We’ve written pretty extensively in the past few weeks about how important it is to pay attention to offers given out during the spring evaluation period, most notably the ones that are out-of-state.
Thus far, unofficially NC State has offered 14 players from the 2019 class during the evaluation period, and the only in-state product is three-star offensive tackle Triston Miller (6-foot-6, 275 pounds) from Charlotte Country Day. Miller is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 64 offensive tackle nationally and No. 28 player in the state.
Here is a breakdown of the other 13 players, broken down by position:
• Quarterback Zach Calzada, Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier High: NC State was clearly ahead of the curve on the 6-3, 195-pound Calzada, who this week earned an invite to the Elite 11 finals. NC State was Calzada’s first Power Five offer, but in the past few weeks he has added Maryland, Iowa, Oklahoma State, UNC, Vanderbilt, Missouri, West Virginia, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Minnesota.
• Quarterback Jacob Zeno, San Antonio (Tex.) John Jay High: NC State offered the 6-4, 195-pounder just before his official visit on the first weekend in May. NC State is believed to be in his top four along with Baylor, Georgia and Texas Tech, but the Pack and Baylor may be the top two.
• Quarterback Spencer Brasch, Gilbert (Ariz.) Higley High: The 6-4, 185-pound Brasch was offered Friday. The Pack joined Minnesota and Syracuse as his Power Five offers.
• Quarterback Kedon Slovis, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain High: The other of the two Arizona native quarterbacks offered by NCSU on Friday, Slovis is a 6-3, 195-pounder whose biggest offer prior to Friday was probably New Mexico State (unless you consider Hawaii or San Jose State bigger).
• Defensive lineman Mario Kendricks, Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola High: Linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable has a good relationship with Osceola High, and Kendricks fits the mold of the type of defensive linemen NC State likes with the exception of length (6-2, 265 pounds). He is a versatile recruit that could be an end or tackle. Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia and Wake Forest are his other Power Five offers.
• Defensive tackle Adarious Jones, Virginia Beach (Va.) Bishop Sullivan High: For the fans clamoring for a bigger Tidewater presence in NC State’s recruiting efforts, Jones (6-3, 275 pounds) is a recent offer and considered by Rivals.com the No. 12 player in the state. He has already made an official visit to Virginia Tech and also been offered by Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Rutgers and Wake Forest.
• Defensive end Jacoby Jones, Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan.: We have already written about Jones when the 6-4, 250-pounder picked up his offer a week ago. Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Washington State and Central Florida are some of his other notable offers.
• Defensive tackle Savion Williams, Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna C.C.: The mammoth 6-4, 315-pounder has also been offered by Maryland, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
• Safety/linebacker Khadry Jackson, Orlando (Fla.) Windermere Prep: The 6-2, 200-pounder is listed in the Rivals.com database as a safety, but he could also project as a linebacker in college. NC State offered him on the same day as Iowa State. Maryland and Missouri were his earlier Power Five offers.
• Cornerback Quinton Newsome, Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett High: The 6-2, 180-pounder is listed as the No. 64 corner nationally by Rivals.com. He is also the teammate of four-star corner Warren Burrell, whom NC State made the top seven for earlier this week. Newsome is a highly recruited prospect in his own right. He has offers from Auburn, Cal, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
• Cornerback Chris Shearin, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy: Shearin is an interesting addition to the board because he is actually a native of Suffolk, Va., and he has visited NC State before. The 5-11, 175-pounder also has Power Five offers from Missouri, Rutgers and Virginia.
• Defensive back Jamel Starks, Decatur (Ga.) Southwest Dekalb High: Starks (5-11 and 180 pounds) could play corner or safety in college. NC State joined an offer list that also included Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina and Rutgers.
• Athlete Zay Flowers, Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University School: We do not know if NC State likes Flowers as a slot receiver or corner, but the 5-11, 160-pounder is considered the No. 68 athlete nationally and cracks the top 100 in Florida at No. 99. Boston College, Kentucky, Purdue and Wake Forest have also offered Flowers.
The recruitment of three-star tight end Luke Deal (6-6 and 235 pounds) from Greenwood (S.C.) Emerald High may have taken another turn. According to Clemson insiders, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney took advantage of Deal being in town for graduation of a sibling to make one last case for CU, and the result is Deal may take another visit there next week.
Prior to that, Auburn was believed to be the leader with NC State also strongly in the mix. He will make his decision May 25. Deal and three-star offensive tackle Carter Colquitt (6-foot-5, 300 pounds) from Buford (Ga.) High are the two players we are watching for May decisions. Colquitt is primarily considering NC State and Ole Miss.
Thus far, unofficially NC State has offered 14 players from the 2019 class during the evaluation period, and the only in-state product is three-star offensive tackle Triston Miller (6-foot-6, 275 pounds) from Charlotte Country Day. Miller is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 64 offensive tackle nationally and No. 28 player in the state.
Here is a breakdown of the other 13 players, broken down by position:
• Quarterback Zach Calzada, Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier High: NC State was clearly ahead of the curve on the 6-3, 195-pound Calzada, who this week earned an invite to the Elite 11 finals. NC State was Calzada’s first Power Five offer, but in the past few weeks he has added Maryland, Iowa, Oklahoma State, UNC, Vanderbilt, Missouri, West Virginia, Northwestern, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Minnesota.
• Quarterback Jacob Zeno, San Antonio (Tex.) John Jay High: NC State offered the 6-4, 195-pounder just before his official visit on the first weekend in May. NC State is believed to be in his top four along with Baylor, Georgia and Texas Tech, but the Pack and Baylor may be the top two.
• Quarterback Spencer Brasch, Gilbert (Ariz.) Higley High: The 6-4, 185-pound Brasch was offered Friday. The Pack joined Minnesota and Syracuse as his Power Five offers.
• Quarterback Kedon Slovis, Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain High: The other of the two Arizona native quarterbacks offered by NCSU on Friday, Slovis is a 6-3, 195-pounder whose biggest offer prior to Friday was probably New Mexico State (unless you consider Hawaii or San Jose State bigger).
• Defensive lineman Mario Kendricks, Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola High: Linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable has a good relationship with Osceola High, and Kendricks fits the mold of the type of defensive linemen NC State likes with the exception of length (6-2, 265 pounds). He is a versatile recruit that could be an end or tackle. Arkansas, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia and Wake Forest are his other Power Five offers.
• Defensive tackle Adarious Jones, Virginia Beach (Va.) Bishop Sullivan High: For the fans clamoring for a bigger Tidewater presence in NC State’s recruiting efforts, Jones (6-3, 275 pounds) is a recent offer and considered by Rivals.com the No. 12 player in the state. He has already made an official visit to Virginia Tech and also been offered by Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Rutgers and Wake Forest.
• Defensive end Jacoby Jones, Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan.: We have already written about Jones when the 6-4, 250-pounder picked up his offer a week ago. Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Washington State and Central Florida are some of his other notable offers.
• Defensive tackle Savion Williams, Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna C.C.: The mammoth 6-4, 315-pounder has also been offered by Maryland, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
• Safety/linebacker Khadry Jackson, Orlando (Fla.) Windermere Prep: The 6-2, 200-pounder is listed in the Rivals.com database as a safety, but he could also project as a linebacker in college. NC State offered him on the same day as Iowa State. Maryland and Missouri were his earlier Power Five offers.
• Cornerback Quinton Newsome, Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett High: The 6-2, 180-pounder is listed as the No. 64 corner nationally by Rivals.com. He is also the teammate of four-star corner Warren Burrell, whom NC State made the top seven for earlier this week. Newsome is a highly recruited prospect in his own right. He has offers from Auburn, Cal, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
• Cornerback Chris Shearin, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy: Shearin is an interesting addition to the board because he is actually a native of Suffolk, Va., and he has visited NC State before. The 5-11, 175-pounder also has Power Five offers from Missouri, Rutgers and Virginia.
• Defensive back Jamel Starks, Decatur (Ga.) Southwest Dekalb High: Starks (5-11 and 180 pounds) could play corner or safety in college. NC State joined an offer list that also included Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina and Rutgers.
• Athlete Zay Flowers, Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University School: We do not know if NC State likes Flowers as a slot receiver or corner, but the 5-11, 160-pounder is considered the No. 68 athlete nationally and cracks the top 100 in Florida at No. 99. Boston College, Kentucky, Purdue and Wake Forest have also offered Flowers.
•••
The recruitment of three-star tight end Luke Deal (6-6 and 235 pounds) from Greenwood (S.C.) Emerald High may have taken another turn. According to Clemson insiders, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney took advantage of Deal being in town for graduation of a sibling to make one last case for CU, and the result is Deal may take another visit there next week.
Prior to that, Auburn was believed to be the leader with NC State also strongly in the mix. He will make his decision May 25. Deal and three-star offensive tackle Carter Colquitt (6-foot-5, 300 pounds) from Buford (Ga.) High are the two players we are watching for May decisions. Colquitt is primarily considering NC State and Ole Miss.
