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NC State’s Fence Around North Carolina is Strong

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If you haven’t been paying attention, WAKE UP!

NC State Football’s Recruiting is on another level right now. Currently, the Wolfpack’s 2019 Recruiting Class ranks 17th nationally according to 247Sports, but what is most impressive is this coaching staff’s ability to keep the best talent from leaving North Carolina.

14 of NC State’s 18 commits hail from the state of North Carolina.

4-Star Savion Jackson is the #1 player in the state, and the #1 defensive end according to ESPN.

247Sports and Rivals tank Joshua Harris as the #1 defensive tackle in the state of North Carolina, and ESPN ranks CJ Clark as the #1 defensive tackle in the state.

247Sports, Rivals and ESPN all rank Zonovan Knight as the #1 running back in the state of North Carolina.

Rivals ranks Triston Miller as the #1 Offensive Lineman in North Carolina, and the #1 Offensive Tackle.

247Sports ranks Timothy McKay as the #1 Offensive Lineman in North Carolina, and the #1 Offensive Guard.

ESPN ranks Ikem Ekwonu as the #2 Offensive Lineman.

Rivals and ESPN rank Drake Thomas as the #2 inside linebacker.

Rivals ranks Jaylon Scott as the #2 outside linebacker.

NC State has 2 of the Top-10 players in North Carolina (#2 Savion Jackson & #10 Joshua Harris) according to 247Sports. Four of the Top-20 (#20 CJ Clark & #20 Zonovan Knight). Eight of the Top-30 (#22 Drake Thomas, #26 Timothy McKay, #28 Jaylon Scott, and #29 Ikem Ekwonu). Twelve of the Top-50 (#33 Triston Miller, #36 CB Jalen Frazier, #45 WR Keyon Lesane, and #48 WR Chris Toudle.

Rivals ranks 12 of NC State’s Commits in the Top-50 as well. They rank 3 of them in the Top-10 (Jackson #2, Harris #4 and Clark #7).

Later today Khalid Martin will announce his college decision (5:30pm), and things are pointing in NC State’s direction. ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all rank Martin as the #2 Safety in North Carolina, and ESPN ranks him as the #12 player in the state.

Athlete JR Walker has named NC State his leader, and he is the #2 athlete, and the #12 player in North Carolina according to Rivals. He will announce in October.

The Wolfpack is also in a good position with the #1 and #2 cornerbacks in the state, Tyus Fields and Shyheim Battle.

When Dave Doeren came to Raleigh, he said he intended to build a fence around the state of North Carolina, that kept the best talent here.

“When I got here five years ago I talked about building a fence around this state and I do feel like we’ve made a lot of progress,” Doeren said at his December signing day press conference. (N&O)

Well, his vision is becoming a reality, and the fence just keeps getting taller and taller.

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Football Recruiting

4-Star Safety Jordan Young Includes NC State in Top-8

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4-Star 2025 Safety Jordan Young (6’0″/170) revealed his Top-8 schools today, and NC State made the cut along with Alabama, FSU, UNC, Clemson, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

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It’s not shocking that Young included the Wolfpack, because back on April 15th he shared that he had locked in an Official Visit to NC State for June 19-21. He also has Official Visits scheduled to Clemson (May 31), FSU (June 14), and Tennessee (June 21).

All 4 recruiting databases rank Young as a Top-200 prospect nationally in the 2025 recruiting class, with ESPN, 247Sports and ON3 ranking him in the Top-35. 247Sports ranks him as the #29 overall player nationally, the #2 Safety and the #2 player in the state of North Carolina.

This past season, Young had 66 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recoveries, 1 interception and 3 pass breakups for Monroe High School. On the offensive side of the ball, he had 34 receptions for 812 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Young is planning to announce his commitment on October 12th.

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4-Star Safety Jontae Gilbert Has Locked in an Official Visit to NC State

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4-Star 2025 Safety Jontae Gilbert (6’1″/180) confirmed with me that he has locked in an Official Visit to NC State for the weekend of September 27-29, and he plans for it to be his last Official Visit.

Back in July of 2022, Gilbert committed to Ohio St., but last July he decommitted from the Buckeyes.

Gilbert also has Official Visits scheduled for UCF, South Carolina and USC.

At one point, Gilbert was a 5-star prospect, but now he is a consensus 4-star prospect, and a consensus Top-275 player. Rivals ranks him as the #70 overall player nationally in the 2025 recruiting class, and the #8 player in the state of Georgia.

NC State offered Gilbert in April of last year.

Recently, he has taken unofficial visits to, or been visited by Louisville, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia St., Oregon, Clemson, Texas and South Carolina.

While he doesn’t have an Official Visit set up with Georgia, the Bulldogs are obviously a big player in Gilbert’s recruitment.

Gilbert plays for Douglass High School in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Football Recruiting

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

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

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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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