PI EXCLUSIVE: 4-Star TE Gus Ritchey Breaks Down His Commitment to NC State

This past Saturday, 4-Star 2025 Tight End Gus Ritchey flipped his verbal commitment from UNC to NC State. I caught up with Ritchey to get his take.

Less than two weeks after verbally committing to UNC, Ritchey made the tough decision of flipping his commitment to run with the Wolfpack.

“I’ve been developing a great relationship with Coach Goebbel and Quint Cottingham (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) for a couple years and once I met Coach Doeren and Anae, it strengthened even more,” said Ritchey. “When I went to UNC, I loved it and was really excited about my commitment, but I just kept thinking about State. I honestly was stressing about it so much that I wasn’t sleeping. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to decommit so quickly, but it also wouldn’t be fair to string UNC along just to make it easier for me. It was tough, but a huge weight was lifted off of me once I got it out there.”

When Ritchey initially moved here from Indiana when he was 7, his family initially was drawn to UNC, but when he stepped on campus at NC State, things began to shift.

“I actually grew up in Indiana, but once I moved here, we started out getting into UNC a little more,” said Ritchey. “Once I made my first trip to NC State that changed. I knew I fit in there right off the bat.”

UNC recruited Ritchey to play Defensive End, while NC State recruited him to play Tight End.

“Yeah, UNC liked me coming off the edge,” said Ritchey. “State has always been offense. In fact, most schools like me as a TE and thought I projected there.”

The standout out of Northwood High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina, loves the way new Wolfpack Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae uses Tight Ends in his Offense.

“He uses his TE’s all over the field. That’s exciting because it allows guys to take advantage of their strengths,” said Ritchey. “He is also a great teacher and you just want to listen to everything he says. He has been successful everywhere he goes. I can’t wait to get to work with him.”

Ritchey understands that there is a bitter rivalry between NC State and UNC, and despite his prior commitment, he is confident he will be able to embrace it.

“Oh, most definitely. There is no way I want to lose to UNC now,” said Ritchey. “If anything, it will drive me that much more. I respect UNC, but I want to make sure we win every game.”