The vibe we picked up when digging around about the quarterback recruiting situation was that things are not serious with USC grad transfer Jack Sears, at least at this point. We almost have an impression that Sears is trying to garner as many options as possible, which was the primary reason why he was in Raleigh.
There was far more interest in the anticipated visit of four-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin from Denmark High in Alpharetta, Ga. The hope was that a face-to-face meeting with new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Beck would go a long way towards landing McLaughlin. That trip has been postponed because of McLaughlin’s father picked up the flu.
A source with deep ties in the state of Georgia told us this week that they believed NC State was the frontrunner for McLaughlin at this time. Louisville also made a nice impression on him when he visited there last weekend.
One thing is clear, NC State is putting a lot of its eggs right now in the McLaughlin basket, both in terms of QB recruiting and potentially jumpstarting the class.
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One player who did visit this week was Raleigh Millbrook offensive tackle Diego Pounds, who was offered by NC State in January. Since then, Pounds has made multiple visits and NC State is using its local leverage quite well.
One player that confirmed he will probably be visiting this spring is three-star cornerback Javon Baldwin from Baldwin High in Milledgeville, Ga. Baldwin has not set a date, but when he does make it to Raleigh it will be his second visit. He also made a trip in January. Bullard was a February offer, so his return after being awarded a scholarship is a promising sign from NC State’s perspective. Rivals.com ranks the 6-foot, 170-pounder as the No. 44 cornerback in the country and the No. 57 player from Georgia. Arkansas, Auburn, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia have also offered.
Offensive tackle Thornton Gentry from Chapin (S.C.) High also confirmed this week that he will take a visit to NC State for the spring game April 4 and what will be an overnight trip. Gentry (6-foot-5, 290 pounds) also has a Missouri offer and is rated the No. 18 prospect in South Carolina by Rivals.com. Gentry will visit Missouri next weekend and also plans to visit South Florida and East Carolina.
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There were a few new offers this week in football:
• Three-star athlete Caleb McDowell from Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County High also has offers from Colorado (presumably prior staff that had Georgia connections), Purdue and Cincinnati, among others. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder plays running back and defensive back and also returns kick. Reportedly he clocked at 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard at Tennessee’s camp last summer.
• Three-star defensive end Victoine Brown (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) from Grayson High in Loganville, Ga., is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 35 prospect in Georgia and the No. 30 player at his position. Brown though already has a pretty hefty offer list that includes, among other Power Five teams, Florida, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Southern Cal and Tennessee. In other words, NC State will have to really work to get Brown on campus for a visit.
• Unrated linebacker Timar Rogers from Deland (Fla.) High also picked up an offer. Rogers (6-foot-2, 195 pounds), also has Power Five scholarships from Kansas, Mississippi State, Missouri and Washington State, plus notable mid-majors Marshall and South Florida.
•••
Baseball is obviously off to a very good start, and help still might be coming. There was a concern that redshirt sophomore reliever Cameron Cotter might be out for the season, but latest indications are that Cotter is progressing nicely. Going into the season, there was a thought that Cotter could contend for the closer role.
Getting the bullpen, which has a slew of arms with good stuff but has been inconsistent early in the season, to become a strength is a priority for NC State at this point.
•••
With basketball season now officially entering March Madness (conference tournaments have started), it will not be long before the silly season begins. One situation that will have to bear watching for NC State over the next couple of months is that of five-star signee Josh Hall from Moravian Prep in Hickory, N.C.
The Durham native is, like Jalen Lecque was a year ago, eligible to enter the draft. Multiple sources have told us that the option is definitely on the table for Hall and being evaluated. One thing that is important to remember, the days of where you are drafted being important are gone. Players are now more interested in getting a guarantee of some sorts. Lecque last year went undrafted, but he was able to get guaranteed money from the Phoenix Suns.
This is not to say or imply that Hall is not coming to NC State, but rather to let everyone remember this is something on the horizon that will need to be tracked.
There was far more interest in the anticipated visit of four-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin from Denmark High in Alpharetta, Ga. The hope was that a face-to-face meeting with new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Beck would go a long way towards landing McLaughlin. That trip has been postponed because of McLaughlin’s father picked up the flu.
A source with deep ties in the state of Georgia told us this week that they believed NC State was the frontrunner for McLaughlin at this time. Louisville also made a nice impression on him when he visited there last weekend.
One thing is clear, NC State is putting a lot of its eggs right now in the McLaughlin basket, both in terms of QB recruiting and potentially jumpstarting the class.
•••
One player who did visit this week was Raleigh Millbrook offensive tackle Diego Pounds, who was offered by NC State in January. Since then, Pounds has made multiple visits and NC State is using its local leverage quite well.
One player that confirmed he will probably be visiting this spring is three-star cornerback Javon Baldwin from Baldwin High in Milledgeville, Ga. Baldwin has not set a date, but when he does make it to Raleigh it will be his second visit. He also made a trip in January. Bullard was a February offer, so his return after being awarded a scholarship is a promising sign from NC State’s perspective. Rivals.com ranks the 6-foot, 170-pounder as the No. 44 cornerback in the country and the No. 57 player from Georgia. Arkansas, Auburn, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia have also offered.
Offensive tackle Thornton Gentry from Chapin (S.C.) High also confirmed this week that he will take a visit to NC State for the spring game April 4 and what will be an overnight trip. Gentry (6-foot-5, 290 pounds) also has a Missouri offer and is rated the No. 18 prospect in South Carolina by Rivals.com. Gentry will visit Missouri next weekend and also plans to visit South Florida and East Carolina.
•••
There were a few new offers this week in football:
• Three-star athlete Caleb McDowell from Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County High also has offers from Colorado (presumably prior staff that had Georgia connections), Purdue and Cincinnati, among others. The 5-foot-10, 170-pounder plays running back and defensive back and also returns kick. Reportedly he clocked at 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard at Tennessee’s camp last summer.
• Three-star defensive end Victoine Brown (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) from Grayson High in Loganville, Ga., is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 35 prospect in Georgia and the No. 30 player at his position. Brown though already has a pretty hefty offer list that includes, among other Power Five teams, Florida, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Southern Cal and Tennessee. In other words, NC State will have to really work to get Brown on campus for a visit.
• Unrated linebacker Timar Rogers from Deland (Fla.) High also picked up an offer. Rogers (6-foot-2, 195 pounds), also has Power Five scholarships from Kansas, Mississippi State, Missouri and Washington State, plus notable mid-majors Marshall and South Florida.
•••
Baseball is obviously off to a very good start, and help still might be coming. There was a concern that redshirt sophomore reliever Cameron Cotter might be out for the season, but latest indications are that Cotter is progressing nicely. Going into the season, there was a thought that Cotter could contend for the closer role.
Getting the bullpen, which has a slew of arms with good stuff but has been inconsistent early in the season, to become a strength is a priority for NC State at this point.
•••
With basketball season now officially entering March Madness (conference tournaments have started), it will not be long before the silly season begins. One situation that will have to bear watching for NC State over the next couple of months is that of five-star signee Josh Hall from Moravian Prep in Hickory, N.C.
The Durham native is, like Jalen Lecque was a year ago, eligible to enter the draft. Multiple sources have told us that the option is definitely on the table for Hall and being evaluated. One thing that is important to remember, the days of where you are drafted being important are gone. Players are now more interested in getting a guarantee of some sorts. Lecque last year went undrafted, but he was able to get guaranteed money from the Phoenix Suns.
This is not to say or imply that Hall is not coming to NC State, but rather to let everyone remember this is something on the horizon that will need to be tracked.
