Football Recruiting Update – April 24, 2018
Recent Commits:
3* CB Jalen Frazier from Hough HS (Charlotte, NC). Called a “shutdown corner” by several recruiting analysts. He likes to hit, likes to be physical, and the guys from Pack Pride said in a podcast that “he has a swagger.”
Latest 24/7 Crystal Ball Predictions (Just in case you put any stock in them):
3* Linebackers Drake Thomas and Jaylon Scott, both from North Carolina, have both received Crystal Ball Predictions for State in the last several days.
We continue to lead, and get plenty of Crystal Ball predictions for 4* LB Traveon Freshwater from North Carolina. If we could get all three of them to commit to us, we would have a home-grown linebacker corps, which I think could rival for the best overall and most athletic crew in the country.
Committed Targets We Missed:
We have missed on several big time prospects in the last several days.
Here’s a list:
4* QB Sam Howell (Florida State)
4* QB Max Duggan (TCU)
4* QB Taisun Phommachanh (Clemson)
4* LB Jaleel McCrae (Florida State)
3* S Nyquee Hawkins (Virginia Tech)
Big Time Visitor:
Target 5* ATH Quanvarius Crouch visited the week of the Spring Game. Crouch is an enigma because it is still up in the air where he will play in college. Most people had him rated as a running back for a long time, but he is now an athlete who very well could play linebacker or defensive end in college if he continues to bulk up. We may be an outlier to land him, but we have a chance because his brother, Malik Dunlap, will be a freshman safety for our team in the fall.
Positional Breakdown:
This column will present the targets of an underrated position of need… the Hog Molies, the Bruiser, the key to the Offense… The Offensive Line.
Targets:
OT John Olmstead – Attends St. Joseph Regional HS (New Jersey). 6’6″, 290. The #18 Offensive Tackle in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, the #10 Offensive Tackle in the country (4*) on Rivals, the #23 Offensive Tackle in the country (4*) on ESPN.
Analysis: A complete bruiser with a huge frame at offensive tackle for one of the best programs in New Jersey. Very strong at the point of attack and has very long arms to protect the blind side. We currently have two of his High School teammates on our team, LB Louis Acceus and OG Joshua Feed-Jackson. Because of this, we have an outside chance of landing him. At this point, I think he goes with Notre Dame with his commitment in the next few weeks.
OT Jeremy James – Attends North Forsyth HS (Georgia). 6’5″, 295. The #56 Offensive Tackle in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, a NR (3*) on Rivals, NR on ESPN.
Analysis: Very easy to see what our coaches like in James. He is very physical and plays with a nasty streak in him. Versatile and athletic enough to play inside some also on his film. Definitely needs to get a little big stronger in his upper body, but definitely uses his size well to leverage blocks. I really enjoyed his film, he likes to blow up defensive linemen who get in the way. We led for him for a while, but it looks like Ole Miss might be trying to exert some regional influence. This one will be a battle for us.
OT Kaleb Boateng — Attends Fort Lauderdale HS (Florida). 6’4″, 295. The #62 Offensive Tackle in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, and #54 Offensive Tackle in the country (3*) on Rivals, NR on ESPN.
Analysis: Another very big specimen. Very long arms, but needs to add some weight to go with his frame. Needs to leverage his pads better on some blocks at times, but flashes a lot of potential on film. I think at this time he is a backup option to Jeremy James, but we are looking good for him also.
OT/OG Reece McIntyre – Attends Buford HS (Georgia). 6’5″, 290. The #70 Offensive Tackle in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, NR (3*) on Rivals, NR on ESPN.
Analysis: A part of a dynamic offensive line, which might be the best high school line in the entire country. Very physical at the point of attack. Finishes blocks better than Boateng. Quick feet for someone of his size. Again, very easy to see why our coaches like him so much. Looks like he really wants an offer from Georgia but one has not come yet. His recruitment is just starting to take off, but I think we are in good shape so far.
OT/OG Carter Colquitt – Attends Buford HS (Georgia). 6’6″, 295. The #77 Offensive Tackle in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, the #38 Offensive Tackle in the country (3*) on Rivals, NR (3*) on ESPN.
Analysis: A part of a dynamic offensive line, which might be the best high school line in the entire country, with Reece McIntyre. Very physical at the point of attack. He might be a little less athletic than McIntyre, but also is has a bigger frame. Again, we are in good shape for him, but it looks like Ole Miss might be trying to exert some regional influence with him. He plans to visit Ole Miss soon, but I see that we will be in a battle with him also.
OG Jamari Williams – Attends Cardinal Gibbons HS (Florida). 6’4″, 275. The #40 Offensive Guard in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, NR (3*) on Rivals, NR on ESPN.
Analysis: Very athletic and mobile for someone with his frame. I really, really like this guy on film. He has a nasty streak and he is very, very physical.. aka a “mauler” on the line. Several times on film he just knocked the mess out of people, and as a former football coach, I love seeing that on the line. We led for him for a while, but it looks like Louisville and Kentucky are trying to lure him to the SEC. We will be in a fight for him, but I really like him and I really like our chances for him.
OT/OG Donavan Beaver – Attends Massaponax HS (Virginia). 6’6″, 275. The #64 Offensive Tackle (3*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, NR (3*) on Rivals, NR on ESPN.
Analysis: His high school runs an alternative version of the veer and triple option. He is athletic enough to play guard or offensive tackle for his high school, which is very difficult with running that type of offense. He is strong enough at the point of attack, but needs to use better leverage with his pads instead of standing up and using his size to overwhelm opponents. He will be visiting Raleigh in the next few weeks, and I like our chances with him. However, I think he is definitely a backup option to Jamari Williams, the kids from Buford HS, and Jeremy James.
JUCO OT Anthony Whigan – Attends Lackawanna CC (PA). 6’5″, 290. Rated the #2 JUCO Offensive Tackle in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and Scout, NR on Rivals and ESPN.
Analysis: Quick feet, has a good drop step/kick step in pass blocking. Needs to add some quality weight and strength to his frame to be successful at a major college level but shows a ton of potential and nastiness on film. Very long arms and likes to finish blocks downfield. Good protector of the blind side. Right now is leaning to Maryland (his home town college – he grew up in Maryland).
The Opening Combine Report from Charlotte:
Several of our targets competed at the Opening Combine in Charlotte. Commits Timothy McKay and Jalen Frazier both performed extremely well at the combine.
Several names to keep an eye on from the combine:
TE Kyle Bilodeau – I mentioned him in the Tight End breakdown. He tested as the #1 Tight End in the Nation at the combine and had a Sparq score of 117.21. Keep an eye on him to see if he decides to grab his offer at State and commit sometime in the next few weeks or if we get him to commit if we miss on the Luke Deal sweepstakes.
DB Demetrius Mauney – Scored 100.20 on the Sparq test. Attends Forest City HS in NC. Currently uncommitted.
WR Emery Simmons – Scored 115.59 on the Sparq test. Attends South View HS in NC. Currently committed to Indiana, but might be receiving some bigger offers based upon his combine performance.
WR Caleb Ogumala – Score 116.64 on the Sparq test. Attends Providence HS in NC. Currently uncommitted.
Updated Quarterback Recruiting:
Target 3* QB Jacob Zeno from John Jay HS (Texas) will be officially visiting Raleigh on May 4th.
He is rated as high as the #14 Pro-Style QB in the country by 24/7 sports.
He does not have an official offer yet.
