NC State has verbal commitments from the following prospects:
Three-star linebacker Devon Betty, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas
Three-star offensive tackle Austin Blaske, Bloomingdale (Ga.) South Effingham High
Three-star defensive back Devan Boykin, Greensboro (N.C.) Ragsdale High
Three-star receiver Jalen Coit, Cheraw (S.C.) High
Three-star receiver Joshua Crabtree, Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High
Three-star quarterback Ben Finley, Phoenix (Ariz.) Paradise Valley High
Three-star offensive lineman Sean Hill, Brookwood (Ga.) Snellville High
Three-star offensive lineman Ethan Lane, Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer High
Three-star offensive lineman Patrick Matan, Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga Prep
Three-star safety/nickel Nehki Meredith, Virginia Beach (Va.) Bishop Sullivan
Three-star linebacker Jayland Parker, Macon (Ga.) Westside High
Two-star defensive lineman Pheldarius Payne, Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa.
Four-star receiver Porter Rooks, Charlotte Myers Park High
Three-star receiver Chris Scott, Dacula (Ga.) High
Two-star receiver Anthony Smith, Huntingtown (Md.) High
Two-star tight end Ezemdi Udoh, Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford High
Three-star defensive tackle Davin Vann, Cary (N.C.) High
Three-star defensive back Aydan White, Asheville (N.C.) Christ School
Kicker Ian Williams, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High
Here is a listing of the top five prospects in the order that we think they are likely to pick NC State.
1. Three-star defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Benjamin School
Pierre-Louis has not yet responded to messages for an interview, but a source over the weekend felt like the official visit went well. NC State is hoping to nail Pierre-Louis down before the December signing period. As we have noted before, Central Florida and Louisville also offered in the fall. The only hold-up/reservation we have on our projection is the fact that he has taken so long. Sometimes that can be an indicator something is holding the player back.
Last week: 4
Projection: NC State (previously unknown)
2. Four-star offensive lineman R.J. Adams, Woodbridge (Va.) High
Back-to-back weekends at NC State certainly helped NC State’s cause. For all intents and purposes this is a Kentucky-NC State battle. NCSU folks seem confident, but so do Kentucky insiders. Maybe we’ll get a better understanding the closer we get to his Dec. 18 announcement.
Last week: 3
Projection: NC State/Kentucky (previously just Kentucky)
3. Safety Justin Harrington, Bakersfield (Calif.) C.C.
We were supposed to talk to Harrington Sunday evening but those plans fell through. The Pack made a nice move over the weekend, from what we have gathered from sources. He will visit Oklahoma State this weekend. Odds still favor Oklahoma.
Last week: 3
Projection: Oklahoma
4. Three-star offensive lineman Anthony Carter, Matthews (N.C.) Butler High
It sure seems like NC State is putting its eggs in the Adams basket for the moment. Also seems questionable that Carter will make a commitment before the December signing period based on his puzzling lack of activity in his recruitment, aside from unofficially visiting NC State for the Clemson game. He still could use this weekend for an official visit.
Last week: 2
Projection: Unknown (previously NC State)
5. Three-star running back JJ Davis, Bluefield (W.Va.) High
As we noted previously, a source close to Davis’ summer traveling group noted to us that Davis’ recruitment is being held up some by colleges, including NC State, until he takes an upcoming SAT/ACT. Furthermore, our suspicion is that taking a fifth receiver (Scott) may have come at the expense at taking a running back in the class. Our hunch is defensive linemen will start to emerge after December for the final spot or two in the class.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
Dropped out:
Two-star receiver Ger-Cari Caldwell, Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern High
We’re fairly confident that NC State is done with prep receivers, so that means Caldwell probably is no longer on the board. Caldwell’s stock continues to rise, too. He added an offer from Tennessee since our last update. The one-time ECU commit has also picked up scholarships from NC State, Virginia, Duke, South Carolina, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, Baylor and Wake Forest since Thanksgiving.
Last week: 9
Projection: Unknown
Two-star receiver Devin Chandler, Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High
See Caldwell.
Last week: 5
Projection: Unknown
Kicker Ian Williams, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High
Williams made a verbal commitment to NC State, as we had projected.
Last week: 1
Projection: NC State
Four-star receiver Rico Powers, Atlanta (Ga.) Hapeville Charter
See Caldwell and Chandler, and add that Powers never seemed to seriously waver on his South Carolina commit. The Gamecocks hiring Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator probably made it even more unlikely he would have flipped.
Last week: 10
Projection: South Carolina
Receiver Chris Scott, Dacula (Ga.) High
Scott verbally committed to NC State. We had projected him to Vanderbilt, but if we knew later in the week when we wrote the top 10 we would have had Scott at No. 2 and projecting him to NC State.
Last week: 8
Projection: NC State (previously Vanderbilt)
Three-star linebacker Devon Betty, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas
Three-star offensive tackle Austin Blaske, Bloomingdale (Ga.) South Effingham High
Three-star defensive back Devan Boykin, Greensboro (N.C.) Ragsdale High
Three-star receiver Jalen Coit, Cheraw (S.C.) High
Three-star receiver Joshua Crabtree, Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High
Three-star quarterback Ben Finley, Phoenix (Ariz.) Paradise Valley High
Three-star offensive lineman Sean Hill, Brookwood (Ga.) Snellville High
Three-star offensive lineman Ethan Lane, Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer High
Three-star offensive lineman Patrick Matan, Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga Prep
Three-star safety/nickel Nehki Meredith, Virginia Beach (Va.) Bishop Sullivan
Three-star linebacker Jayland Parker, Macon (Ga.) Westside High
Two-star defensive lineman Pheldarius Payne, Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa.
Four-star receiver Porter Rooks, Charlotte Myers Park High
Three-star receiver Chris Scott, Dacula (Ga.) High
Two-star receiver Anthony Smith, Huntingtown (Md.) High
Two-star tight end Ezemdi Udoh, Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford High
Three-star defensive tackle Davin Vann, Cary (N.C.) High
Three-star defensive back Aydan White, Asheville (N.C.) Christ School
Kicker Ian Williams, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High
Here is a listing of the top five prospects in the order that we think they are likely to pick NC State.
1. Three-star defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Benjamin School
Pierre-Louis has not yet responded to messages for an interview, but a source over the weekend felt like the official visit went well. NC State is hoping to nail Pierre-Louis down before the December signing period. As we have noted before, Central Florida and Louisville also offered in the fall. The only hold-up/reservation we have on our projection is the fact that he has taken so long. Sometimes that can be an indicator something is holding the player back.
Last week: 4
Projection: NC State (previously unknown)
2. Four-star offensive lineman R.J. Adams, Woodbridge (Va.) High
Back-to-back weekends at NC State certainly helped NC State’s cause. For all intents and purposes this is a Kentucky-NC State battle. NCSU folks seem confident, but so do Kentucky insiders. Maybe we’ll get a better understanding the closer we get to his Dec. 18 announcement.
Last week: 3
Projection: NC State/Kentucky (previously just Kentucky)
3. Safety Justin Harrington, Bakersfield (Calif.) C.C.
We were supposed to talk to Harrington Sunday evening but those plans fell through. The Pack made a nice move over the weekend, from what we have gathered from sources. He will visit Oklahoma State this weekend. Odds still favor Oklahoma.
Last week: 3
Projection: Oklahoma
4. Three-star offensive lineman Anthony Carter, Matthews (N.C.) Butler High
It sure seems like NC State is putting its eggs in the Adams basket for the moment. Also seems questionable that Carter will make a commitment before the December signing period based on his puzzling lack of activity in his recruitment, aside from unofficially visiting NC State for the Clemson game. He still could use this weekend for an official visit.
Last week: 2
Projection: Unknown (previously NC State)
5. Three-star running back JJ Davis, Bluefield (W.Va.) High
As we noted previously, a source close to Davis’ summer traveling group noted to us that Davis’ recruitment is being held up some by colleges, including NC State, until he takes an upcoming SAT/ACT. Furthermore, our suspicion is that taking a fifth receiver (Scott) may have come at the expense at taking a running back in the class. Our hunch is defensive linemen will start to emerge after December for the final spot or two in the class.
Last week: 7
Projection: Unknown
Dropped out:
Two-star receiver Ger-Cari Caldwell, Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern High
We’re fairly confident that NC State is done with prep receivers, so that means Caldwell probably is no longer on the board. Caldwell’s stock continues to rise, too. He added an offer from Tennessee since our last update. The one-time ECU commit has also picked up scholarships from NC State, Virginia, Duke, South Carolina, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, Baylor and Wake Forest since Thanksgiving.
Last week: 9
Projection: Unknown
Two-star receiver Devin Chandler, Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High
See Caldwell.
Last week: 5
Projection: Unknown
Kicker Ian Williams, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High
Williams made a verbal commitment to NC State, as we had projected.
Last week: 1
Projection: NC State
Four-star receiver Rico Powers, Atlanta (Ga.) Hapeville Charter
See Caldwell and Chandler, and add that Powers never seemed to seriously waver on his South Carolina commit. The Gamecocks hiring Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator probably made it even more unlikely he would have flipped.
Last week: 10
Projection: South Carolina
Receiver Chris Scott, Dacula (Ga.) High
Scott verbally committed to NC State. We had projected him to Vanderbilt, but if we knew later in the week when we wrote the top 10 we would have had Scott at No. 2 and projecting him to NC State.
Last week: 8
Projection: NC State (previously Vanderbilt)
