NC State Football Recruiting Update – December 14, 2018
New Commit
3* QB Ty Evans from Palmer Ridge HS in Monument, Colorado.
Kudos to our staff for staying on him and pursuing him throughout the summer and fall.
I mentioned State’s possible renewing of interest in Ty Evans in my November 14th recruiting update:
From the November 14th Update
New Recruit on the Horizon?
Reports are swirling that Colorado might be parting ways with Head Coach Mike MacIntyre at the end of this season.
This could impact State renewing interest in former QB target 3* Ty Evans. Evans was offered a scholarship by State during the summer.
Evans is rated the #16 Pro-Style QB in the country by Rivals and the #11 Pro-Style QB in the country by 24/7 sports.
Here’s some more information about Evans
(6’2″/177) Advanced to the Elite 11 Competition Finals last summer out of the pool of 24. Rated the #11 Pro-Style QB in the country by 24/7 sports and Scout, the #18 Pro-Style QB in the country by Rivals, and the #21 Pocket Passing QB in the country by ESPN (High 3* on both sites). He’s rated the #1 overall prospect in the state of Colorado by Rivals, the #2 overall prospect in Colorado by Scout and 24/7 sports, and the #2 overall prospect in Colorado by ESPN.
He was listed as having a 5.1 40 from SPARQ testing which was done around the time of the Elite 11 competition last summer, but more recent testing says it is 4.98 (Through film review, I think it might be a little quicker than 4.98 – more details about the film will be below).
He led Palmer Ridge to their second straight state 3A Title this year.
He was committed to Arkansas and Bret Bielema during 2017, then committed to Mike MacIntyre and Colorado. MacIntyre was fired at the end of the regular season and Colorado’s new coach decided not to retain Offensive Coordinator Kurt Roper, who Evans had a great relationship with (for those of us keeping track at home, Roper was at South Carolina before he was at Colorado). He had offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Northwestern, and South Carolina.
Senior Stats
Passing – 176 for 307 for 2.665 yards with 33 Touchdowns and 14 Interceptions, Rushing – 56 rushes for 355 yards and 11 Touchdowns
Highlight Film of Evans
Film Review
Strengths – Makes almost every throw needed on the field…very accurate and strong arm downfield. Runs an offensive scheme with similar passing concepts as we run. Surprisingly athletic…athletic enough to keep plays going downfield. From analyzing his film, I think he runs closer to a 4.8 – 4.85 40. He has good pocket presence and steps up in the pocket quite a few times on film to step into his throws. He throws a very catchable ball and more often than not throws it ahead of where receiver is going to end up.
Needs Improvement – Needs to add some weight (probably could stand to add 20-25 pounds). Footwork can be better at times. Zones in on his first read quite often on film. Needs to trust his eyes and progression more. Sometimes is too quick to scramble once first read is covered. He forces some throws at times (as evident from his 14 interceptions his Senior season). He also needs to work on his play-action technique better (this will be adjusted with coaching at the college level).
On film, Evans reminds me a lot of current QB Devin Leary and QB Ryan Finley with his pocket presence and ability to distribute the ball to make plays. He probably has a better deep ball than Finley at this point in his career, but not as accurate or as good of a deep ball as Leary.
New 2020 Commit: 4* WR Porter Rooks
Rooks committed to State via an announcement on Twitter on Wednesday.
More about Rooks
Attends Providence Day HS in Charlotte, NC (6’1″/185). Rated the #7 WR in the country and the #45 overall player in the country (4*) by 24/7 sports and Scout, the #9 WR in the country and the #48 overall player in the country (4*) by Rivals, the #22 WR in the country and the #122 overall player in the country (4*) by ESPN.
State was announced in his final 8 schools on November 14th and State was joined by powerhouse programs Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia, and Florida (VT and Tennessee were his other two, but I don’t consider them to be powerhouse programs at this point).
Rooks appeared at our camp this summer and really enjoyed the camp, then he visited again for the official visit last weekend with a lot of our current 2019 commits.
Varsity Stats at Providence Day HS
Junior Season – 43 catches for 604 yards with 10 Touchdowns, 4 carries for 11 yards (7 games)
Sophomore Season – 66 catches for 810 yards with 11 Touchdowns, 10 carries for 22 yards and 2 Touchdowns (11 games)
Rivals Interview
In a Rivals.com interview Wednesday (the day of his commitment) he said: “I’m definitely starting off with Josh Downs, Jacolbe Cowan, Kedrick Bingley-Jones, Mitchell Mayes, and Twan Flip, Jr. ” (speaking of recruits he is going to try to swing towards State).
Cowan is a 4* DE who is high school teammates with Rooks. Kendrick Bingley-Jones is also a 4* DE who is high school teammates with Rooks (currently committed to Florida). Josh Downs is a 4* WR from Georgia whose father played at State. Mitchell Mayes is a 4* OT from Raleigh Sanderson HS. Twan Flip Jr. is a scatback/slot receiver prospect from Charlotte Secondary School.
Here’s Rivals.com’s reaction to Rooks’ committal to State on Wednesday: “He is a well-rounded receiver that understands the nuances of the position. A route-running technician, Rooks creates a lot of separation with crisp cuts and his long arms make it easier for quarterbacks to get him the ball. He isn’t one of those receivers with blazing speed but his sure-hands and ability to get defensive backs off balance with his cuts and head-fakes make a dangerous offensive weapon regardless of the route.”
Highlights of Rooks
My Analysis
Strengths – One of the best route runners I have seen in high school film footage in a long, long time. Great hands, high points the ball with ease, breaks off of the jam easily, reads holes after catching the ball to find open field for massive gains, adjusts well to find the ball with back shoulder throws, very athletic, lengthy receiver, plays taller than 6’2″, finds holes in zone coverage well to become a target for his quarterback, accelerates quickly after the catch to create separation with defensive backs.
Weaknesses – Needs to increase his overall top end speed, his route running and moves are enough to create separation at the high school level but will not be enough for him to beat more complex coverage schemes in college, needs to gain 20 pounds or so (especially if he continues to go over the middle for some catches).
He reminds me of a cross between the route running of Nuke Hopkins/Stefon Diggs, the acceleration after the catch of a Bryan Underwood/Torry Holt, the ball skills and jump ball ability of Kelvin Harmon, and the pure playmaking ability of Sammy Watkins. He will be a very, very fun receiver to watch and is the tip of the iceberg for what figures to be a very offensive heavy/wide receiver heavy 2020 class. Keep an eye on Joshua Downs to commit soon because they have been dropping hints that they would play together in college since early last summer.
Decommitment
4* OT Triston Miller from Charlotte Country Day has decided to decommit. Latest rumors have him possibly following Coach Ledford to Louisville, but he is also taking official visits to Louisville, UNC, Southern Cal before National Signing Day. He still plans to sign with his school of choice on December 19th. He was committed to Wake before committing to us over the summer. If State loses Miller and wants to take another Offensive Tackle in this class, it would probably be down to 3* OT Kaleb Boateng from Florida or we could try to flip 3* Parker Moorer from West Virginia (Moorer attends Mallard Creek HS in Charlotte) or 3* Zion Nelson from App State (Attends Sumter HS in Sumter, South Carolina).
Shrine Bowl Practice Update
9 of State’s current commits are listed in the Shrine Bowl Rosters.
24/7 sports has been covering the Shrine Bowl practices and had the following to say about TE Commit Kam Walker:
“TE Kam Walker, Canton (N.C.) Pisgah- Listed at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Walker is the tallest pass catcher on the North Carolina team. The N.C. State pledge has the frame and build of an in-line tight end and looked solid from a short range movement standpoint.”
Others to keep an eye on from Shrine Bowl Practices: LB Jaylon Sharpe, OT Zion Nelson, OT Parker Moorer.
Day 2 Update (courtesy of 24/7 sports)
DT Joshua Harris, Roxboro (N.C.) Person- Harris was the most disruptive defensive lineman for either team, blowing up several plays in both inside and team drills, capping off the day with a sack. The N.C. State commitment’s strength at the point of attack was too much for most of the North Carolina offensive linemen. A pure nose tackle prospect, Harris looks to be the heaviest defensive lineman in attendance and should benefit from a strength and conditioning program at the next level. With that said, his strength and first-step quickness were undeniable on Tuesday.
LB Drake Thomas, Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage- Thomas had the signature moment among North Carolina’s deep linebacker group, blowing up a play on an inside blitz. The N.C. State pledge is physical and instinctive with a strong base and good striking power. His competitiveness was on display as he didn’t hesitate in popping pads.
Updates on Playoffs
4* S Khalid Martin and 3* LB Jaylon Scott are both playing for State Championships this weekend. East Forsyth and Martin enter the game with a perfect season record.
Martin and East Forsyth will play against 9-5 Scotland County HS at Duke this weekend. Scott and Shelby will play against North Davidson at Carter-Finley this weekend.
Martin had a huge game against Porter Ridge last week – 73 yard touchdown run on a fake punt and 9 tackles (8 solo and 1 Tackle for Loss) in the 32-14 victory.
Scott had 5 tackles (2 Tackle for Loss and 1 Sack) in the 28-21 win over Hilbriten High.
4* RB Jamious Griffin couldn’t keep his magic going as Rome lost to Warner Robins 45-28 last week.
However, Griffin was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year
Jamious Griffin Update
Jamious Griffin officially visited State last weekend. He loved his visit. However, there has been some murmuring that he might wait until National Signing Day in February to sign instead of signing in December. Georgia Tech with their new head coach, Geoff Collins from Temple, have renewed their interest in him and he might be taking an official visit to them soon. Griffin has really picked up a ton of offers over the last few weeks (Miami, Auburn).
A picture from his official visit:
I would love to be able to keep Griffin in the fold, but we will have a significant fight on our hands over the next few weeks.
Offensive Line Situation
With Dwayne Ledford following Scott Satterfield to Louisville, it leaves a sizable dent in our recruiting prowess, particularly for linemen.
Here are my thoughts as far as candidates, and particularly as it relates to recruiting:
Chris Villarrial – Currently Head Coach at Saint Francis. He was an All-American Offensive Tackle in College, played OG for the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, 45 years old
Alex Atkins – Currently Offensive Line Coach at Tulane. 4 Year Starter at Offensive Guard at UT Martin, Former OL Coach at Marshall and Georgia Southern, 33 years old.
Jamal Powell – Currently Offensive Line Coach at SMU. He was a OL Coach at James Madison and GA at Texas A&M, Played Center in College at TCU, 38 years old.
Chris Kapilovic – He was the Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach at UNC this past season. He is an excellent recruiter, he was mentioned by the Wolfpacker’s free podcast earlier this week as a possibility. Former Offensive Line Coach at Alabama State, Missouri State, and Southern Miss before coming to UNC.
WR Jaylen Erwin Update
JUCO WR Jaylen Erwin has announced his top 3 schools. They are California, UCLA, and State.
Currently, he is a Crystal Ball lean to California. He officially visited California on December 7th and UCLA on November 30th.
Hutchinson CC’s head coach had this to say about Erwin:
“I know we’ve had some good players, but just in terms of a guy who can break a game open, I think he’s probably the best receiver we’ve had since CP (Cordarrelle Patterson).”
Erwin is originally from Charlotte, NC. He will be signing with the college of his choice on December 19th.
New 2019 Offer
3* LB Octavius Brothers from Rockledge HS in Rockledge, Florida.
More about Brothers:
6’2″, 210, 4.5 40. Rated the #134 Outside Linebacker in the country (3*) by 24/7 sports and Scout, a NR 3* on Rivals, NR on ESPN.
He was committed to UCF, but rescinded that commitment in mid-October.
Also offered by Syracuse, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and UNC recently. Officially visited Syracuse on November 28th.
Senior highlights of Brothers
Film Review
Strengths – Super athletic, very fast when coming downhill to cover running plays, covers slot receivers well downfield, good ball skills in the open field, sure tackler when he squares his shoulders up, reacts fast to the ball and breaks quickly.
Needs Improvement – Takes bad angles at times when covering outside running plays (has to tackle from behind often), needs to add some weight, needs to play with better pad leverage at times. Relies a little too much on speed to overcome bad technique (technique and angles will be coached at the collegiate level).
On film, Brothers reminds me a lot of current commit 3* LB Jaylon Scott, and current LB Isaiah Moore.
Jamel Starks Update
Target 3* ATH Jamel Starks officially visited Raleigh on December 8th.
Starks is a new name to most people.
Starks attends Southwest DeKalb HS in Georgia.
Starks is down to Nebraska, West Virginia, and us.
More about Starks
5’11”, 180. Rated the #48 Athlete in the country (3*) by 24/7 sports and Scout, the #61 Athlete in the country (3*) by Rivals, and NR on ESPN.
Midseason Highlights of Starks
Film Review
Strengths – Very quick in the open field, likes to make contact and hit other players hard, adequate ball coverage skills downfield when matched up in the slot, very athletic overall, reads blocks well on offense when lined up at RB, accelerates very fast once he finds holes on offense, very good at finding holes on kick returns.
Weaknesses – Needs to gain some weight (20-30 pounds), goes for the big hit too much at times and loses pad leverage, needs to breakdown on tackles better so he does not lunge at the ball carrier
Athleticism and multi-faceted parts of his athleticism remind me a lot of current NLB Tanner Ingle, former S/RB/PR Rashard Smith, and current WR Thayer Thomas.
Interesting Fact: Plays high school football in the same conference in Georgia as current WR Jakobi Meyers.
Preferred Walk-On News
ATH Nick Treco from Mallard Creek HS has decided to accept a preferred walk-on offer for State.
He’s another prospect in the mold of a Thayer Thomas, who could do a lot of different things for State:
Highlight video
He had 1,300 yards rushing, 200 yards receiving, 235 kick return yards, 181 punt return yards, and 206 interception yards during his senior season.
