It is not a mirage that NC State is aggressively recruiting the state of Virginia in the 2016 class. At least 10 high-profile targets have already emerged from the Commonwealth state, a number that includes one of NC State's six early verbal commitments in safety Tim Glass, a native of Danville playing at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg.
Glass is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and the No. 20 player in the top 40 updated by the recruiting service this past week. Eight of the other nine we have already identified as prospects to watch for next year are also ranked on that list.
Glass chose NC State primarily over an offer from Virginia, and there lies one of the examples of why the Pack is making a significant push into Virginia, something that was driven home to us in talks with multiple sources last week about why NCSU was making this concerted effort.
It is no secret that Virginia head coach Mike London enters this fall under pressure. He did so last season after a 2-10 campaign in 2013. Despite finishing 1-5 over the final six contests of the 2014 season and not making a bowl game, Virginia surprised observers by bringing London back for another season.
However, a fourth-straight losing season would be almost impossible for London to overcome, and expectations are not exactly high in Charlottesville.
Virginia though is not the only program with an uncertain future. No one seriously discusses Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and the hot seat. Beamer is an institution in Blacksburg. That's a luxury you have when you had eight consecutive 10-win seasons and six BCS bowl appearances.
But in the past three seasons Virginia Tech has gone just 22-17, a noticeable drop-off from the Beamer glory days. They needed a come-from-behind 24-20 win at home over Virginia to qualify for a bowl last year.
Beamer will be turning 69 this fall and cannot coach forever, and if Virginia Tech continues to struggle to reach bowl games, pressure may grow for the Hokies to begin a transition.
Another reason for the push? One of the biggest hotbeds of talent in the state of Virginia is the Tidewater region. By sheer coincidence, NC State is playing a game in Norfolk this fall when they travel to Old Dominion on Sept. 19. It is an opportunity for Wolfpack coaches to be on the road in that region the night before, but also for local prospects to learn more about NC State.
This past junior day was a chance for those players to learn just how close NC State is to their region. The drive NCSU will take to play Old Dominion is right around three hours, not much longer than the 2.5 hours it takes to go from there to Virginia and much shorter than the almost five-hour trip to Virginia Tech.
Previous staffs have made attempts to drive this point home in the region but failed to gain traction. Dave Doeren and company though have been more successful in selling NC State than others and are a better bet to get this point driven home.
It helps that two members of the NC State staff have deep roots in the state of Virginia. The more obvious connection is cornerbacks coach George Barlow. He coached from 1999-08 at James Madison, and during that decade undoubtedly grew familiar with many of the ins and outs in the commonwealth.
The other is probably less familiar to many NC State fans. Ulrick Edmonds is NC State's Quality Control Director. Edmonds' responsibility at NCSU is to comb over game film and help get a head start on scouting reports in advance of game week so that the coaches and graduate assistants can hit the ground running and spend less time looking back at their opponents.
Edmonds though has a background in coaching. Prior to arriving at NCSU, where his wife Lindsey (her birthday is today) is an assistant women's basketball coach, Edmonds was an assistant coach at James Madison from 2004-13 and spent time as their recruiting coordinator. Edmonds then left to spend a year as linebackers coach at Old Dominion. It's worth noting that Edmonds himself is a Virginia-native.
It's a perfect storm for NC State. They have strong connections to the high school football scene in Virginia on their staff, there are uncertain futures at the two flagship football programs in the state and NCSU even has two games on their schedule this fall in the state (State also plays at Virginia Tech on Oct. 9). Their exposure and opportunity to Virginia recruits may never be better.
***
NC State has focused immensely the past two years on recruiting its home state, and that will continue this fall. One player to watch is three-star tight end Garrett Walston from New Hanover High in Wilmington, N.C.
Word is Walston will be back at NC State for a visit this weekend, which would be significant if true. NC State would love nothing more than to get an early commitment from Walston, who made his debut in the Rivals.com rankings as the No. 23 tight end in the country in the 2016 class.
Although the rumors are that Walston, thanks to some family influences, grew up a bit of a UNC fan, we have heard from multiple sources that he is close to former NC State tight end George Bryan and current NCSU defensive end Coult Culler, a redshirt freshman, and that the Pack has emerged as perhaps the early leader. One source even hinted to us that Virginia Tech and not UNC could be a bigger threat to Walston. NCSU running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Des Kitchings is recruiting Walston for the Wolfpack.
***
We can confirm that several top targets were at last Saturday's basketball game against Virginia Tech. Three of note because they were also at NC State's junior day Jan. 31 were four-star running back Jordon Brown of Durham (N.C.) Southern High and Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford three-star defensive backs Mark Gilbert, a cornerback, and Isaiah Stallings, a safety.
Early rumblings on Brown is that this could be a UNC-NC State battle. He's made repeated visits to both schools, and we understand he will be back in Chapel Hill on March 7, when the Heels have their big junior day in conjunction with their rivalry showdown with Duke.
We have heard that NC State "loves" Gilbert and that he is one of the top choices to compiement highly-regarded three-star James Valdez from Orangeburg (S.C.) Wilkinson High in NC State's cornerback class. Gilbert has a ton of family connections to Pittsburgh that cannot be disregarded, but we have actually heard that Duke is a strong early player there.
Stallings has said he was favoring Clemson, but we are not sure how hard the Tigers are pursuing him. His other two favorite offers are NCSU and UNC. He would like to play with Gilbert in college, but neither CU or Carolina have offered Gilbert, yet. UNC may be close though on Gilbert.
***
The weather has wrecked havoc with both the NCISAA (private schools) and NCHSAA (public) playoffs this past two weeks, which in turn has made it a little harder for NC State coaches to see certain players.
For NC State coaches, the entire playoffs count as one evaluation, but then the days for each trip do count. For instance, if the Wolfpack have enough days, they could go see every single game for senior small forward Brandon Ingram of Kinston (N.C.) High, as long as schedules align smoothly.
This weekend, it hasn't been a smooth alignment. Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity junior point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is playing against Burlington (N.C.) School at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Asheville Christian. The winner plays for the 1A title at 8 p.m. Saturday night. Ingram also opens the playoffs tonight. NC State is playing at Boston College at Noon on Saturday, so that is an example of schedules not falling into place.
Concord Robinson sophomore point guard Lavar Batts plays tonight at Alexander Central High, and Fayetteville (N.C.) E.E. Smith sophomore wing Jatrious Smith won his opening playoff game against Lumberton on Thursday, and will play the winner of Apex (N.C.) Middle Creek at Winterville (N.C.) South Central on Monday.
If NC State doesn't get the chance to see certain underclassmen in the playoffs, the next time would be in traveling team action in mid-April.
***
Speaking of Dennis Smith Jr. and traveling team basketball, one connected source didn't think he would play with the John Wall-sponsored adidas team. Team Loaded will likely have his father as coach like last year, and they are the odds-on favorite.
The dream for John Wall of the Washington Wizards — by way of Raleigh Word of God and Kentucky — was to put together Smith, junior center Edrice Adebayo of Pinetown (N.C.) Northside, junior power forward Harry Giles of High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan, and sophomore wing Jatrious Smith.
Jatrious Smith and Raleigh Word of God junior point guard Jalen Harris have committed to playing with John Wall. Giles is the face of the CP3 program, and Adebayo played with Boo Williams last year and has been wooed by Team Loaded.
There are so many shoe-sponsored teams based in North Carolina at the moment. Adidas has Garner Road, John Wall and Team Loaded (if they continue to get players from the state), while Nike has Team United and Chris Paul All-Stars, and Under Armour features Team Charlotte and Team Felton, with the latter having players from North Carolina and South Carolina.
Independent program Karolina Diamonds has also carved out a nice niche, but adidas-sponsored Stackhouse Elite will likely fade away or come to an end.
***
The upcoming college decision of Ingram won't likely impact NC State's approach to wings in the class of 2016.
Ingram and Jackson (Miss.) Callaway combo guard Malik Newman are the best bets in getting a top 75 signee this spring. Newman won't likely affect NCSU's class of 2016 recruiting since he's expected to be a one-and-done. We've mentioned in the past that the Syracuse at NC State home game March 7 will be pivotal in recruiting, so it will be interesting if any "sleepers" end up getting invited from the class of 2015.
For recruits also looking at North Carolina, there is a two games in one day option with Duke at North Carolina scheduled for 9 p.m. March 7.
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons star junior wing Maverick Rowan, who will also be part of the adidas circuit this spring/summer, is drawing a crowd at his 5A tournament. He had 34 points and nine rebounds today in a 73-38 win over St. Petersburg (Fla.) Gibbs High. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino was there, and assistant coaches from North Carolina and Wisconsin.
The Pennsylvania transplant is ranked No. 44 overall in the class of 2016 by Rivals.com. Physically, the 6-foot-5, 180-pounder might resemble former NC State star Scott Wood, but he's more in line with former Virginia player Joe Harris. Wood is a once every 10 years kind of jump shooter.
Rowan attended the Duke at NC State game with his father, Ron Rowan, who played at Notre Dame and then St. John's in the mid-1980s. Basketball analysts often times talk about players being a good fit for certain systems, and Rowan would fit that to a T in NC State's offense. He isn't a ball-screen dependent perimeter player, though NC State has recently turned to that build around the current players.
Madison (Ala.) Academy junior wing Josh Langford is another player that fits what NC State would ideally like to do. Langford has revived his reputation after missing most of last spring and summer due to injuries.
The 6-6, 200-pounder has offers from NC State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Indiana, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Providence, Tennessee, UAB and Vanderbilt. He unofficially visited Duke and NC State last year after Christmas.
Rivals.com ranks Langford No. 20 in the class of 2016, but that was after not getting to see him for quite some time due to injuries. His junior year has cemented a top 30 rankings, whenever they get re-done, and he has a chance to climb. Like Rowan, he shoots the deep ball pretty effortlessly and he's more than athletic enough. There was some talk when he was younger about being a point guard in college, but he's a shooting guard all the way, and has become slick with his ballhandling approach to get open jumpers.
Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI junior wing V.J. King (No. 17), Huntington (W.Va.) Prep junior small forward Miles Bridges (No. 19) and junior shooting guard Rawle Alkins (No. 27), are other top 50 prospects that NC State has offered and pursued this winter.
Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic junior wing Markelle Fultz isn't currently ranked, but he will be in the future, and he has an NCSU offer.
This post was edited on 2/27 4:52 PM by VanillaTice
Glass is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and the No. 20 player in the top 40 updated by the recruiting service this past week. Eight of the other nine we have already identified as prospects to watch for next year are also ranked on that list.
Glass chose NC State primarily over an offer from Virginia, and there lies one of the examples of why the Pack is making a significant push into Virginia, something that was driven home to us in talks with multiple sources last week about why NCSU was making this concerted effort.
It is no secret that Virginia head coach Mike London enters this fall under pressure. He did so last season after a 2-10 campaign in 2013. Despite finishing 1-5 over the final six contests of the 2014 season and not making a bowl game, Virginia surprised observers by bringing London back for another season.
However, a fourth-straight losing season would be almost impossible for London to overcome, and expectations are not exactly high in Charlottesville.
Virginia though is not the only program with an uncertain future. No one seriously discusses Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and the hot seat. Beamer is an institution in Blacksburg. That's a luxury you have when you had eight consecutive 10-win seasons and six BCS bowl appearances.
But in the past three seasons Virginia Tech has gone just 22-17, a noticeable drop-off from the Beamer glory days. They needed a come-from-behind 24-20 win at home over Virginia to qualify for a bowl last year.
Beamer will be turning 69 this fall and cannot coach forever, and if Virginia Tech continues to struggle to reach bowl games, pressure may grow for the Hokies to begin a transition.
Another reason for the push? One of the biggest hotbeds of talent in the state of Virginia is the Tidewater region. By sheer coincidence, NC State is playing a game in Norfolk this fall when they travel to Old Dominion on Sept. 19. It is an opportunity for Wolfpack coaches to be on the road in that region the night before, but also for local prospects to learn more about NC State.
This past junior day was a chance for those players to learn just how close NC State is to their region. The drive NCSU will take to play Old Dominion is right around three hours, not much longer than the 2.5 hours it takes to go from there to Virginia and much shorter than the almost five-hour trip to Virginia Tech.
Previous staffs have made attempts to drive this point home in the region but failed to gain traction. Dave Doeren and company though have been more successful in selling NC State than others and are a better bet to get this point driven home.
It helps that two members of the NC State staff have deep roots in the state of Virginia. The more obvious connection is cornerbacks coach George Barlow. He coached from 1999-08 at James Madison, and during that decade undoubtedly grew familiar with many of the ins and outs in the commonwealth.
The other is probably less familiar to many NC State fans. Ulrick Edmonds is NC State's Quality Control Director. Edmonds' responsibility at NCSU is to comb over game film and help get a head start on scouting reports in advance of game week so that the coaches and graduate assistants can hit the ground running and spend less time looking back at their opponents.
Edmonds though has a background in coaching. Prior to arriving at NCSU, where his wife Lindsey (her birthday is today) is an assistant women's basketball coach, Edmonds was an assistant coach at James Madison from 2004-13 and spent time as their recruiting coordinator. Edmonds then left to spend a year as linebackers coach at Old Dominion. It's worth noting that Edmonds himself is a Virginia-native.
It's a perfect storm for NC State. They have strong connections to the high school football scene in Virginia on their staff, there are uncertain futures at the two flagship football programs in the state and NCSU even has two games on their schedule this fall in the state (State also plays at Virginia Tech on Oct. 9). Their exposure and opportunity to Virginia recruits may never be better.
***
NC State has focused immensely the past two years on recruiting its home state, and that will continue this fall. One player to watch is three-star tight end Garrett Walston from New Hanover High in Wilmington, N.C.
Word is Walston will be back at NC State for a visit this weekend, which would be significant if true. NC State would love nothing more than to get an early commitment from Walston, who made his debut in the Rivals.com rankings as the No. 23 tight end in the country in the 2016 class.
Although the rumors are that Walston, thanks to some family influences, grew up a bit of a UNC fan, we have heard from multiple sources that he is close to former NC State tight end George Bryan and current NCSU defensive end Coult Culler, a redshirt freshman, and that the Pack has emerged as perhaps the early leader. One source even hinted to us that Virginia Tech and not UNC could be a bigger threat to Walston. NCSU running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Des Kitchings is recruiting Walston for the Wolfpack.
***
We can confirm that several top targets were at last Saturday's basketball game against Virginia Tech. Three of note because they were also at NC State's junior day Jan. 31 were four-star running back Jordon Brown of Durham (N.C.) Southern High and Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford three-star defensive backs Mark Gilbert, a cornerback, and Isaiah Stallings, a safety.
Early rumblings on Brown is that this could be a UNC-NC State battle. He's made repeated visits to both schools, and we understand he will be back in Chapel Hill on March 7, when the Heels have their big junior day in conjunction with their rivalry showdown with Duke.
We have heard that NC State "loves" Gilbert and that he is one of the top choices to compiement highly-regarded three-star James Valdez from Orangeburg (S.C.) Wilkinson High in NC State's cornerback class. Gilbert has a ton of family connections to Pittsburgh that cannot be disregarded, but we have actually heard that Duke is a strong early player there.
Stallings has said he was favoring Clemson, but we are not sure how hard the Tigers are pursuing him. His other two favorite offers are NCSU and UNC. He would like to play with Gilbert in college, but neither CU or Carolina have offered Gilbert, yet. UNC may be close though on Gilbert.
***
The weather has wrecked havoc with both the NCISAA (private schools) and NCHSAA (public) playoffs this past two weeks, which in turn has made it a little harder for NC State coaches to see certain players.
For NC State coaches, the entire playoffs count as one evaluation, but then the days for each trip do count. For instance, if the Wolfpack have enough days, they could go see every single game for senior small forward Brandon Ingram of Kinston (N.C.) High, as long as schedules align smoothly.
This weekend, it hasn't been a smooth alignment. Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity junior point guard Dennis Smith Jr. is playing against Burlington (N.C.) School at 8:30 p.m. tonight at Asheville Christian. The winner plays for the 1A title at 8 p.m. Saturday night. Ingram also opens the playoffs tonight. NC State is playing at Boston College at Noon on Saturday, so that is an example of schedules not falling into place.
Concord Robinson sophomore point guard Lavar Batts plays tonight at Alexander Central High, and Fayetteville (N.C.) E.E. Smith sophomore wing Jatrious Smith won his opening playoff game against Lumberton on Thursday, and will play the winner of Apex (N.C.) Middle Creek at Winterville (N.C.) South Central on Monday.
If NC State doesn't get the chance to see certain underclassmen in the playoffs, the next time would be in traveling team action in mid-April.
***
Speaking of Dennis Smith Jr. and traveling team basketball, one connected source didn't think he would play with the John Wall-sponsored adidas team. Team Loaded will likely have his father as coach like last year, and they are the odds-on favorite.
The dream for John Wall of the Washington Wizards — by way of Raleigh Word of God and Kentucky — was to put together Smith, junior center Edrice Adebayo of Pinetown (N.C.) Northside, junior power forward Harry Giles of High Point (N.C.) Wesleyan, and sophomore wing Jatrious Smith.
Jatrious Smith and Raleigh Word of God junior point guard Jalen Harris have committed to playing with John Wall. Giles is the face of the CP3 program, and Adebayo played with Boo Williams last year and has been wooed by Team Loaded.
There are so many shoe-sponsored teams based in North Carolina at the moment. Adidas has Garner Road, John Wall and Team Loaded (if they continue to get players from the state), while Nike has Team United and Chris Paul All-Stars, and Under Armour features Team Charlotte and Team Felton, with the latter having players from North Carolina and South Carolina.
Independent program Karolina Diamonds has also carved out a nice niche, but adidas-sponsored Stackhouse Elite will likely fade away or come to an end.
***
The upcoming college decision of Ingram won't likely impact NC State's approach to wings in the class of 2016.
Ingram and Jackson (Miss.) Callaway combo guard Malik Newman are the best bets in getting a top 75 signee this spring. Newman won't likely affect NCSU's class of 2016 recruiting since he's expected to be a one-and-done. We've mentioned in the past that the Syracuse at NC State home game March 7 will be pivotal in recruiting, so it will be interesting if any "sleepers" end up getting invited from the class of 2015.
For recruits also looking at North Carolina, there is a two games in one day option with Duke at North Carolina scheduled for 9 p.m. March 7.
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons star junior wing Maverick Rowan, who will also be part of the adidas circuit this spring/summer, is drawing a crowd at his 5A tournament. He had 34 points and nine rebounds today in a 73-38 win over St. Petersburg (Fla.) Gibbs High. Louisville head coach Rick Pitino was there, and assistant coaches from North Carolina and Wisconsin.
The Pennsylvania transplant is ranked No. 44 overall in the class of 2016 by Rivals.com. Physically, the 6-foot-5, 180-pounder might resemble former NC State star Scott Wood, but he's more in line with former Virginia player Joe Harris. Wood is a once every 10 years kind of jump shooter.
Rowan attended the Duke at NC State game with his father, Ron Rowan, who played at Notre Dame and then St. John's in the mid-1980s. Basketball analysts often times talk about players being a good fit for certain systems, and Rowan would fit that to a T in NC State's offense. He isn't a ball-screen dependent perimeter player, though NC State has recently turned to that build around the current players.
Madison (Ala.) Academy junior wing Josh Langford is another player that fits what NC State would ideally like to do. Langford has revived his reputation after missing most of last spring and summer due to injuries.
The 6-6, 200-pounder has offers from NC State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Indiana, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Providence, Tennessee, UAB and Vanderbilt. He unofficially visited Duke and NC State last year after Christmas.
Rivals.com ranks Langford No. 20 in the class of 2016, but that was after not getting to see him for quite some time due to injuries. His junior year has cemented a top 30 rankings, whenever they get re-done, and he has a chance to climb. Like Rowan, he shoots the deep ball pretty effortlessly and he's more than athletic enough. There was some talk when he was younger about being a point guard in college, but he's a shooting guard all the way, and has become slick with his ballhandling approach to get open jumpers.
Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI junior wing V.J. King (No. 17), Huntington (W.Va.) Prep junior small forward Miles Bridges (No. 19) and junior shooting guard Rawle Alkins (No. 27), are other top 50 prospects that NC State has offered and pursued this winter.
Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic junior wing Markelle Fultz isn't currently ranked, but he will be in the future, and he has an NCSU offer.
This post was edited on 2/27 4:52 PM by VanillaTice
