NC State looks like it might be building a stacked class of wide receivers in their 2020 football recruiting class. They already have commitments from two 4-star prospects: Porter Rooks and Nate McCollum. They are still in hot pursuit of a few others, like Antonio Barber, Muhsin Muhammad III, and Jhari Patterson.

I caught up with Barber recently to get an update on his recruitment.

Barber is announcing his Top-8 schools at the end of May, and he assured me that NC State would be on the list.

NC State and Syracuse are the only two schools that are locked in my Top-8, and are still going to have a spot in my Top-5.

Antonio Barber

The Wolfpack have prioritized Barber, and it’s paid off.

They’ve already made their impact and showed me I am a priority. I’m wanted there dearly. They make me not only feel at home, but treat me as if I’m part of the team and family now.

Antonio Barber

Syracuse is a lock in the mix because they were the first to arrive.

They were my 1st Power 5 offer my freshman year. The staff has kept it real and truly recruited me since. I’ll be taking an Official Visit there soon.

Antonio Barber

Barber has probably been NC State’s most frequent visitor, and he just keeps coming back.

I enjoy being able to be around the whole staff. We just hang out and talk about more than just football.

Antonio Barber

As stated above, the Wolfpack are in the mix for quite a few top receivers, but there isn’t room for all of them.

I’m aware of all that, but I’m going to take my time and go with the best move at the right time.

Antonio Barber

Barber has teased on Twitter on many occasions the possibility of a future combination of himself, NC State commit, and 4-Star Muhsin Muhammad III.

All I can say is the fans better cross their fingers and make a wish.

Antonio Barber

Barber informed me that he plans on making his college decision no later than August.

3-Star 2020 Cornerback Andru Phillips (6’0″/180) announced his Top-5 schools last night, and NC State made the cut along with Virginia Tech, Louisville, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Phillips plays for Mauldin High School (Mauldin, SC), and is ranked as the #11 player in the state of South Carolina by 247Sports.

NC State already has commitments from 3 defensive backs in their 2020 recruiting class. The Wolfpack offered Phillips on March 3rd.

Photo Credit

After attending NC State’s 2019 Kay Yow Spring Game earlier this month, 3-Star 2020 Offensive Tackle Jonathan Adorno (6’4”/285) visited Raleigh again this week.

247Sports ranks Adorno as the #25 player in the state of North Carolina in the 2020 class. The standout out of Rolesville High (Rolesville, NC) holds offers from NC State, UNC, Duke and App St. The Wolfpack were the 1st team to offer Adorno on March 2nd.

NC State have put themselves in a good position with Adorno.

Photo Credit

NC State Football Recruiting Update – April 17, 2019

New Commitments:

3* Athlete Devan Boykin – Ragsdale HS – Jamestown, NC. 5’11”, 180. He is the son of Ragsdale’s Head Coach. A very good athlete, can play a lot of different positions. Best projects as a nickel or safety in college. Excels on Special Teams in High School and very well could contribute immediately as a punt returner/kick returner. He has legit 4.5 speed. He becomes another speedy, super athletic addition to our secondary in this cycle.

Highlights of Boykin

3* Center Ethan Lane – Archer HS – Lawrenceville, GA. 6’3″, 270. Right now, he is only rated a 3* by one service. Lane was offered by us a few weeks ago, and attended the Spring Game. He has a big frame and excels in downfield blocking, particularly in the run game. On film, he looks to be a solid 3* prospect and looks like he will develop into another mauler type blocker like Bradbury was for us over the last few season. He becomes the first offensive line commitment for our 2020 cycle and probably will be joined by at least two more prospects (One Tackle and One Guard).

Highlights of Lane

Update in Rankings

• Commit WR/ATH Nate McCollum, who committed several weeks ago, has recently been upgraded on 24/7 sports and Scout. He is now a 90 overall rated prospect, good for a 4* rating. Notes on this rating increase on 24/7 sports’ leads one to think that he could be in the top 30 receivers in the country once his junior year tape is fully evaluated.
• Commit DT Jaylen Smith has been upgraded to a 3* prospect on Rivals. Yet again, another analyst has stated that they would not be surprised if Smith would scrap into 4* territory based upon analysis of his film.
• Commit S Joseph Johnson has been upgraded to a 3* prospect on Rivals. In addition to Smith and McCollum, Johnson could easily find himself rated as a 4* prospect once his film is fully evaluated.
• Target LB Mohamed Kaba (Clinton, NC) has been upgraded to a 4* Linebacker on 24/7 sports and Scout. He is now the #19 Outside Linebacker in the country.

Target LB Trenton Simpson (Charlotte, NC) has been upgraded to a 4* Linebacker on 24/7 sports, Scout, and Rivals following an outstanding performance at a recent combine event for Rivals. He is now the #9 Outside Linebacker in the country.

Upgrade in Team Rankings

With Boykins’ and Lane’s commitment, State’s current recruiting class is rated the #16 in the country by 24/7 sports/Scout and the #15 class in the country on Rivals. I fully expect us to be around #13 or #14 overall once Lane’s film is evaluated.

Class By The Numbers

• 4*s – Two – WR Porter Rooks and WR Nate McCollum
• 3*s – Five – QB Ben Finley, S Aydan White, S Devan Boykin, CB Joseph Johnson, and DT Jaylen Smith
• 4 – Number of Players in the Top 28 of North Carolina. Only 8 out of the top 28 have committed already – 1 to Clemson, 2 to UNC, 1 to South Carolina, 4 to NC State.
• 4 – Number of Defensive Players Committed (2 S, 1 CB, 1 DT)
• 3 – Number of Offensive Players Committed (1 QB, 1 Slot Receiver, 1 Outside Receiver)

Commitments Missed On

• 3* OG RJ Adams has committed to Penn State and is now removed from the board.
• 3* OT Jordan Williams has committed to Georgia Tech and is now removed from the board.
• 3* OG Seth McLaughlin has committed to Alabama and is now removed from the board.
• Looks like 3* CB Andru Phillips from South Carolina is going to commit to Kentucky any day now.
• Looks like 4* WR Mike Wyman from North Carolina is going to commit to South Carolina any day now.

Wide Receiver Situation

I think we will only take one more receiver in this class, unless we have some unforeseen attrition between now and the end of the season. 3* Jhari Patterson, 3* Antonio Barber, 4* Ayden Henningham, and 4* Mushin Muhammad are all in play for the last spot. Muhammad just took a visit to Texas A&M, which really impressed him, but I don’t see him leaving the state. I think we have an inside track for Barber and Muhammad, with Henningham also being impressed by his visit to our Spring Game.

Offensive Line Situation

With RJ Adams committing to Penn State, that only leaves a handful of known targets for the offensive line.

• 3* OG Vershon Lee (Woodbridge, VA)
• 3* OT Anthony Carter (Charlotte, NC)
• 3* Jonathan Adorno (Rolesville, NC) and 3* Sean Hill (Snellville, GA) are two late-blooming prospects to keep an eye on.

Evaluation Period Begins

April 15th marked the beginning of the Evaluation Period for the NCAA Football Recruiting Calendar.

The Evaluation Period means: “An authorized off-campus recruiter may use one evaluation to assess the prospective student-athlete’s athletics ability and one evaluation to assess the prospective student-athlete’s academic qualifications during this evaluation period. If an institution’s coaching staff member conducts both an athletics and an academic evaluation of the prospective student-athlete on the same day during this evaluation period, the institution shall be charged with the use of an academic evaluation only and shall be permitted to conduct a second athletics evaluation of the prospective student-athlete on a separate day during this evaluation period.”

The Evaluation Period runs between April 15th and May 31st with the exception of Sundays and Memorial Day.

Look for our coaches to be on the road quite a bit over the next few weeks to attend combines and camps and to attend HS workouts to identify and offer new talent in the 2020 and 2021 classes.

New Offers

• 3* DE AJ Beatty – Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS – Rated the #68 DE in country by 24/7 sports and Scout.
• 4* OT Aaryn Parks – National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland – Rated the #18 OT in the country by 24/7 sports and Scout.
• 3* CB Lovie Jenkins – Ocoee, Florida – Rated the #85 CB in the country by 24/7 sports and Scout
• 3* OT Timothy Lawson Jr – National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland – Rated the #85 OT in the country by 24/7 sports and Scout.

New Recruiting Graphics

Here are some of the new recruiting graphics used over the last few weeks: