All-American Sanderson WR Justin Dunn to Walk-On at NC State

Justin Dunn announced on Sunday that he would be teammates with 2018 signees Alim McNeil and Trent Pennix once again, this time as a walk-on at NC State.

Excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic careers at NC State! #1Pack1Goal #Pack18 pic.twitter.com/Ih3VdALW3O

— Justin Dunn (@justindunn_3) April 7, 2018

Dunn didn’t start playing football until 8th grade, and didn’t start playing Wide Receiver until a few games into his Senior season. He played quarterback for his first 3 seasons at Sanderson, but struggled as a Junior, and at the start of his Senior campaign.

This resulted in a switch from quarterback to wide receiver, and the switch went extremely well. In fact, Dunn only played 8 games at Wide Receiver, but Dunn finished his Senior year at Sanderson with 25 receptions for 415 yards and 5 touchdowns, leading his team in all three categories. He also earned CAP 7 All-Conference honors, in a conference where quite a few other wide receivers had committed to Division-I schools.

What he did in a short period of time was enough to earn a spot in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

All-American Game✔ Check it out! pic.twitter.com/dtLAyvnRi5

— Justin Dunn (@justindunn_3) January 15, 2018

I spoke with Dunn, and he told me that NC State started talking with him during the summer before his Junior season when he was still playing quarterback, but the recruitment picked up after he was selected to the All-American bowl.

“I really love the football and campus culture at NC state and have been a fan for a while,” said Dunn. “I feel like the team is definitely growing into one of those top teams in the nation and the future is very bright.”

One of the perks of running with the Wolfpack next year, is that he gets to continue to play football with Defensive Lineman Alim McNeil and Running Back Trent Pennix.

“I’m really excited I’ve had four great years with them in high school and I’m excited to see what we can do at the next level.”

Dunn feels like his skill set will be a good fit for what NC State does on offense.

“I feel like I’ll fit in well. They definitely have a great lineup of qbs which is always a good thing for a receiver,” said Dunn. “Also they’re coaching staff is one of the best in the country. Their offense is very well balanced with the run and pass which is good.”

Head coach Dave Doeren said the other day that walk-ons are treated like every other player on the team. They are given the same opportunities. The key is, they have to be opportunistic. Dunn was opportunistic, switching from Quarterback to Wide Receiver during his Senior season, and it changed his future. Hopfully Dunn can find ways to be opportunistic at NC State that result with him making a difference on the gridiron.