Friday evening at Randleman (N.C.) High will be the Shrine Bowl invite-only workout that will feature many of the best prospects from the state of North Carolina one field. Naturally, The Wolfpacker will be there to cover the event in full force.
Interestingly, on the roster of expected participants was one Dexter Lawrence, the five-star defensive tackle from Wake Forest (N.C.) High rated as the top prospect in the country. Lawrence had previously told reporters at the Nike Opening last week that he would be visiting Alabama this Friday.
We’ll find out for sure what Lawrence’s plans are tonight, but it is worth noting that the expected roster for the Shrine Bowl invite-only included four-star tight end Thad Moss, the son of former NFL standout receiver Randy Moss. The younger Moss recently transferred to Mallard Creek High in Charlotte, thus making him eligible for the Shrine Bowl this winter.
However, Mallard Creek is also participating in a marquee seven-on-seven tournament at Hoover (Ala.) High this weekend, and Moss is with the team for that event, making him highly unlikely to be at Randleman Friday night.
So the expected roster may not match up with what shows up for the Shrine Bowl coaches. Another interesting side-story to watch from an attendance standpoint is Greenville Rose High’s Cornell Powell, a four-star receiver committed to Clemson.
Powell, who we have in the weekly Wolfpacker Top 25 list, was listed as not expected due to going to Clemson’s big cookout event Friday night. However, Paul Strelow of Tiger Illustrated had previously reported that Powell was not expected to in Clemson due to the Shrine Bowl-invite event.
As for NC State, all five of their in-state commitments have been invited and are expected to attend: quarterback Dylan Parham from Southeast Raleigh High, tight end Bryce Dixon from Cary Green Hope High (listed as a receiver), linebacker Garrett Hooker from Thomasville Ledford High and interior offensive linemen Joe Sculthorpe from Hampstead Topsail High and Harrison Gee from Burlington Williams High.
Among the uncommitted players in addition to Lawrence that are still on the watch list for the Pack include receivers Myles Dorn from Charlotte Vance High and Divine Deablo from Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor High and safety Isaiah Stallings from Fayetteville Terry Sanford High. State is also long shots but still trying with offensive lineman Landon Dickerson from Hickory South Caldwell High andlinebacker Jonathan Smith from Laurinburg Scotland High.
Another name on the list expected at Randleman High that may not be high on the Pack fans’ radar at this point but is a sleeper to watch is receiver Tahj Deans from Bailey’s Southern Nash High.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Deans caught 21 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns as a junior at Southern Nash, the same high school that is most famous for producing Julius Peppers but also where current Pack redshirt junior receiver Josh Sessoms played.
NC State has not offered Deans as they still have quite a few receivers available on their board that is first-come, first-serve for two spots. However, we are told that receivers coach George McDonald likes Deans and thus he has not been ruled out yet.
Deans verbally committed to East Carolina in May despite reported offers from Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, but a source we talked to this week that is close to Deans and is familiar with ECU told us that the Pirates’ coaches are quite concerned that Deans could get swiped away from them at some point in the fall.
We have been sharing some thoughts from the assistant coaches about newcomers at their respective positions, and we continue this week with tight ends/fullbacks coach and special teams coordinator Eddie Faulkner discussing the lone new face on the field this fall for him: redshirt freshman tight end Micah Till.
“Micah Till just has to continue to grow. He has a high upside, but he’s got to continue to get better. When you have competition in our room like we got, he’s got to be really good and kind of break into that mix. He knows that, but he’s going to help us eventually whenever that is.
“Benson [Browne] is going to graduate, some of those guys are older than him, and when he does develop he’ll be ready to go because there is also no rush in having to get him out there. I like Micah, I like his skill set. He has unbelievable hands. There are details that he has to understand that are the difference between winning and losing games. He knows that and is working to get better at it.”
There are some big happenings to get fans juiced for the upcoming football season. Next Monday-Tuesday will be ACC Kickoff, this year being held in Pinehurst, N.C. On Wednesday, the annual Triangle Pigskin Preview will be hosted by WRAL’s Jeff Gravley, taking the place of the late Don Shea.
That Wednesday evening, the Wolfpack team will hold its annual Lift for Life campaign. The action really gets started when practices begin, which we understand are tentatively scheduled to start Aug. 4.
Interestingly, on the roster of expected participants was one Dexter Lawrence, the five-star defensive tackle from Wake Forest (N.C.) High rated as the top prospect in the country. Lawrence had previously told reporters at the Nike Opening last week that he would be visiting Alabama this Friday.
We’ll find out for sure what Lawrence’s plans are tonight, but it is worth noting that the expected roster for the Shrine Bowl invite-only included four-star tight end Thad Moss, the son of former NFL standout receiver Randy Moss. The younger Moss recently transferred to Mallard Creek High in Charlotte, thus making him eligible for the Shrine Bowl this winter.
However, Mallard Creek is also participating in a marquee seven-on-seven tournament at Hoover (Ala.) High this weekend, and Moss is with the team for that event, making him highly unlikely to be at Randleman Friday night.
So the expected roster may not match up with what shows up for the Shrine Bowl coaches. Another interesting side-story to watch from an attendance standpoint is Greenville Rose High’s Cornell Powell, a four-star receiver committed to Clemson.
Powell, who we have in the weekly Wolfpacker Top 25 list, was listed as not expected due to going to Clemson’s big cookout event Friday night. However, Paul Strelow of Tiger Illustrated had previously reported that Powell was not expected to in Clemson due to the Shrine Bowl-invite event.
As for NC State, all five of their in-state commitments have been invited and are expected to attend: quarterback Dylan Parham from Southeast Raleigh High, tight end Bryce Dixon from Cary Green Hope High (listed as a receiver), linebacker Garrett Hooker from Thomasville Ledford High and interior offensive linemen Joe Sculthorpe from Hampstead Topsail High and Harrison Gee from Burlington Williams High.
Among the uncommitted players in addition to Lawrence that are still on the watch list for the Pack include receivers Myles Dorn from Charlotte Vance High and Divine Deablo from Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor High and safety Isaiah Stallings from Fayetteville Terry Sanford High. State is also long shots but still trying with offensive lineman Landon Dickerson from Hickory South Caldwell High andlinebacker Jonathan Smith from Laurinburg Scotland High.
***
Another name on the list expected at Randleman High that may not be high on the Pack fans’ radar at this point but is a sleeper to watch is receiver Tahj Deans from Bailey’s Southern Nash High.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Deans caught 21 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns as a junior at Southern Nash, the same high school that is most famous for producing Julius Peppers but also where current Pack redshirt junior receiver Josh Sessoms played.
NC State has not offered Deans as they still have quite a few receivers available on their board that is first-come, first-serve for two spots. However, we are told that receivers coach George McDonald likes Deans and thus he has not been ruled out yet.
Deans verbally committed to East Carolina in May despite reported offers from Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, but a source we talked to this week that is close to Deans and is familiar with ECU told us that the Pirates’ coaches are quite concerned that Deans could get swiped away from them at some point in the fall.
***
We have been sharing some thoughts from the assistant coaches about newcomers at their respective positions, and we continue this week with tight ends/fullbacks coach and special teams coordinator Eddie Faulkner discussing the lone new face on the field this fall for him: redshirt freshman tight end Micah Till.
“Micah Till just has to continue to grow. He has a high upside, but he’s got to continue to get better. When you have competition in our room like we got, he’s got to be really good and kind of break into that mix. He knows that, but he’s going to help us eventually whenever that is.
“Benson [Browne] is going to graduate, some of those guys are older than him, and when he does develop he’ll be ready to go because there is also no rush in having to get him out there. I like Micah, I like his skill set. He has unbelievable hands. There are details that he has to understand that are the difference between winning and losing games. He knows that and is working to get better at it.”
***
There are some big happenings to get fans juiced for the upcoming football season. Next Monday-Tuesday will be ACC Kickoff, this year being held in Pinehurst, N.C. On Wednesday, the annual Triangle Pigskin Preview will be hosted by WRAL’s Jeff Gravley, taking the place of the late Don Shea.
That Wednesday evening, the Wolfpack team will hold its annual Lift for Life campaign. The action really gets started when practices begin, which we understand are tentatively scheduled to start Aug. 4.
