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NC State Football Recruiting Update – May 2, 2019

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Current Commit Updates

Commit 3* DB Joseph Johnson picked up an offer from Ohio State with an impressive performance at an Under Armour Combine event last week.

Commit 4* WR Porter Rooks had an impressive showing at The Opening Combine in Charlotte last week. Part of his impressive performance was his straight nasty move on this pass pattern:

Commit 4* WR Nate McCollum has recently earned an offer from Michigan.

Who Has the Powers?

4* WR Rico Powers visited State last week and came away very impressed. Powers is rated in the Rivals 150 for the 2020 class. He is currently rated the #29 Wide Receiver in the country and the #133 overall prospect in the country (4*) on Rivals, a NR 3* on ESPN, and a low 4* on 24/7 sports and Scout. Powers attends the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia. Powers is 6’2″, 190, a size that Coach McDonald covets at wide receiver. He was high school teammates with 2019 Commit 3* ATH Jakeen Harris. Write up from 24/7 sports about him from last week’s The Opening Event:

“The 6-foot-2, 181-pounder was one of the better wideouts on the day, particularly in 1-on-1’s. Powers showed some nice juice in his routes, both off of the line and and the stem with some bouncy athleticism. We also liked his ability to finish at high level with good ball skills and footwork on the sideline. Powers backed up his on-field showing with a good day of testing, posting a 4.60 second 40-yard dash, 4.21 short shuttle and 36.8 inch vertical. The Composite four-star holds offers from Auburn, Oregon and South Carolina among others.”

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Update on the Mini-Moose

4* WR Muhsin Muhammad (Myers Park HS, NC) continues to tear it up on the combine circuit. Muhammad was named the WR MVP at The Opening Event in Charlotte last weekend. Muhammad also recently picked up an offer from Ohio State. He also took an Official Visit to Texas A&M on the weekend of April 12-14th. Right now, we look good for him, but we will have to fight off some big schools. Write up from 24/7 sports about him:

“The NFL legacy added to what has been a productive spring on the camp and 7-on-7 circuit with yet another top showing. A savvy wideout capable of playing on the outside or in the slot, Muhammad made the most high-level catches on the day. The 6-foot, 185-pounder has outstanding high-point and tracking ability and is particularly dangerous on back shoulder routes. “

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All About Boykin

Commit 3* ATH Devon Boykin (Ragsdale HS, NC) continues to impress with his athleticism and playmaking abilities. Here is a write up from 24/7 sports about him at The Opening Event from last weekend:

“Most of the defensive backs at the event were no match for the quarterback and receiver talent on hand. Boykin was the rare exception. The recent N.C. State commit had the most pass breakups that we saw on the day, winning a handful of consecutive reps. Boykin’s showing was even more impressive considering he’s a high school quarterback who has yet to fully focus on playing in the secondary, in addition to lining up at corner despite being projected as a safety long term. He also backed up his on-field showing with a solid day of testing, checking in at 5-foot-10, 171 pounds and posting a 4.62 second 40-yard dash, 4.37 short shuttle and 36.2 inch vertical.”

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A Legacy in the waiting

2021 4* RB Will Shipley, an NC State legacy recruit, had a huge showing at The Opening Event. He churned out the highest overall SPARQ score at the event, despite being a sophomore. His overall score was 128.34. To put this in perspective, Christian McCaffrey’s final SPARQ rating at Stanford before the NFL Draft was 128.9. He was named the RB MVP at the Event.

Moving Up The Timetable

Target 4* LB Mohammad Kaba from Clinton, NC has moved up his timeline for making his college decision. He will now be deciding his college destination on May 9th. Here’s the latest analysis of Kaba from 24/7 sports, which was issued after they moved him to a 4* ranking:

“Streamlined, lean build with room to add significant weight at the next level. Has long arms and wingspan. Turned in a strong junior season after moving high schools following his sophomore year. Has a desirable combination of athleticism and physicality as a space linebacker. Primarily plays inside for his high school, but has the skills to play multiple linebacker spots in college. Shows quick recognition and striking power as a run defender. Capable of dropping into coverage and making plays on the ball downfield, registering a handful of interceptions. Flashes some athleticism and playmaking ability on offense and special teams as a pass catcher, occasional option quarterback and punter. Will need to continue progressing physically in addition to fine tuning some technique at linebacker. Projects as a multi-year Power 5 starter with the upside of developing into a NFL draft choice. “

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Defensive Line Talent to Watch

There were quite a few defensive line targets of ours in action at The Opening Event this past weekend. Here’s a quick blurb from 24/7 sports about some well-known names and a few to keep an eye on which we may offer in the next few weeks:

“Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek pass rusher Quentin Williams showed his versatility working with the defensive line and linebacker groups. The 6-foot-3, 233-pounder had the best testing numbers of the defensive line group with a 4.80 second 40-yard dash, 4.41 second short shuttle and 33 inch vertical. 247Sports Composite four-star Jacolbe Cowan had a solid showing, using his length to win reps both on the edge and interior. Already checking in at 6-foot-5, 277 pounds, Cowan is likely destined for the interior longterm and posted a nice 4.47 second short shuttle. The group featured several quick defensive tackles, with Cary (N.C.)’s Davin Vann having the strongest day. Vann was quick along the interior in 1-on-1’s and checks all the boxes in terms of athletic profile. Summerville (S.C.) Fort Dorchester defensive end Emmanuel Johnson entered the day as a relative unknown but had a good showing in 1-on-1’s flashing some nice strength. “

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Update with TJ Lawson

Target 3* OL TJ Lawson has updated his top 6 schools list. We made the cut along with Kentucky, UMass, West Virginia, Virginia, and Louisville.

Offensive Line Talent to Watch

Nick Taiste, a Offensive Center from White Knoll HS in South Carolina performed extremely well at The Opening Event in Charlotte this past weekend. As of now, he does not have an offer from State and we have a center committed already (3* Ethan Lane), but he might be able to play Guard for us. He is listed at 6’2″, 290, and won the Offensive Line MVP Award at The Opening Event this past weekend. Here are some highlights of him in action last season:

Missed Commitments

Tight End Targets 3* John Copenhaver and 3* Kendall Karr have both committed to UNC and are now off of our board. Target 3* CB Andru Phillips committed to Kentucky and is now off of our board.

Newest Recruiting Graphics

Our new Director of Creative Media is absolutely knocking out of Raleigh with her designs, here’s an example from recent 3* C Commit Ethan Lane’s Twitter:

Here’s another from Commit 3* CB Joseph Johnson’s Twitter:

And one from Target 3* LB Jayland Parker’s Twitter:

This new HOT 30 list represents the prospects that we have a good to above average chance of landing. I have prioritized them based upon our overall need.

THE HOT 30:

  1. 4* WR Mushin Muhammad,
  2. 4* LB Mohammad Kaba (Announcing 5/9)
  3. 5* DE Desmond Evans
  4. 3* WR Antonio Barber
  5. 4* WR Rico Powers (recently visited Raleigh)
  6. 3* DT Henry Bryant
  7. 4* DE Kedrick Bingley-Jones
  8. 4* WR Ayden Henningham
  9. 3* OT Timothy Lawson
  10. 3* TE/DE Aaron Beatty (recently visited Raleigh)
  11. 3* LB Jayland Parker
  12. 3* LB Jamari Stewart
  13. 4* DE Jacolbe Cowan
  14. 3* RB Elijah Green
  15. 4* ATH Jaquarius Conley
  16. 3* OG Anthony Carter Jr
  17. 3* OG Vershon Lee
  18. 4* OT Marcus Dumervil (Probably committing to SEC school soon)
  19. 2* OT Alex Atcavage (recruitment is exploding recently)
  20. 3* OL Sean Hill
  21. 3* WR Jhari Patterson
  22. 4* TE Theo Johnson (probably the only TE left on the board)
  23. 3* DT Isaiah Raikes
  24. 3* OG Jonathan Adorno
  25. 4* DE Myles Murphy (Probably committing to Clemson soon)
  26. 3* S Nehki Meredith
  27. NR OT Patrick Matan
  28. 3* ATH Chris Long
  29. 3* ATH Justin Shorter
  30. 3* WR Naharee Biggins
  31. 3* RB Jahayr Gibbs
  32. 3* WR Keandre Lambert.

Out of this HOT 30 List, given the usual attrition and possible players leaving early (Emezie?), we may have room to take 10-12 prospects. From those 10-12, I expect 2 Offensive Line, 3 Defensive Line, 2 Linebackers, 1-2 Wide Receivers, 1 Running Back, 1 Defensive Secondary, and 1 Best Available.

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

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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