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Please email hclaussen@jfqlending.com or shoot NC State alum Hunter Claussen a private message (@WolfPackMortgageGuy). You can check out their website JFQLending.com as well.
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We will begin with brief basketball recruiting news, and it’s quick and to the point. Tomorrow at noon it is widely expected that three-star guard Breon Pass from Reidsville (N.C.) High will announce a verbal commitment to NC State over Georgia Tech and Providence, among others.
If that follows through, that would leave NC State with one scholarship remaining for the 2021 class (officially). That’s because earlier this week it was revealed that redshirt junior forward A.J. Taylor was in the transfer portal.
Taylor will go down as a small footnote in NC State basketball history, having played in just one game and only three minutes at that. Originally there was a thought that NC State would try to apply for a medical redshirt for Taylor. However, on the roster Taylor was listed as a redshirt junior, so that obviously did not become a reality.
The simple truth with Taylor: it was not a great match and hence the move. This was something that was widely anticipated to likely happen at the end of last season, and frankly some sources were shocked when Taylor was back in the fall. Coming out of junior college, Taylor likely would have signed with head coach Buzz Williams had he not left Virginia Tech for Texas A&M.
We had some say that Taylor would have worked out better for Williams and his system than at NC State. However, when Williams left for A&M, that prevented Taylor from playing for him because the SEC has a rule against taking junior college transfers in basketball. NC State head coach Kevin Keatts and Williams have a strong friendship, we understand, so it will be interesting to see if that is a landing spot for Taylor or not.
The anticipation is that NC State will continue to target a big man for the final scholarship. We noted in our Aug. 28 War Room how Keatts seemed to want to have four post players on scholarship, if possible. Obviously four-star Roosevelt Wheeler from Richmond (Va.) John Marshall High is the headline target among post players for NC State. Wheeler (6-foot-10, 230 pounds) is ranked as the No. 42 prospect nationally in the 2021 class by Rivals.com.
Around the time we were told about that preference for a big man in the 2021 class, a source indicated to us that 7-footer Jonas Aidoo was getting too good to ignore over the summer. Thus it is not surprising that the Wolfpack gave him an offer this past week.
Aidoo’s original intent was to wait through the winter before diving into his decision. We will see if the NC State offer changes his mind.
•••
A quick tidbit in football recruiting, there was a lot of chatter this week about three-star defensive tackle Marquise Brunson from Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach, Va., potentially nearing a commitment to NC State. Brunson clearly had NC State at the top of his list after he made a visit to Raleigh on his own.
The Wolfpack did not appear to press for a commitment at the time and there was always a private thought that perhaps Brunson was not the highest on its board at DT. That moment of truth may have happened this week, and thus for now Brunson is likely headed elsewhere. It is not uncommon for colleges and recruits to circle back around to each other, for what it’s worth.
The Pack may be waiting it out on three-star Devin Lee from OLA in McDonough, Ga., but Lee is thought to be favoring SEC options Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. There is also junior college transfer Rasheed Lyles.
Landing a player who could potentially play the nose tackle is going to be important. The way that junior Alim McNeill played this past Saturday is a strong starting point in a year that could catapult McNeill onto NFL Draft boards.
Redshirt freshman C.J. Clark appears to have a promising future, but it is noteworthy that Clark’s classmate Joshua Harris, a more true nose tackle, did not receive a snap in the opener.
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Three-star safety (potentially linebacker) Chase Hattley from Panther Creek High in Cary, N.C., announced a top three this week of Oklahoma, NC State and South Carolina, but we are operating under the strong presumption that this is a Wolfpack-Gamecocks battle. We also would not be surprised if Hattley is nearing a decision.
Another decision that is definitely coming soon is three-star offensive tackle Diego Pounds from Raleigh Millbrook. Rumors were that Pounds had already recorded a commitment video to Penn State back in August, and on Sunday he affirmed his follow through on those intentions. But it appears that Mack Brown and UNC has worked its magic again. Rumors came out late Thursday night that Pounds will now be announcing for the Tar Heels instead.
While that may sting for NC State fans, it could have an indirect positive side effect. UNC had been pursuing harder on three-star Yousef Mugharbil from Murphy (N.C.) High in recent weeks (along with Pounds) after it lost a commitment from Jared Wilson of West Forsyth High in Clemmons, N.C. We don’t think UNC had passed NC State on Mugharbil’s pecking order, and we still believe Florida is the main competition (perhaps leader) there, but if our understanding on UNC’s offensive line recruiting numbers is accurate that would take the Heels out of the Mugharbil race.
Please email hclaussen@jfqlending.com or shoot NC State alum Hunter Claussen a private message (@WolfPackMortgageGuy). You can check out their website JFQLending.com as well.
•••
We will begin with brief basketball recruiting news, and it’s quick and to the point. Tomorrow at noon it is widely expected that three-star guard Breon Pass from Reidsville (N.C.) High will announce a verbal commitment to NC State over Georgia Tech and Providence, among others.
If that follows through, that would leave NC State with one scholarship remaining for the 2021 class (officially). That’s because earlier this week it was revealed that redshirt junior forward A.J. Taylor was in the transfer portal.
Taylor will go down as a small footnote in NC State basketball history, having played in just one game and only three minutes at that. Originally there was a thought that NC State would try to apply for a medical redshirt for Taylor. However, on the roster Taylor was listed as a redshirt junior, so that obviously did not become a reality.
The simple truth with Taylor: it was not a great match and hence the move. This was something that was widely anticipated to likely happen at the end of last season, and frankly some sources were shocked when Taylor was back in the fall. Coming out of junior college, Taylor likely would have signed with head coach Buzz Williams had he not left Virginia Tech for Texas A&M.
We had some say that Taylor would have worked out better for Williams and his system than at NC State. However, when Williams left for A&M, that prevented Taylor from playing for him because the SEC has a rule against taking junior college transfers in basketball. NC State head coach Kevin Keatts and Williams have a strong friendship, we understand, so it will be interesting to see if that is a landing spot for Taylor or not.
The anticipation is that NC State will continue to target a big man for the final scholarship. We noted in our Aug. 28 War Room how Keatts seemed to want to have four post players on scholarship, if possible. Obviously four-star Roosevelt Wheeler from Richmond (Va.) John Marshall High is the headline target among post players for NC State. Wheeler (6-foot-10, 230 pounds) is ranked as the No. 42 prospect nationally in the 2021 class by Rivals.com.
Around the time we were told about that preference for a big man in the 2021 class, a source indicated to us that 7-footer Jonas Aidoo was getting too good to ignore over the summer. Thus it is not surprising that the Wolfpack gave him an offer this past week.
Aidoo’s original intent was to wait through the winter before diving into his decision. We will see if the NC State offer changes his mind.
•••
A quick tidbit in football recruiting, there was a lot of chatter this week about three-star defensive tackle Marquise Brunson from Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach, Va., potentially nearing a commitment to NC State. Brunson clearly had NC State at the top of his list after he made a visit to Raleigh on his own.
The Wolfpack did not appear to press for a commitment at the time and there was always a private thought that perhaps Brunson was not the highest on its board at DT. That moment of truth may have happened this week, and thus for now Brunson is likely headed elsewhere. It is not uncommon for colleges and recruits to circle back around to each other, for what it’s worth.
The Pack may be waiting it out on three-star Devin Lee from OLA in McDonough, Ga., but Lee is thought to be favoring SEC options Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. There is also junior college transfer Rasheed Lyles.
Landing a player who could potentially play the nose tackle is going to be important. The way that junior Alim McNeill played this past Saturday is a strong starting point in a year that could catapult McNeill onto NFL Draft boards.
Redshirt freshman C.J. Clark appears to have a promising future, but it is noteworthy that Clark’s classmate Joshua Harris, a more true nose tackle, did not receive a snap in the opener.
•••
Three-star safety (potentially linebacker) Chase Hattley from Panther Creek High in Cary, N.C., announced a top three this week of Oklahoma, NC State and South Carolina, but we are operating under the strong presumption that this is a Wolfpack-Gamecocks battle. We also would not be surprised if Hattley is nearing a decision.
Another decision that is definitely coming soon is three-star offensive tackle Diego Pounds from Raleigh Millbrook. Rumors were that Pounds had already recorded a commitment video to Penn State back in August, and on Sunday he affirmed his follow through on those intentions. But it appears that Mack Brown and UNC has worked its magic again. Rumors came out late Thursday night that Pounds will now be announcing for the Tar Heels instead.
While that may sting for NC State fans, it could have an indirect positive side effect. UNC had been pursuing harder on three-star Yousef Mugharbil from Murphy (N.C.) High in recent weeks (along with Pounds) after it lost a commitment from Jared Wilson of West Forsyth High in Clemmons, N.C. We don’t think UNC had passed NC State on Mugharbil’s pecking order, and we still believe Florida is the main competition (perhaps leader) there, but if our understanding on UNC’s offensive line recruiting numbers is accurate that would take the Heels out of the Mugharbil race.
