NC State Football Recruiting Update – October 31, 2018

NC StateFootball Recruiting Update – October 31, 2018

Update on Bailey Hockman 

Bailey Hockman is currently rated the #1 JUCO QB in the country by 24/7 sports.

He is going to add another dimension to our QB competition next year along with McKay and Leary.  Should be a great battle to watch develop over the spring and summer.

Hockman will be enrolling in January.

Update about Zonovan Knight

One local analyst watched Zonovan Knight at his game last week and came away very impressed.

Here’s his tweet about what he saw:

After seeing him for an entire game with my own eyes last night, Southern Nash RB Zonovan Knight is very impressive. Probably the most impressive HS back I’ve seen in person since Bryce Love. Not calling him Love, by no means, but (at this level) he’s just as fun to watch.

— Jonas Pope IV (@JEPopeIV) October 26, 2018

In this game, Knight had 23 rushes for 285 yards and 1 Touchdown.

Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas Update

9 current commits for State have been named to the North Carolina Roster for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

They include TE Kam Walker, DE Savion Jackson, CB Shyheim Battle, S Khalid Martin, RB Zonovan Knight, LB Drake Thomas, LB Jaylon Scott DT Joshua Harris, and DT CJ Clark.

Some of them will be probably playing in bigger post-season all-star games and may not play in the Shrine Bowl (particularly Clark, Harris, Battle, and Jackson).

Jamious Griffin Update

Rome HS and Jamious Griffin are now 10-0 this season.  He had 19 carries for 174 yards and 5 TDs in the first half on Friday, October 26th and did not play in the second half.

Griffin now had 2,024 yards rushing this season.

Drake Thomas Video

Drake Thomas is just one of those dudes who just really enjoys contact.  Reminds me of a cross between Riley Nicholson, Pat Lowery, and Stephen Tulloch.

Here’s a video of him at the running back position to give an idea of how physical he plays:

We lift big weights on this side 🏋🏼‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/rOCuTTSHTp

— Drake Thomas (@DrakeT32) October 26, 2018

Updated Season Stats for Commits

4* DE Savion Jackson – 58 tackles, including 19 for loss and six sacks.

4* DT CJ Clark – 83 tackles and nine sacks.

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

3* S Khalid Martin – 59 tackles, including one for loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, a 73-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and 27-yard touchdown reception.

3* RB Zonovan Knight – 82 carries for 1,245 yards and 16 touchdowns, two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown, 219 kickoff return yards and a touchdown and two punt returns for scores.

3* RB Jamious Griffin – 177 carries for 2,024 yards rushing  and 31 touchdowns, seven receptions for 145 yards and two scores.

3* LB Drake Thomas – 88 tackles, three sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, which he returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Offensively: 25 carries for 157 yards and seven touchdowns.

3* LB Jaylon Scott – 65 tackles, including 16 for loss and four sacks, a pass breakup, forced fumble, two blocked punts on defense. Offensively: one reception for 14 yards and a touchdown on offense.

3* C Dylan McMahon – 41 knockdown blocks on offense and 55 tackles, including nine for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble on defense.

3* CB Jalen Frazier – 38 tackles, two for loss, a pass breakup and an interception.

3* WR Keyon Lesane – 26 carries for 171 yards and two touchdowns, 19 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns in five games.

3* TE Chris Toudle – 16 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns, 22 carries for 92 yards and four touchdowns.

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

3* S/NLB Jakeen Harris – 50 tackles, forced fumble, a fumble recovery, which he return for a score, a blocked field goal, four pass breakups and three interceptions on defense. Offensively: 32 carries for 184 yards and 11 touchdowns, nine catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

3* OG Timothy McKay – 37 knockdown blocks

4* CB Shyheim Battle – 34 tackles, including on for loss, three interceptions, three pass breakups. Offensively: four receptions for 59 yards, a two-point conversion catch and five kick returns for 175 yards.

3* OG Ikem Ekwonu – 22 knockdown blocks on offense, Defensively: 18 tackles and two and a half sacks.

3* OT Triston Miller – 26 knockdown blocks on offense, Defensively: 13 tackles and three sacks.

Maryland Fall Out

Maryland has decided to retain Head Coach DJ Durkin, which is already proving to be a controversial and team altering decision.  Reportedly a lot of players walked out of a team meeting on the day ESPN announced that he would be retained as head coach.

Why this matters to State and Football Recruiting

Current Maryland Freshmen WR Jeshaun Jones, DB Fanajae Gotay, QB Tyler DeSue; Sophomore RB Javon Leake were all recruited by State in the past and could potentially get a free transfer without having to sit a year as a result of the fallout at Maryland.  Interesting to note that Leake is from Greensboro, NC (Page HS).

Two Recruits to Keep An Eye On

WR Zay Flowers and Safety Myles Farmer.  State is making a major push for both lately.

More about Farmer

Farmer is rated the #69 Safety in the country (3*) by 24/7 sports, #78 Athlete in the country (3*) by ESPN, and the #83 Cornerback in the country (3*) by Rivals.

A review of Farmer from RecruitGeorgia.com:

“Farmer is the ideal SS prospect at the next level. He has elite length, very powerful tackler. What impresses me the most is his ability to play man coverage, and his length gives him a really high radius to break up the pass. No doubt he Farmer is a Power 5 football player, and expect him to land well over 30 offers during this offseason. He has elite acceleration, outstanding upside, and think he can get over 200 pounds at the next level. His versatility to guard multiple positions out in coverage is a desired skill set, and we think he can blow up with additional power 5 offers during the evaluation period.”

Highlights of Farmer

Review

There is also a lot to like about Farmer on film.  He is very, very physical, particularly in run support.  He tracks the ball well in coverage, but needs to react a little quicker out of his break.  He takes some chances in pass defense, but plays adequate man coverage, despite his high school scheme to play cover 1 and cover 0 coverage shells a lot. He provides a lot of support in the run game and looks like he could grow into a linebacker if he added enough weight because of his ability to tackle in the open field. Size reminds me a lot of Khalid Martin, lengthy and quick for his size.

More about Flowers

Flowers is rated the #105 Athlete in the country (3*) by ESPN, the #172 Wide Receiver in the country (3*) by 24/7 sports, and the #75 Wide Receiver in the country (3*) by Rivals.

It is worth mentioning that Flowers’ stock and subsequent positional ranking is increasing on Rivals’ as his senior year continues.

Flowers visited State in June 2018.

Highlight of Flowers

Review

There is a lot to like about Flowers on film. He does a great job of accelerating and cutting in the open field once he gets the ball in his hands.  He is a very quick twitch shifty kind of athlete who would be a matchup problem from the slot.  He has very good hands in the open field (as shown by his one handed catch).  I could see him being used in a wide variety of ways, particularly in a hybrid role like Percy Harvin used to be in Florida’s offense many years ago.

Current Senior Season Stats

28 catches for 467 yards and 8 Touchdowns, 1 carry for 12 yards and 1 Touchdown.

Flowers’ High School, University High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is 9-0 this season and has knocked off powerhouse programs like American Heritage and Immokalee this season.

Another Potential Recruit to Keep an Eye On

DL/OL Wisdom Asaboro (6-8 275)