In case you have not caught our hints throughout the week, we do anticipate that defensive lineman Pheldarius Payne from Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., will commit to NC State on Friday night at the Alpha Wolf Showcase. Payne will have three years to play two if and when he arrives at NC State.
(Caveat: we’ve been wrong before in anticipating commitments.)
Three-star defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis from Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Benjamin School was listed as an expected visitor on Thursday morning at the Alpha Wolf Showcase, but we will see if he does actually make it up Friday. We sense that is not a definite. If he does though it would be a very promising sign for the Wolfpack.
After that, we anticipate there could be a lull in recruiting. Traditionally, recruiting dies down pretty quickly in August and then comes to a crawl during the season as both college coaches and high school players get down to the real business of playing actual football.
A lot of attention has rightly been focused on the class of 2021 in-state, since it is loaded. NC State will also, as we have detailed previously, have a few more scholarships to work with next year which should allow the Pack to be more aggressive than it was in the 2020 class.
It is probably way too early to be doing this, but here is how we would tier the players that NC State has offered:
Tier 1 — Players that NC State is in a relatively good early position:
• Four-star running back Will Shipley from Weddington High in Matthews
• Four-star receiver Micah Crowell from East Forsyth High in Kernersville
• Three-star receiver Jacob Gill from Cardinal Gibbons High in Raleigh
• Four-star defensive end Jahvaree Ritzie from Glenn High in Kernersville
• Three-star defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver from Rocky Mount High
• Linebacker Jordan Poole from West Stanly High in Oakboro
• Three-star corner Mario Love Jr. from Hough High in Cornelius
• Three-star athlete Breon Pass from Reidsville High
• Kicker Eddie Czaplicki from Providence High in Charlotte
We are careful to point out that this does not mean that NC State leads. Our definition of good early position is that NC State at the moment seems squarely in the conversation of leaders. Outside of the kicker, our guess is that NC State is in best shape with Silver and Gill.
Tier II — Players that NC State is in the mix but too early to say how well:
• Four-star running back Evan Pryor from Hough High in Cornelius
• Four-star corner Gabriel Stephens from Mountain Island Charter in Mt. Holly
• Three-star offensive tackle Andrew Canelas from Leesville Road High in Raleigh
• Three-star offensive tackle Colby Smith from Rockingham County High in Wentworth
• Three-star defensive end Zaire Patterson from Winston-Salem Prep
• Three-star defensive lineman Travali Price from North Lincoln High in Lincolnton
• Three-star linebacker Dameon Wilson from Kings Mountain High
• Three-star corner Tymir Brown from Jacksonville High
• Four-star athlete Kaemen Marley from Eastern Randolph High in Ramseur
• Three-star athlete Kamarro Edmonds from Havelock High
Of this group, several are close to Tier I. Almost all of these players have taken at least one visit to NC State, and several have made multiple trips.
Tier III – Players that not enough is known about:
• Three-star offensive tackle Michael Gonzalez from Sun Valley High in Monroe
• Three-star offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil from Murphy High
• Three-star offensive lineman Jared Wilson from West Forsyth High in Clemmons
Tier IV – Players we suspect will be longer shots for NC State:
• Four-star receiver Gavin Blackwell from Sun Valley High in Monroe
• Three-star receiver Kobe Paysour from Kings Mountain High
• Three-star linebacker Jack Hollifield from Shelby High
• Three-star linebacker Power Echols from Vance High in Charlotte
• Four-star athlete DeAndre Boykins from Central Cabarrus High in Concord
In Tier IV, it should be noted that both Boykins (South Carolina) and Hollifield (Virginia Tech) have older brothers at other schools.
We continue with our series of assistant coaches breaking down the newcomers (freshmen, redshirt freshmen and transfers) with receivers coach George McDonald.
On redshirt freshman Devin Carter:
“I am really excited about him. I thought he had flashes last year. He is coming off a redshirt year, which I think really helped him. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster. I think he has a chance to be a really good player. This year I am just looking for him to come and contribute some positive plays for us and continue to help us move the chains.”
On his frame:
“He walks in the door, he looks the part.”
On grad transfer Tabari Hines:
“He’s a good player to have. I think he gives you the elder statesmen if there is one because he’s been through it. He went to Oregon and had some adversity. Now he’s back here so he appreciates everything.
“Really excited to see what he can bring to the table. Obviously when he was at Wake he had a lot of yards after the catch, he had some special teams opportunities and stuff like that. We are really excited about him being able to help us.”
On Hines learning the playbook:
“He’s smart. He’s been in three offenses now. I think the biggest thing is when you talk to him he’s very cerebral. He understands pass concepts. He has an ability to translate things into how he knows it. I’ve been very impressed with him the course of this summer. I’m excited to see what he does once he gets the pads on.”
On freshman early enrollee Keyon Lesane:
“I think he has a chance to be a really good player for us, I’m excited. Any time you get a chance with a freshman of his ability in the springtime, it allows him to overcome some of the challenges that some of the regular guys have when they come in the summer.
“He’s learning the offense. I think he has a better grasp of it, but in the spring when he knew what he was doing and the ball was in his hand he had the ability to be a difference maker — similar to what we had with Nyheim [Hines] and those guys — that he could make the first defender miss and get those yards after the catch. I’m really excited to see what he can do for us once training camp starts.”
Slot vs. outside for Lesane;“With the guys we got right now, for his development probably just start out in slot and maybe grows as he learns the whole offense. With him in the slot with Tabari and Thayer [Thomas], it gives us a lot of weapons where we can continue to manage the middle of the field and let the other guys on the perimeter do their damage. Pretty excited about that.”
On redshirt freshman Jasiah Provillon:
“He was with Devin. He redshirted. I think he’s really talented. I think both of those guys are going to be able to give us some quality plays this year. He has a knack for getting yards after the catch — he’s tough, catches the ball well. Excited to see where they take their game.”
On freshman and early enrollee Chris Toudle
“He’s done a good job. He’s a midyear enrollee. He’s a big-body receiver that has good speed, good hands. He’s still transitioning and learning the offense and the style of play. I think he’s going to be a very good player for us when the time comes.”
Here is quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper on true freshman and early enrollee Ty Evans:
“With a mid-term guy it’s different with a guy that has been in college and all that. It’s such an adjustment, adjusting to college life and adjusting to the daily demands that are not just in the football building but on campus.
“He’s a very emotionally mature young man, so I think he’s adjusted to that pretty well and pretty quickly. He is a physically talented guy that has worked at learning the system. What you see is a guy that doesn’t get enough reps early on so it takes a little bit to maybe process through the system, but he’s a guy that going to be able to understand it, and he can throw the ball.
“I think he started at 184 and now he’s about 200 pounds. It’s been a good transition to the weight room.”
On Zonovan Knight:
“I thought in recruiting him I believe he could be a special talent. I was impressed with just his demeanor. He’s very even-keel, very observant, listening, taking in information, asking questions, and then out on the field his speed and athleticism kind of takes care of itself. He’s a tough kid. One of the things I was more impressed with in spring ball was just his willingness to block.
“For a high school kid it’s two-fold. One, understanding the blocking schemes and pass protections, know who you are supposed to block. The second thing is a willingness to block. That’s my job to coach up who you are supposed to block, but he’s got the willingness to block. That was a pleasant surprise, not that he had the willingness but in his offense that was not something that you saw from him. …
“Look at the high school he comes from, his head coach is very tough and demanding. He’s a tough kid. He played some defense. He’s wired in that fashion to be a blocker.”
On Jordan Houston:
“I’m expecting him to bring us some more juice, an explosive play maker. A guy that can catch the ball, has the ability to break tackles but like Zonovan has the ability to bring the explosive, big plays to us offensively.”
(Caveat: we’ve been wrong before in anticipating commitments.)
Three-star defensive back Joshua Pierre-Louis from Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Benjamin School was listed as an expected visitor on Thursday morning at the Alpha Wolf Showcase, but we will see if he does actually make it up Friday. We sense that is not a definite. If he does though it would be a very promising sign for the Wolfpack.
After that, we anticipate there could be a lull in recruiting. Traditionally, recruiting dies down pretty quickly in August and then comes to a crawl during the season as both college coaches and high school players get down to the real business of playing actual football.
•••
A lot of attention has rightly been focused on the class of 2021 in-state, since it is loaded. NC State will also, as we have detailed previously, have a few more scholarships to work with next year which should allow the Pack to be more aggressive than it was in the 2020 class.
It is probably way too early to be doing this, but here is how we would tier the players that NC State has offered:
Tier 1 — Players that NC State is in a relatively good early position:
• Four-star running back Will Shipley from Weddington High in Matthews
• Four-star receiver Micah Crowell from East Forsyth High in Kernersville
• Three-star receiver Jacob Gill from Cardinal Gibbons High in Raleigh
• Four-star defensive end Jahvaree Ritzie from Glenn High in Kernersville
• Three-star defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver from Rocky Mount High
• Linebacker Jordan Poole from West Stanly High in Oakboro
• Three-star corner Mario Love Jr. from Hough High in Cornelius
• Three-star athlete Breon Pass from Reidsville High
• Kicker Eddie Czaplicki from Providence High in Charlotte
We are careful to point out that this does not mean that NC State leads. Our definition of good early position is that NC State at the moment seems squarely in the conversation of leaders. Outside of the kicker, our guess is that NC State is in best shape with Silver and Gill.
Tier II — Players that NC State is in the mix but too early to say how well:
• Four-star running back Evan Pryor from Hough High in Cornelius
• Four-star corner Gabriel Stephens from Mountain Island Charter in Mt. Holly
• Three-star offensive tackle Andrew Canelas from Leesville Road High in Raleigh
• Three-star offensive tackle Colby Smith from Rockingham County High in Wentworth
• Three-star defensive end Zaire Patterson from Winston-Salem Prep
• Three-star defensive lineman Travali Price from North Lincoln High in Lincolnton
• Three-star linebacker Dameon Wilson from Kings Mountain High
• Three-star corner Tymir Brown from Jacksonville High
• Four-star athlete Kaemen Marley from Eastern Randolph High in Ramseur
• Three-star athlete Kamarro Edmonds from Havelock High
Of this group, several are close to Tier I. Almost all of these players have taken at least one visit to NC State, and several have made multiple trips.
Tier III – Players that not enough is known about:
• Three-star offensive tackle Michael Gonzalez from Sun Valley High in Monroe
• Three-star offensive lineman Yousef Mugharbil from Murphy High
• Three-star offensive lineman Jared Wilson from West Forsyth High in Clemmons
Tier IV – Players we suspect will be longer shots for NC State:
• Four-star receiver Gavin Blackwell from Sun Valley High in Monroe
• Three-star receiver Kobe Paysour from Kings Mountain High
• Three-star linebacker Jack Hollifield from Shelby High
• Three-star linebacker Power Echols from Vance High in Charlotte
• Four-star athlete DeAndre Boykins from Central Cabarrus High in Concord
In Tier IV, it should be noted that both Boykins (South Carolina) and Hollifield (Virginia Tech) have older brothers at other schools.
•••
We continue with our series of assistant coaches breaking down the newcomers (freshmen, redshirt freshmen and transfers) with receivers coach George McDonald.
On redshirt freshman Devin Carter:
“I am really excited about him. I thought he had flashes last year. He is coming off a redshirt year, which I think really helped him. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster. I think he has a chance to be a really good player. This year I am just looking for him to come and contribute some positive plays for us and continue to help us move the chains.”
On his frame:
“He walks in the door, he looks the part.”
On grad transfer Tabari Hines:
“He’s a good player to have. I think he gives you the elder statesmen if there is one because he’s been through it. He went to Oregon and had some adversity. Now he’s back here so he appreciates everything.
“Really excited to see what he can bring to the table. Obviously when he was at Wake he had a lot of yards after the catch, he had some special teams opportunities and stuff like that. We are really excited about him being able to help us.”
On Hines learning the playbook:
“He’s smart. He’s been in three offenses now. I think the biggest thing is when you talk to him he’s very cerebral. He understands pass concepts. He has an ability to translate things into how he knows it. I’ve been very impressed with him the course of this summer. I’m excited to see what he does once he gets the pads on.”
On freshman early enrollee Keyon Lesane:
“I think he has a chance to be a really good player for us, I’m excited. Any time you get a chance with a freshman of his ability in the springtime, it allows him to overcome some of the challenges that some of the regular guys have when they come in the summer.
“He’s learning the offense. I think he has a better grasp of it, but in the spring when he knew what he was doing and the ball was in his hand he had the ability to be a difference maker — similar to what we had with Nyheim [Hines] and those guys — that he could make the first defender miss and get those yards after the catch. I’m really excited to see what he can do for us once training camp starts.”
Slot vs. outside for Lesane;“With the guys we got right now, for his development probably just start out in slot and maybe grows as he learns the whole offense. With him in the slot with Tabari and Thayer [Thomas], it gives us a lot of weapons where we can continue to manage the middle of the field and let the other guys on the perimeter do their damage. Pretty excited about that.”
On redshirt freshman Jasiah Provillon:
“He was with Devin. He redshirted. I think he’s really talented. I think both of those guys are going to be able to give us some quality plays this year. He has a knack for getting yards after the catch — he’s tough, catches the ball well. Excited to see where they take their game.”
On freshman and early enrollee Chris Toudle
“He’s done a good job. He’s a midyear enrollee. He’s a big-body receiver that has good speed, good hands. He’s still transitioning and learning the offense and the style of play. I think he’s going to be a very good player for us when the time comes.”
•••
Here is quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper on true freshman and early enrollee Ty Evans:
“With a mid-term guy it’s different with a guy that has been in college and all that. It’s such an adjustment, adjusting to college life and adjusting to the daily demands that are not just in the football building but on campus.
“He’s a very emotionally mature young man, so I think he’s adjusted to that pretty well and pretty quickly. He is a physically talented guy that has worked at learning the system. What you see is a guy that doesn’t get enough reps early on so it takes a little bit to maybe process through the system, but he’s a guy that going to be able to understand it, and he can throw the ball.
“I think he started at 184 and now he’s about 200 pounds. It’s been a good transition to the weight room.”
•••
Here is running backs coach Des Kitchings on true freshmen Zonovan Knight and Jordan Houston. Note that Kitchings cannot talk about blueshirt Delbert Mimms.
On Zonovan Knight:
“I thought in recruiting him I believe he could be a special talent. I was impressed with just his demeanor. He’s very even-keel, very observant, listening, taking in information, asking questions, and then out on the field his speed and athleticism kind of takes care of itself. He’s a tough kid. One of the things I was more impressed with in spring ball was just his willingness to block.
“For a high school kid it’s two-fold. One, understanding the blocking schemes and pass protections, know who you are supposed to block. The second thing is a willingness to block. That’s my job to coach up who you are supposed to block, but he’s got the willingness to block. That was a pleasant surprise, not that he had the willingness but in his offense that was not something that you saw from him. …
“Look at the high school he comes from, his head coach is very tough and demanding. He’s a tough kid. He played some defense. He’s wired in that fashion to be a blocker.”
On Jordan Houston:
“I’m expecting him to bring us some more juice, an explosive play maker. A guy that can catch the ball, has the ability to break tackles but like Zonovan has the ability to bring the explosive, big plays to us offensively.”
