Commitment decision preview: 3-star DL Justin Terrell

Justin Terrell is NC State’s top nose tackle prospect, and he will announce his collegiate decision July 12 at 5 p.m. EST. The Rome (Ga.) High defensive lineman has a longstanding bond with the Pack which has helped establish the program as one of his top two schools heading into the commitment.

UNC, Virginia, Cincinnati and Indiana join NC State as the final 5 teams under consideration for the three-star class of 2024 prospect. He officially visited Virginia June 2-4, North Carolina June 15-17 and NC State June 23-25.

That weekend in Raleigh pulled NC State even at the top of Terrell’s recruitment. Wolfpack defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland hosted him during the trip.

“The visit went good for me,” Terrell said after his official visit. “Me and my family enjoyed ourselves down there, hanging with the players late at night, laughing and enjoying each other.”

Based on intel from behind the scenes, it sounds like UNC has emerged as the other top contender in his recruitment.

Following his trio of officials , he dropped the top five and set his commitment date for Wednesday. The former Wake Forest commit then met with his high school coaches to discuss the finalists. NC State was still in contention following that meeting, and Terrell shared July 1 that his recruitment remained neck and neck.

All of the buzz around his recruitment over the past few days indicates this is a very close race between the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack. Terrell’s final official visit with NC State, and a continued recruiting effort afterwards by the program since then, helped the Pack generate some positive momentum going into tomorrow’s decision.

The Pack coaching staff, specifically defensive line coach Charley Wiles and head coach Dave Doeren, have been recruiting him for nearly 6 months, and those bonds matter.

During his junior football season, the 6-2, 285-pound nose tackle recorded 54 tackles, 7 for loss, and 4.5 sacks for a 12-2 Rome High squad.

The On3 Industry Ranking considers Terrell the No. 99 defensive lineman in the nation, the No. 1,009 prospect overall and the No. 119 recruit in Georgia. UNC leads his Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) at 34.2 percent.

What’s next for NC State defensive line recruiting?

Terrell is one of two remaining prospects on NC State’s 2024 defensive line board, joining three-star Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater High athlete Josh Alexander-Felton. They both officially visited NC State in June and have emerged as the program’s priority recruits at the position.

If the Wolfpack lands commitments from both of them, that will likely make up the complete defensive line class for this year alongside Chase Bond, who committed to the Pack in June. With that said, if either prospect heads elsewhere, the defensive line board will likely have some knew names by the fall.

The post Commitment decision preview: 3-star DL Justin Terrell appeared first on On3.