The world of football recruiting rankings and star systems can be quite a conundrum.  Do stars matter?  Do they not matter?  Today I continue our series called “Pack of Stars” where I will be looking at NC State’s Top-25 football commits of the past 14 years (that’s how far back the databases at both Scout and Rivals go).  Each player will get there own piece.  I don’t have an algorithm that I conjured up to determine these 25 players.  I looked at the Scout and Rivals databases, took the highest national ranking between the two sites, assigned that ranking to the player, and put them in order.  As I go through each of these, at times you will think “stars” are a brilliant indicator of talent, and at other times you will want to throw out the system entirely.  Without further adieu…

#24 – Safety Germaine Pratt

Germaine Pratt was part of an impressive 2014 NC State recruiting class.  He was a 4-star prospect according to Rivals, ranked as the #213 overall player in the class, and the #9 prospect in North Carolina.  Scout, ESPN, and 247 rated Pratt as a 3-star prospect.

Coming out of High Point Central High School (High Point, NC) Pratt had more height and size (6’3″/200) than most  high school Safety prospects.  That is why Rivals actually listed him as an Outside Linebacker prospect.

As a Senior at High Point Central, Pratt had 104 tackles (5 for loss), 5 interceptions and 7 pass breakups.  He also played Wide Receiver for the Bisons, collecting 31 receptions for 424 yards and 3 touchdowns in his final year as well.  Pratt earned All-State honors, and was named to the Shrine & Senior Bowls.

Pratt committed to NC State on June 6th, 2013, and went on to graduate early, and enroll early at NC State in January of 2014 for the Springs Semester.  He chose to run with the Wolfpack over offers from Notre Dame, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Virginia, East Carolina, UNC, and Virginia Tech.

Senior Highlights

Last season Pratt played in all 13 games as a true freshman, and even started in the contest against Louisville.  He had 32 tackles and 3 pass breakups in 262 snaps.  Pratt is currently #2 on the depth chart at Free Safety behind Graduate Senior Hakim Jones.

Pratt has put on over 30 pounds since he arrived in Raleigh, now weighing 234 pounds.  There aren’t many players that possess his size and athleticism.  Pratt has the speed of a Safety and the size of a Linebacker.

Pack of Stars #25: Justin Jones