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Football Recruiting Update – April 3, 2020

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4 years ago

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NC State Football Recruiting Update – April 3, 2020:

Dead period has been extended until May 31, 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dead period means no face to face contact with recruits by coaches, multimedia messaging and conversations can still occur between coaches and recruits.

The Spring Game, which would usually be a big opportunity for recruits, which was scheduled for April 4, has also been cancelled.

 

New Graphics:

There are lots of new recruiting graphics being floated around by the Football staff over the course of the Dead Period.

Here are some examples (from several of our Coaches’ Twitter pages):

 

 

 

Commits:

NC State has picked up commitments from two 3* Wide Receivers in the 2021 class so far. State continues to target a whole lot of speed and athleticism to increase the ability to vertically stretch the field on offense.

 

Julian Gray – 5’11”, 174. Attends Hopewell High School in Huntersville, NC. Prolific track athlete and fast in pads. Rated the #113 Wide Receiver and #37 player in North Carolina (3*) by 24/7 sports and Scout, the #28 player in NC (3*) on Rivals, and a NR 3* on ESPN.  Runs the 100 meter in 10.4 seconds and 200 meter in 21.84 seconds. Improved his 100 meter time by .3 seconds between his freshmen and sophomore season and improved it by .44 between his sophomore season and junior season. A 10.4 second 100 meter time roughly translates to a 4.35 40 yard time. Gray also had a 36.8″ vertical leap at The Opening Combine in April 2019 (To put that in perspective with someone of similar speed – Nyheim Hines had a 35.5″ vertical leap at the NFL Combine). Ran a 4.49 40 at the same combine.

Junior Stats:  4 carries for -8 yards, 44 catches for 890 yards and 7 Touchdowns, 6 Kickoff Returns for 101 yards (long of 28 yards).

 

Jakolbe Baldwin – 5’11”, 173. Attends Richmond County High School in Rockingham, NC.  Rated the #136 Wide Receiver in the Country and #46 player in North Carolina (3*) by 24/7 sports and Scout, the #41 player in NC (3*) on by Rivals, and a NR prospect on ESPN.  Runs a verified 4.7 40, but also runs track. He had a 37.8″ vertical leap at The Opening Combine in April 2019 (To put that in perspective, Kelvin Harmon’s was 32.5″ at his NFL pro day)

Junior Stats: 34 catches for 687 yards and 8 Touchdowns, two 2 point conversions.

2021 Spots Remaining and Importance:

The Wolfpack conservatively has 12-17 spots remaining in the 2021 class, given the seniors that will be departing the program and the usual attrition.

Here’s what I am thinking for our remaining spots:

1 QB

2 RB

1 WR

2 TE

2-3 OL (Mostly Tackles)

2-3 DL

2 LBs

1 Safety

2-3 Cornerbacks

 

Here’s the list of the top candidates for each position group:

QB – 4* Aaron McLaughlin (appears to the be the only target we are after at this point) – could evolve to other candidates by the time camp season comes around if McLaughlin doesn’t commit.

RB – 5* Will Shipley, 4* Kamarro Edmonds, 3* Trevion Cooley, 3* Eric McDaniels, NR Jaylen Wright

WR – 4* Micah Crowell, 3* Jacob Gill, 3* Breon Pass (Pass is a two sport athlete who wants to play Basketball in college also, State is one of three schools who have offered him both), 3* Dalton Stroman,

TE – 3* Miles Campbell, 3* Gunner Greenwald, 3* Bryson Nesbitt, 3* Charlie Browder, 3* Cedric Seabrough

OL – 3* Thornton Gentry, 3* Diego Pounds, 4* Yousef Mugharbil, 3* Colby Smith, 3* Tristan Bounds, 3* Andrew Canelas

DL – 4* Tyleik Williams, 4* Zhaire Patterson, 4* Jahvaree Ritzie, 3* Travali Price, 3* Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, 3* Zyun Reeves, 3* Zeek Biggers

LB – 3* Jabril McNeill, 3* Jordan Poole, 3* Bryce Steele, 3* Ranieria Dillworth, 3* Jack Hollifield, 4* Chaz Chambliss

CB – 3* Mario Love, 3* Kevin Knowles, 3* Tyson Russell, 3* Matt Marshall, 3* Thailand Baldwin

S – 3* Bralyn Oliver, 3* Josh Moore, 3* Tyrin Taylor, 3* Caden Fordham

ATH – 3* Justin Shorter, 4* Kaemen Marley

 

Camps This Summer:

7 on 7 Team Camps will be June 13th and June 19th. HS prospect camps will be June 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20th (assuming the pandemic ban lifts).

 

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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

3-Star LB Cameron White Has NC State Official Visit Set

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2 days ago

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April 23, 2024

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3-Star 2025 Linebacker Cameron White (6’1″/225) will be taking an Official Visit to NC State on June 19-21, according to a source.

NC State offered White back on March 1st.

While White hasn’t officially released a Top-8, he did say that the 8 schools that are standing out are NC State, Louisville, Tennessee, West Virginia, UCF, Syracuse, Georgia Tech and Utah.

This Spring, he has taken unofficial visits to Tennessee, UCF, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Louisville, Miami. He’s expected to take an Official Visit to Louisville as well.

Rivals ranks White as the #37 Outside Linebacker nationally in the 2025 recruiting class, and the #79 player in the state of Florida.

This past year, White had 81 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 5 sacks for Sumner (Riverview, FL).

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Football Recruiting

3-Star Edge Nik Alston Has Locked in an Official Visit to NC State

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3 days ago

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April 22, 2024

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According to a source, 2025 3-Star Edge Nik Alston (6’3″/260) has locked in an Official Visit to NC State for June 7-9.

Alston plays for Thompson High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and is ranked as the #40 overall player in the state in the 2025 class according to 247Sports.

Back on April 6th, Alston was in attendance for NC State’s 2024 Spring Game, and he walked away with an offer. He also holds offers from Minnesota, Washington, Liberty, Georgia Tech and Tulane.

He also has Official Visits scheduled for Washington, Minnesota, Liberty and Tulane. Honestly, some of the dates that I have found overlap at this point, but these were all reported at one time.

This past season, Alston had 37 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

When I spoke with Alston in the past, he said NC State would be at the top of his list.

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Football Recruiting

3-Star CB Robert Jones III Includes NC State in His Top-10

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3 days ago

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April 21, 2024

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2025 3-Star Cornerback Robert Jones III (6’2″/170) recently revealed his Top-10 schools, and NC State made the cut along with Auburn, Kentucky, Miami, Louisville, Illinois, South Florida, UCF, Missouri and Florida.

ON3 ranks Jones III as the #59 overall player in the state of Florida in the 2025 recruiting class.

You can watch his highlights from the 2023 season here. He only played 7 games due to injury. Jones III had 9 pass breakups and 2 interceptions as a Junior.

Jones III has a commitment date set for May 28th, with an Official Visit to Illinois scheduled in June.

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Football Recruiting

NC State Football Recruiting Update

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5 days ago

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April 20, 2024

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Here’s a rundown of some of the happenings in the world of NC State Football Recruiting recently.

Thursday Visitor

4-Star 2026 EDGE Zavion Griffin-Hayes (6’6″/225) took an unofficial visit to NC State Thursday.

ON3 ranks Griffin-Hayes as the #78 overall player nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, the #9 EDGE, and the #7 player in the state of North Carolina.

Griffin-Hayes plays right down the road from NC State at Rolesville, where NC State’s Isiah Jones, Tamarcus Cooley & Noah Rogers played. The Wolfpack have yet to offer Griffin-Hayes yet, but he does hold offers from South Carolina, App St., Auburn, UCLA and others.

Griffin-Hayes has been a frequent visitor to NC State.

This past season as a Sophomore at Rolesville, Griffin-Hayes had 50+ tackles, 20+ tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

4-Star RB Kentrell Rinehart is taking an Official Visit

4-Star 2025 Running Back Kentrell Rinehart (6’2”/205) is taking an Official Visit to NC State on June 21-23. He also has Official Visits scheduled to Minnesota and Syracuse.

Back on February 10th, Rinehart revealed his Top-5 schools, and he included NC State, along with Syracuse, Indiana, Kentucky and Minnesota.

Rivals ranks 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.

Yesterday’s Visitors

3-Star 2026 Wide Receiver Nyqir Helton (5’11″/180) was on an unofficial visit to NC State.

Rivals ranks Helton as the #7 overall player in the state of New Jersey in the 2026 recruiting class. He holds offers from Penn St., Rutgers, UCONN, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

As a Sophomore, Helton had 33 receptions for 606 yards and 7 touchdowns for Winslow Township (Atco, New Jersey).

4-Star 2026 Running Back Jaylen McGill (5’10″/185) was on an unofficial visit to NC State.

Rivals ranks McGill as the #238 overall player nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, the #17 Running Back, and the #2 player in the state of South Carolina.

McGill holds offers from Tennessee, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Indiana.

As a Sophomore last year, McGill 1,602 yards rushing (9.1 yards per carry) and 24 touchdowns for Broome (Spartanburg, SC). He also had 88 yards receiving and 2 touchdown receptions.

3-Star 2026 Interior Offensive Lineman Steven Pickard Jr. (6’5″/300) was in Raleigh for an unofficial visit.

ON3 ranks him as the #10 overall player in the state of South Carolina in the 2026 recruiting class.

Pickard Jr. plays for Phillip Simmons in Charleston, SC.

4-Star 2025 Wide Receiver Braswell Thomas (6’2″/185) was also on campus.

Rivals ranks Thomas as the #8 player in the state of New Jersey in the 2025 recruiting class.

Thomas holds offers from Penn St., Rutgers, Tennessee, Georgia, and Nebraska.

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