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NC State Football Recruiting Update – October 18, 2018

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NC State Football Recruiting Update – October 18, 2018

 

New offer:

3* Dual-Threat QB Payton Thorne from Illinois.  I broke down his film on the recruiting forum earlier this week.  A very intriguing prospect who is putting up huge numbers and has enormous playmaking ability coupled with great athleticism.

More on Thorne:

Junior Season Stats (At Napierville Central HS, his current school): 403 yards rushing with 5 TDs, 2,305 yards passing with 25 TDs and 6 Interceptions.

Sophomore Season Stats (At Matea Valley HS): Passing – 94-155 for 1,325 yards with 14 TDs and 7 Interceptions, 48 carries for 160 yards with 2 Touchdowns

His father is the head football coach at North Central College.

Thorne appears to be a great kid, as evidenced by this article.

A good quote about Thorne from a teammate: “He’s a great leader. He puts the ball where you need it and all we’ve got to do is run under it.”

Another good article about Thorne from Prep Analyst Tom Lemming.

He verbally committed to Western Michigan on July 3, 2018 – reportedly to join former teammate WR Jayden Reed at WMU, who is currently a freshman.

Another interesting quote from Thorne’s dad regarding the process of recruiting college football players (courtesy of Naperville Magazine):

“That’s true in most sports. North Central College football coach Jeff Thorne has an interesting perspective, in that he recruits athletes and is the parent of a star football player  His son Payton was the quarterback who took Naperville Central to the state quarterfinals last fall as a junior.

“That’s a great question: Who can you trust? Because you don’t have to look very far to see coaches leaving institutions after a year for a better job,” Jeff says. “I’m not suggesting it is wrong for anybody to look for a better job. The problem is the athletes are the ones who are stuck holding the bag.

“So many kids, whether society likes it or not, are choosing institutions in large part because of the coaches—not so much the academics—and they kind of have that backward. Especially at the smaller school level, you’ve got to make sure you’re finding the right fit academically, and then make sure the other ducks fall in a row as far as liking the coaching staff and the athletic program.”

Payton has six Division I offers so far, including one from Western Michigan, and he wants to make his decision by the fall. He says it’s gratifying to feel wanted.

“I got my first letter freshman year,” Payton says. “Being recruited is definitely something that feels good. You know you’ve worked to get to that point, so being recruited is what a lot of people like.”

 

Season Stats for Current Commits (Updated from last week):

4* DE Savion Jackson – 51 tackles, including 19 for loss and five sacks

4* DT CJ Clark – 73 tackles and eight sacks.

4* DT Joshua Harris – 42 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and five sacks, and a forced fumble

4* S Khalid Martin – 48 tackles, including one for loss, three pass breakups, an interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, a 73-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and 27-yard touchdown reception.

3* RB Zonovan Knight – 54 carries for 830 yards (15.4 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns, two receptions for28 yards and a touchdown, 219 kickoff return yards and a touchdown and 43-yard punt return for a score.

3* RB Jamious Griffin – 140 carries for 1,695 yards rushing (12 yards per carry) and 22 touchdowns and seven receptions for 145 yards and two scores.

3* LB Drake Thomas – 69 tackles, three sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. 15 carries for 116 yards and five touchdowns on offense.

3* LB Jaylon Scott – 49 tackles, including 11 for loss and two sacks sack, a pass breakup, forced fumble, two blocked punts.

3* C Dylan McMahon – 34 knockdown blocks on offense and 47 tackles, including six for loss, a sack,  and a forced fumble on defense

3* CB Jalen Frazier – 28 tackles, one for loss, a pass breakup and an interception

3* WR Keyon Lesane – 26 carries for 171 yards and two touchdowns and 19 receptions and three touchdowns in five games.

3* TE Chris Toudle – 7 receptions for 105 yards and 14 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

3* OL Zovan Lindsay –  18 pancake blocks on offense. Defensively, 15 tackles, including six for loss, two sacks and a safety.

3* S Jakeen Harris – 42 tackles, a pass breakup, forced fumble, a fumble recovery, which he return for a score, and three interceptions on defense and two catches for 60 yards and eight touchdowns on offense.

4* CB Shyheim Battle – 27 tackles, including on for loss, three interceptions, three pass breakups, three receptions for 44 yards, a two-point conversion catch and 5 kick returns for 175 yards.

3* OG Ikem Ekwonu – 19 knockdown blocks on offense and 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks on defense.

3* DE Terrell Dawkins –  7 tackles, including four for loss and a sack, and a forced fumble.

3* OT Triston Miller – 20 knockdown blocks on offense and 13 tackles and three sacks on defense.

 

Departures from Team:

Since my last update, RB Nakia Robinson and TE Damien Darden have both decided to leave the team.

Darden greatly had his playing time cut when Angeline got eligibility and Robinson was the 4th string running back.

This frees up two offensive scholarships for the 2019 cycle, if our coaches wish to use them.  One could be for another QB to build depth and one could be for another offensive playmaker (WR? – Possibly Isaiah Washington, Breion Fuller, Ja’Quan Shepherd, Mohammad Toure)

 

Injury News:

RB Trent Pennix appears to be fighting some kind of leg injury and has not played in several weeks due to the emergence of Ricky Person Jr.

Most rumors have him possibly redshirting this season. If he indeed redshirts, we would not be taking another RB in this class.

 

Newest Recruiting Graphics: 

Tyler McIntire and his crew continue to amaze with recruiting graphics.

 

Several examples:

 

Quanvaris Crouch Update:

Crouch plans to attend our game this weekend at Clemson and will be taking an official visit to Clemson sometime in November.

In my opinion, his recruitment is far from over, but I think he is looking at Clemson and several other schools a lot more than he is State, but this weekend could open his eyes more.

He has been at State at least one time this season for an unofficial visit also.

 

Targets Off The Board:

Target 3* DT Ben Smiley committed to UVA.

Target 4* S JR Walker committed to Virginia Tech (coincidentally his last visit, albeit an unofficial visit before he decided his college destination).

 

 

 

 

 

2002 NC State Graduate, School Administrator, Lifelong Pack Fan (Since my uncle graduated from State in 1937), Husband, Father, Workout Aficionado, Reader, Thinker, Recruiting Analyst in my spare time...

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Football Recruiting

PI EXCLUSIVE: 3-Star Colby Cronk Talks Upcoming Unofficial & Official Visit to NC State

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3-Star 2025 Defensive End Colby Cronk (6’3″/245) connfirmed with me that he will be taking an unofficial visit to NC State this week on Thursday and Friday. He also confirmed with me that he has locked in his first Official Visit, and it will be with the Wolfpack on June 7th.

I caught up with Cronk to get his take on NC State’s recruitment of him prior to showing up on campus later this week.

What did it mean to you to pick up an offer from NC State?

It meant a lot to be offered by NC State, because they are a major Power 4 school, with a history of successful football programs.

How many times have you visited NC State before, or is this the 1st time? What other schools have you visited, or have plans to visit? Do you have any Official Visits scheduled?

I’ve been up to NC State once before, and this upcoming visit will be my second. I’ve previously visited Wake Forest, and USF, but don’t have future plans to visit other schools. I have an official visit with NC State in the Summer, and as of right now, it is the only one.

What’s your relationship been like with NC State since they started recruiting you? How have they prioritized you? What’s their message to you?

My relationship has been good with NC State. I talk to them at least every week, and Coach Wiles has said he likes my film and is excited to get me up there this upcoming week, and I know I am as well.

When do you hope to make a college decision by?

I don’t have a set time planned to make a college decision, but I hope to make one pretty soon.

Where does NC State currently stand in your recruitment? Who else stands out?

NC State is definitely one of my top schools. A couple others would be Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Wake Forest, Houston, USF, and a couple of others.

_______

NC State offered Cronk back on November 8th. He also holds offers from USF, Duke, Iowa St., Pitt, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Houston and others.

As a Junior last season at Flagler Palm Coast (Palm Coast, FL), Cronk had 75 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 46 QB Hurries. He also rushed for 5 touchdowns.

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Football Recruiting

PI EXCLUSIVE: 3-Star WR Jordan Allen is Looking to Get Closer to NC State’s Coaches Next Week

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3-Star 2025 Wide Receiver Jordan Allen (5’7″/170) confirmed with me that he will be taking an unofficial visit to NC State next week on March 22nd. Allen received an offer from NC State on January 27th of last year.

I caught up with Allen to get his take on the Wolfpack’s recruitment of him before his visit.

What did it mean to you to pick up an offer from NC State?

I felt very honored. NC State is a great program and I am very thankful they believed in me enough to offer me.

How many times have you visited NC State before, or is this the 1st time? What other schools have you visited, or have plans to visit? Do you have any Official Visits scheduled?

This will be my 1st time. I have previously visited UGA, UCF, UNC, Tennessee, Louisville, Auburn, Clemson and Duke for games last year. I plan to visit NC State (March 22), UGA (March 30), Indiana (April 6), Tennessee (April 13), Louisville (April 19). I do not have any officials set up yet.

What’s your relationship been like with NC State since they started recruiting you? How have they prioritized you? What’s their message to you?

I do not have much communication with the staff currently. That is why I scheduled this visit to build the relationships and get closer with the coaches. I was offered by Coach Doeren after my Sophomore year. Coach Stewart was the coach that reached out and sent the spring schedule.

Where does NC State currently stand in your recruitment? Who else stands out?

I consider NC State as a school I could see myself playing at. I am open to everything right now, still weighing everything out. There is no particular favorite at the moment.

_______

Allen holds offers from NC State, Clemson, Louisville, UCF, Tennessee, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi St., Maryland, Utah, Duke Indiana, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Kansas, Colorado and others.

Last season, Allen had 35 receptions for 588 yards and 2 touchdowns for Buford (Dacula, GA).

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PI EXCLUSIVE: 2025 3-Star DL Jyon Simon Talks NC State Leading Up to NC State Visit Next Week

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3-Star 2025 Defensive Lineman Jyon Simon (6’2″/270) confirmed with me that he will be taking an unofficial visit next week, on March 21st. He also confirmed with me that he has scheduled his Official Visit to NC State for June 14-16, and that is the only Official Visit he has scheduled at this point.

I caught up with Simon leading up to next weeks visit to get his take on the Wolfpack.

What did it mean to you to pick up an offer from NC State?

It meant a lot. It was a great first in-person conversation and after what me and Coach wiles talked about it, made me dig deeper into NC State.

How many times have you visited NC State before, or is this the 1st time? What other schools have you visited, or have plans to visit?

This will be my 1st time visiting. As of right now, I plan on visiting NC State, ECU, FAU, and Rutgers.

What’s your relationship been like with NC State since they started recruiting you? How have they prioritized you? What’s their message to you?

The relationship has been great. I’m always on the phone with Coach Wiles. Great guy with a great personality. They have me prioritized high from what they were telling me. They’re very interested in me and my abilities. They tell me, ‘I cant wait for you to see the place and know this is home.’

When do you hope to make a college decision by?

Before the regular season.

Where does NC State currently stand in your recruitment? Who else stands out?

I’m taking all 22 opportunities under consideration, but I’m interested to see what NC State and what Coach Wiles has to offer for me.

_______

Simon received an offer from NC State on January 25th of this year, and also holds offers from Colorado, Louisville, Auburn, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, USC and others.

Last season at Raines High School (Jacksonville, FL), Simon had 70+ tackles, 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

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3-Star ATH Gerritt Kemp Has Scheduled His Official Visit to NC State

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3-Star 2025 Athlete Gerritt Kemp (6’3″/180) has scheduled his Official Visit to NC State for June 14th.

NC State offered Kemp on January 23rd of this year. He also holds offers from Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, LSU, UVA, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke, Ole Miss and others.

As a Junior at Hebron Christian (Dacula, GA) this past season, Kemp had 16 receptions for 514 yards and 7 touchdowns. On defense, he had 30 tackles, 3 interceptions and 6 pass breakups.

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