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…

#23 David Amerson 

David Amerson played defensive back for Dudley High School (Greensboro, NC) and was a 4-star prospect according to Rivals and ESPN, and Scout and 247 gave him 3-stars.  He was the #206 overall player in the 2010 recruiting class in Rivals rankings, and the #6 player in the state of North Carolina.

Amerson had many college suitors, holding offers from LSU, Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Maryland, UNC, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.  Ultimately, it came down to the Fighting Irish and the Wolfpack.  On November 7th, 2009, Amerson committed to run with the Wolfpack instead of the Irishmen.

As a junior at Dudley, Amerson had 60 tackles and 9 interceptions, and he followed that up with 55 tackles and 6 interceptions his senior season.  Amerson was a SuperPrep All-American, earned All-State honors, and played in the Shrine Bowl following his Senior season.

He didn’t waste any time when he arrived in Raleigh.  As a true freshman at NC State, Amerson saw action in all 13 games, and actually was a starter in 9 of them.  He posted 50 tackles and 1 pass breakup in is first year.

Amerson’s sophomore season with the Wolfpack was legendary.  He snagged 13 interceptions, which broke Dre Bly’s ACC record, and crushed the previous NC State record for interceptions in a season, dating back to 1938.  He also recorded 59 tackles and 5 pass breakups.  As a sophomore, he was a 1st team All-American (ESPN & Walter Camp), 1st Team All-ACC, and won the Jack Tatum Award, which is given annually to the nations top defensive back.

He only grabbed 5 interceptions his junior year, which seems like a big letdown after his epic sophomore season, but it was good for the ACC lead for the second year in a row, and also good for 2nd team All-ACC honors.  Amerson also had 60 tackles and 8 pass breakups in his third season with the Wolfpack.

Amerson obviously still holds the NC State record for interceptions in a season, but his 18 career interceptions are also good for the most career interceptions in Wolfpack history.

After three seasons in Raleigh, Amerson decided to go ahead and pursue his NFL dream.  He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 2nd round with the 51st overall pick.  That was the highest an NC State player had been drafted since Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, and John McCargo all were drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

Amerson is now entering his third season with the Redskins.  He started all 15 games that he played in last season, and even started in 8 games as a rookie.  Hopes were high for Amerson at the beginning of last season, after he recorded 2 interceptions and 10 pass breakups as a rookie.

In 2014, Amerson didn’t quite live up to the hype.  He found himself on the wrong end of big plays way to often.  As a result, Amerson finds himself 3rd on the depth chart coming into camp, and eager to regain his play-maker mindset.

“At the end of the day, that’s all it comes down to: just making plays. That’s the thing I felt like I was missing last year: being that big play-maker, game-changer,” Amerson said. “I basically had been that all my life, but it was different for me last year. It was unusual for me. So I need to get back into my groove and just find my swag. … Like I said, I’ve been that all my life, and always had that – I wouldn’t call it a gambling type of mentality – but knowing when to go and make that play, when to step up. It’s something I think a lot of people naturally have in them, and knowing when to bring it out. I just have to have that mindset.” (Washington Post)

Some players live up to the stars beside their names.  Amerson proved he deserved everyone of those stars at NC State.  Now it’s time for him to let them shine at the next level.

Pack of Stars: #25 Justin Jones

Pack of Stars: #24 Germaine Pratt