he tweeted out an official offer from Georgia that would seem to indicate that the talk that Bullard was not a take for the Bulldogs was not true. Our hunch is the SEC schools will be tough to beat here, but NC State is definitely in the game.
Last week: 9
Projection: Unknown
10. Safety Chad Brown, Fresno (Calif.) City Community College
The 6-foot-3. 185-pounder picked up an offer from NC State earlier in July. It’s worth noting that Brown is a native of Baltimore, so the Pack is closest to his hometown among his current offers that also include Arizona, Boise State, Central Florida (which came last Friday), TCU, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Jose State. Brown had 24 tackles and six interceptions (one pick six) last year as a freshman. The million-dollar question is does the recent addition of junior college pickup Rakeim Ashford change the dynamics of the Brown recruitment.
Last week: 10
Projection: Unknown
