The jury is still out on whether or not new NC State head coach Kevin Keatts is able to sign top level talent, but he sure is keeping busy trying. He had 7 visitors at the NC State home football opener and now he’s heading up to Oak Hill to visit a four-pack of 4-stars. Let’s take a closer look at what he’s up to.
This kid is new on the radar, but someone who other schools are already targeting. He’s a 6’4, 2019 guard who getting offers from UNC, Louisville, Baylor, Auburn and UConn. This kid is SOLID. He’s sure to move up to the 5 star status at some point, but as of now he’s a 4-star. He’s everything teams want in a guard. He’s heady, athletic, takes contact well, can shoot and can handle. There is nothing this kid can’t do. He’s a big time recruit and will be a star wherever he goes.
McCormack is someone who we’ve been on a for a while now. He took his official to NC State a couple weeks ago, put NC State in his Final 6, talked in-depth about NC State and could be nearing a decision. He’s a 2018 big man with big time skills. He’s got nice footwork, goot hands and is a load in the paint. Just watch.
Keldon Johnson is another kid we’ve reported on in the past. He’s a 2018 5-star shooting guard. He’s 6’6, 205lbs and the #7 player in his class. You might remember his name because former NC State head coach Mark Gottfried had offered him two years ago. Johnson is definitely familiar with NC State and Kevin Keatts is trying to make more inroads now that he’s in charge. Johnson was in Raleigh to visit NC State (unofficially) in late August.
Not to be confused with the guy we just mentioned, Keldon Johnson, Keyontae is 2018 4-star 6’5 small forward. He also is getting a lot of attention from Kansas, GT, UConn, Wake and Pitt to name a few. He received an offer on August 17th. He’s bouncy, can run the court, can shoot it and has a little room in his frame to grow another inch or two.
As you can see, Keatts is making one trip to see some serious talent. Now, you also likely see that all these guys are being recruited by major schools. So what does NC State have to offer that others can’t? Keatts can offer all of these kids massive amounts of playing time and he’s likely the only coach offering all 4 of them a scholarship in what would be seen as a massive package deal. The question is, do these kids like playing with each other that much? It might come down to that. If they do, then maybe they head over to NC State where all four of them would play major roles. Now remember, three of them are 2018 kids and one is 2019, so it’s not AS crazy as it sounds, but still, he’s actively recruiting the top 4 players at the best high school in the nation. The chances are obviously slim that he lands all these guys, but hopefully Keatts can at least pull a couple of them in to help next year’s squad (which will be thin on talent.)
4-Star 2025 Small Forward Jackson Keith (6’5″/175) was also in attendance.
Keith is a consensus 4-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, with Rivals ranking him as the #53 overall player in the class. The Southern High (Durham, NC) standout is ranked as the #2 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 class by ESPN.
Keith holds offers from NC State, Wake Forest, Mississippi St., Illinois, SMU, Virginia Tech, LSU and others.
NC State (11-3) will host #7 UNC (11-3) tonight in PNC Arena, and they also will be hosting a couple of recruiting prospects.
4-Star 2025 Power Forward Sadiq White Jr. and 4-Star 2025 Point Guard Jordan Lowery both confirmed with me that they will be in attendance.
White, who plays for Myers Park (Charlotte) is the consensus #1 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting class, and he’s 4 spots away from being a 5-star prospect according to ON3. Lowery plays for Winston-Salem Christian School, and is ranked as the #7 overall player in the state of North Carolina in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
White holds offers from NC State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, LSU, FSU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Georgetown, Ohio State and others. Lowery holds offers from NC State, TCU, Virginia Tech, SMU, Oklahoma St., Kansas St. St. Louis and others.
2026 Point Guard Kobe Edwards also told me he will be in attendance.
4-Star 2025 Point Guard Kayden Mingo (6’1″/160) stated that NC State is one of the schools most frequently reaching out to him, along with Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Cal and Old Dominion.
2025 4⭐️ Kayden Mingo continued his stockrising season tonight as #2 Long Island Lutheran (NY) took down #11 La Lumiere (IN).
Mingo finished with 20PTS, 7ASTS and 5REBS in the 82-65 win. He’s LuHi’s leading scorer on the season.
Despite the Wolfpack’s interest in Mingo, they haven’t offered him yet. Mingo currently holds offers from Cal, Penn State, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Rivals and ESPN both rank Mingo as a 4-Star prospect, with Rivals ranking him as the #70 overall player nationally in the 2025 recruiting class.
Mingo plays for Long Island Lutheran in New York, which is one of the top teams in the country. He is currently the Nike EYBL Scholastic’s leading scorer (20ppg).
NC State 2024 signee Paul McNeil Jr. showcased his talent at the 2023 John Wall Holiday Invitational at the end of the year. Below are highlights from his first two games.
In Richmond’s 77-62 win over Jordan in their first game of the invitational, McNeil had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
In Game 2, McNeil had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in Richmond’s 53-56 loss to Northwood.
In Game 3, McNeil had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in Richmond’s 68-84 loss to Cannon. I couldn’t find any highlights from this particular game.
Through 11 games this season, McNeil is averaging 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. He is shooting 52% from the field and 35% from three.
