New Commit:

Chris Toudle,  3star WR/TE (Weekend of 3/17)

I did an extensive breakdown of his film in the 2019 recruiting thread on the forum.

As I mentioned in the forum, Toudle probably projects as another Y/H-Back or Hybrid Tight End, similar to what Damien Darden and Cary Angeline will play in our offense this year.

Rivals.com tends to agree with my assumption and has him classified as a 3* Tight End, while the rest of the recruiting services have him rated as a Wide Receiver.

As I also mentioned in the recruiting forum, Toudle has been a QB in his prior playing history in High School, so he is very, very athletic (also plays basketball and runs track for Hoggard HS).

In-depth Positional Breakdown: Running Backs

In my last article, I broke down our top QB targets in the 2019 class.

This week, I will be breaking down our top targets at Running Back in the 2019 class.

Running Back Recruiting Breakdown:

Des Kitchings has been very, very complimentary of the effort which Gallaspy and Person have both been applying in practice so far this spring.  With Person enrolling early, I fully expect him to contribute this year.  That being said, Gallaspy is the only scholarship senior running back which will come off the books after the 2018 season.

I think there is still a possibility that Nakia Robinson will move to slot receiver sometime during his tenure at State, leaving us with a depth chart hole at RB.  Keep in mind, Damontay Rhem will also be eligible to get carries this year after sitting out during a redshirt year because of his transfer.  He has a ton of ability and was very impressive in his first year at a different school and impressed the coaches quite a bit during his scout team experience last year.

Therefore, it’s difficult to expect how many running backs we will look to take during this current scholarship cycle.  I am going with a conservative 1-2, depending on how the carries and snaps shake out this year and whether or not a current running back moves to another position.

Running Back Targets in Detail:

We have offered 11 running back prospects scholarships during this cycle so far.

One of them, 4* Quanvarius Crouch (Harding University HS in North Carolina), will probably move to defensive end or linebacker in college, so I am not going to include him in the conversation and positional prospect breakdown below.

Running Back Prospects we have offered scholarships:

Jamious Griffin – Rome HS, Georgia

Khafre Brown – West Mecklenburg HS, North Carolina

Rahmir Johnson – Bergen Catholic HS, New Jersey

Syheam McQueen – Scotland County HS, North Carolina

Zonovan Knight – Southern Nash HS, North Carolina

Josh Henderson – Hun School, New Jersey

Devyn Ford – Stafford HS, Virginia

Tomario Pleasant – Brentwood Academy, Tennessee

Marcus Barthell – Miami Senior HS, Florida

Jaren Mangham – Cass Tech HS, Michigan

Already Committed to Us: None

Already Committed Elsewhere: Zonovan Knight

Individual Breakdown:

Jamious Griffin – 5’10”, 2015.  #42 running back in the country (3*) on Rivals, #38 running back in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and scout, NR (3*) on ESPN. Reportedly to South Carolina, State, and Cincinnati are reportedly his top three schools.  He has recently visited Raleigh.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/5496662/Jamious-Griffin

Junior Stats: 178 carries for 1,276 yards and 28 Touchdowns, 13 catches for 213 yards and 1 Touchdown

Breakdown: Good footwork in open field allows him to get in and out of cuts efficiently, more of a between the tackles type of runner instead of a perimeter type of back, good speed but not great, runs upright too much at times.  He reminds me a lot of Gallaspy because of his size and ability to run between the tackles.

Khafre Brown – 5’11”, 170, 4.38 40.  #10 running back in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and scout, #30 wide receiver in the country (4*) on Rivals, #29 wide receiver in the country (4*) on ESPN. Reportedly looking more at out of state schools like Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, etc.  With our staff, I don’t think many recruits are untouchable, but since most services are projecting Brown will wind up as a wide receiver, we might be cooling on him.  Since Eddie Faulker is responsible for recruiting the Charlotte area, I don’t think we are completely out of it for Brown.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/7304096/Khafre-Brown

Junior Stats: 19 catches for 212 yards and 2 Touchdowns (was reportedly injured for a big part of the season).

Breakdown: Great speed in the open field, good hands downfield, definitely a vertical threat in the passing game, not utilized a lot in the running game in high school which makes me think that his size is probably smaller than the reported 170.  I can definitely see the 4.38 40 on film, but I think most projections are dead on that he will be a wide receiver in college and not a running back.

Rahmir Johnson – 5’9″, 175.  #21 running back in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and scout, NR (3*) on ESPN, #12 running back in the country (4*) on Rivals.  Reportedly looking a lot at Rutgers and Boston College lately.  With him attending a private school in New Jersey, I could definitely see him going to Boston College.

Film: http://www.hudl.com/profile/7602468/Rahmir-Johnson

Junior Stats: 90 carries for 555 yards and 6 Touchdowns, 11 catches for 97 yards and 2 Touchdowns

Breakdown:  This guy is the real deal.  Very shifty in space, runs behind his pads very well, very difficult to bring down in the open field.  Strong at the point of attack, plays bigger than his listed weight of 175.  I’d love to think that we could land him, but I think Boston College is probably the team to beat now.

Syheam McQueen – 6’0″, 185.  NR (3*) running back on Rivals, #55 running back in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and scout. Reportedly down to State and South Carolina as his top schools.  Played behind #1 RB Zamir White at Scotland County HS the last two years.

Film:https://www.hudl.com/profile/8003363/Syheam-McQueen

Junior Stats: 101 carries for 773 yards and 9 Touchdowns, 5 catches for 43 yards

Breakdown: Another tough between the tackles type of runner, he plays a wide variety of roles in the offense at Scotland County, versatility reminds me some of J-Sam because he can flex out as an H-Back and can be very effective blocking downfield, can be shifty in the open field when carrying the ball, but also can lower his shoulder and pick up tough yardage between the tackles.  I think that we have a very good chance to land McQueen.

Zonovan Knight – 5’11”, 176, 4.52 40. The #9 running back in the country (4*) on Rivals, #20 running back in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and scout, NR on ESPN.  Currently committed to Duke (committed on 3/3/18), I do not think his recruitment is completely over with.  He has several family connections to State (uncle played football at State).  Very, very productive running back who has seen his recruitment explode since he had a dominate junior season.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/5077732/Zonovan-BAM-Knight

Junior Stats: 142 carries for 1,877 yards and 27 Touchdowns, 3 catches for 20 yards.

Breakdown: There is not much that he cannot do on the field.  He can make plays, no matter where he is located on the field.  A bigger, faster version of J-Sam.  Highlights had him lining up all over the place such as H-Back, Tight End, Slot Receiver, etc.  I was completely surprised when he committed to Duke. I do not think that Knight’s recruitment is over by any stretch.  I fully anticipate that we will continue to do whatever we can to get him on campus just like we did with Taiyon Palmer (there are two more early Duke commitments that State is still heavily after, one CB and one WR).

Josh Henderson – 6′, 200. 4.5 40.  The #31 running back in the country (3*) on 24/7 sports and scout, #14 running back in the country (4*) on Rivals, NR on ESPN.  Currently very interested in Rutgers, UConn, Maryland, and Boston College.  Attends Hun School, a very elite academy in New Jersey.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/4517581/Josh-Henderson

Junior Stats: 117 carries for 1,395 yards and 13 Touchdowns, 15 catches for 297 yards and 1 Touchdown

Breakdown:  On film, he plays like he is a lot bigger than 200 pounds.  A load to bring down in the open field, cuts adequately when blocking breakdowns but needs quicker feet and quicker lateral speed, good hands in the passing game, uses his size a lot to make catches but made a lot of catches from a slot type position instead of out of the backfield.  He would be a great fit for our offense because his high school team runs a lot of the same power zone type plays that we run with a H-Back/TE blocking back across the formation.  Similar to what I said about Knight, we are starting to recruit New Jersey extremely well and I think if we can get Henderson on campus, we stand a good shot at landing him.

Devyn Ford – 5’11”, 185, 4.48 40. The #5 running back in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and scout, the #1 running back in the country (5*) on Rivals, the #13 running back in the country (4*) on ESPN.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/4517581/Josh-Henderson

Junior Stats: 246 carries for 2,056 yards and 32 Touchdowns.

Breakdown: The best running back in the 2019 class on purpose, does everything well.  An elite athlete in all facets.  Will start immediately at whatever school he chooses.  He announced his top 6 in early February 2018 and they were Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson, and Oklahoma.  Most pundits are saying that he will wind up at Virginia Tech, but I think Penn State also stands a great chance of landing him.  I don’t think our coaches are going after him any more, but his name was worth mentioning because we offered him a scholarship very early and had a slight chance with him until the bigger dogs got involved.

Tomario Pleasant – 5’11”, 185.  The #97 running back in the country (3*) by 24/7 sports and scout, NR on Rivals, NR on ESPN.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/5470364/Mario-Pleasant

Junior Stats: 1,351 rushing yards and 16 Touchdowns

Breakdown: NC State was the first Division 1 scholarship for Pleasant, so we have become of one his top schools.  He reminds me of Nakia Robinson on film, explosive with the ball in his hands but will not wow with his size or bulk on film. Not the biggest back we are pursuing but one of the most shifty in space.  He has great acceleration when he finds the hole, gets to the edge quickly. Needs to add some weight and bulk to be a little harder to bring down in the open field, but has a quicker burst and acceleration than a few of the backs who I have already reviewed.  Look for us to get him on campus sometime this summer.

Marcus Barthell – 5’8″, 168.  Unrated 3* on Rivals, NR on all other sites.

Film: http://www.hudl.com/profile/5489189/Marcus-Barthell

Junior Stats: 43 carries for 304 yards and 5 Touchdowns, 8 catches for 75 yards

Breakdown: Barthell is very undersized compared to most of the backs we are recruiting. However, he makes up for less than ideal size by his speed and versatility. His highlights show him doing everything from receiving screen passes to running simple dive plays.  He will need to add at least 20 pounds to become an effective weapon in college, but he shows a lot of promise on film.  The CBS Station in Miami has said he is “an off the radar talent who will emerge in the fall of 2018 with a new coach who will make him a featured part of the offense.”  I think we could use him because of his versatility and open field speed, especially on special teams. However, I think he is definitely a backup option to some of the other smaller type backs we are recruiting (Knight, Griffin, Pleasant).

Jaren Mangham – 6’2″, 217. 4.58 40.  The #15 running back in the country (4*) on Rivals, the #22 athlete in the country (4*) on 24/7 sports and scout, #13 athlete in the country (4*) on ESPN.

Film: https://www.hudl.com/profile/7027946/Jaren-Mangham

Junior Stats: None available

Breakdown: Mangham is a very large running back, when used in that role by his high school. His film reminds me a lot of Ricky Person (fluid, big bodied athlete who excels in multiple aspects of football). Cass Tech is such a football powerhouse that they have 10 Division 1 prospects a year.  Mangham uses his size in the open field to overpower other players.  Mangham’s frame and athleticism might lead to him playing linebacker in college instead of running back.  Rumored to be leaning towards Michigan and Michigan State lately.