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

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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.

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.

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.

 

 

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Football Recruiting

WR Gabe Daniels Locks In Official Visit to NC State

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2025 Wide Receiver Gabe Daniels (6’2″/180) has locked in his Official Visit to NC State.

Earlier this month, Daniels took an unofficial visit to NC State, and broke down his experience for me.

Currently, Daniels is an unranked recruit, but he does hold offers from NC State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Kansas, Western Michigan, Liberty, Coastal Carolina, App St., Syracuse and others.

Daniels had 31 receptions, 700 all purpose yards and 5 touchdowns for the Greater Atlanta Christian School (Norcross, GA) last season.

Recently, Daniels ran a 10.64 in the 100 meter dash in Track.

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Football Recruiting

4-Star RB Kentrell Rinehart is Visiting NC State Today

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4-Star 2025 Running Back Kentrell Rinehart (6’2”/205) is taking an unofficial visit to NC State today.

Back on February 10th, Rinehart revealed his Top-5 schools, and he included NC State, along with Syracuse, Indiana, Kentucky and Minnesota.

Rivals recently bumped Rinehart from a 3-star prospect to a 4-star prospect. They rank him as the #24 Running Back in the 2025 recruiting class, and the #14 overall player in the state of Ohio.

His Junior stats this past season (at Bishop Ready) were video game numbers, rushing for 2,837 yards (8.3 yards per carry) and 42 touchdowns.

Since releasing his Top-5, he has picked up an offer from Miami, visited Tennessee unofficially, and locked in an Official Visit to Syracuse.

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3-Star OT Brady Sakowitz Visited NC State Yesterday

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2026 3-Star Offensive Tackle Brady Sakowitz (6’7″/315) took an unofficial visit to NC State yesterday.

Sakowitz plays for Trinity Episcopal in Richmond, Virginia. He is teammates with 4-Star Wide Receiver Davion Brown, who also visited yesterday.

Sakowitz has also taken visits to Virginia Tech and UNC in the past week.

While NC State hasn’t offered Sakowitz yet, he does hold offers from Maryland, Duke, Virginia Tech, Miami, West Virginia, Pitt and Marshall.

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Football Recruiting

4-Star WR Davion Brown Took an Unofficial Visit to NC State Today

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4-Star 2026 Wide Receiver Davion Brown (6’1″/200) took an unofficial visit to NC State today.

ON3, 247Sports and Rivals all rank Brown as a Top-250 prospect. ON3 and 247Sports both rank him in the Top-100, with 247Sports ranking him as the #16 overall player nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, the #3 Wide Receiver and the #1 player in the state of Virginia.

NC State offered Brown on January 18th, and he also holds offers from Penn St., Virginia Tech, UVA, Duke, South Carolina, Boston College, Maryland, Pitt, UNC, FSU, Miami, Tennessee, Louisville, Michigan, SMU and others.

This past season, Brown had 34 receptions for 578 yards and 5 touchdowns for Trinity Episcopal in Richmond, Virginia. He also rushed the ball for 366 yards and 3 touchdowns. Those stats are already impressive for a Sophomore, but they would have been even better if he didn’t miss 4 games due to injury.

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