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Hillside running back Jamal Elliott is one of the best young running backs in the state of North Carolina.  With a talent like Elliott right down the road, NC State didn’t waste anytime, and started recruiting him during his Freshman season.

“NC State wanted me to come up there when they played Florida St., and that’s when they really started recruiting me,” said Elliott. “I started going up and visiting some of their camps after that.  My coach told me they were showing me a lot of love.”

Elliott has visited NC State on numerous occasions, but his most recent visit was on July 24th for the Alpha Wolf Showcase that was held in the Close-King Indoor Facility.

“I’ve been to NC State a couple of times,” said Elliott. “The last time I visited was during a camp in the new indoor facility (Alpha Wolf Showcase).  They offered my cousin DaeShawn Stephens that night.”

Elliott’s cousin Stephens is a 2016 Wide Receiver who also plays for Hillside High.  Stephens didn’t waste anytime after receiving NC State’s offer.  He committed while he was on campus that night.

Elliott told me that his meeting with the NC State coaches that night went well.

“I talked with Coach Doeren, but mainly talked to Coach Kitchings,” said Elliott. “In the meeting we went over plays, and looked at what was right, and what was wrong.  It was a good meeting.”

A majority of NC State’s top recruiting targets, regardless of class, were in attendance at the Showcase, and Elliott enjoyed getting to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the country.

“I got to see some top players, and I also got to see some 2018 running backs,” said Elliott. “I got to meet the #3 running back in my class.  It was good to get to bond with them.”

Attending a college that is close to home is an important factor for many players, but not for Elliott.  He told me that he is looking forward to packing his bags.  Elliott holds offers from Boston College, Charlotte, Duke, Wake Forest, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Vanderbilt.  At this point NC State hasn’t offered yet, but if they did, they could cause the young man to reconsider his itch to travel.

“I’m not looking forward to staying home.  I’m looking to go far,” said Elliott. “If NC State offered, that would be a great offer.  Maybe they could change my mind.  You never know.”

Freshman Season Highlights

Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Football Recruiting

3-Star DT Drayden Pavey is Taking an Official Visit to NC State

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3-Star 2025 Defensive Tackle Drayden Pavey (6’3″/305) will be taking an Official Visit to NC State on June 18th. He also has Official Visit’s scheduled for Purdue, Wisconsin and Arizona.

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ON3 ranks Pavey as the #4 player in the state of Kentucky (Robert A. Taft High/Burlington, KY)

NC State has already made quite the impression. They only offered him on April 24th. Getting an Official Visit scheduled a week after offering a player is a good sign.

When Pavey released his Top-8 back in February, NC State was obviously on the list. It consisted of Miami (OH), Toledo, Boston College, West Virginia, Pitt, Cincinnati, Indiana and Purdue. Wisconsin is also new to the scene, offering Pavey on April 21st.

As a Junior, Pavey had 46 tackles 7.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss.

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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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Football Recruiting

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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