The Wolfpacker NC State football recruiting mailbag: Aug. 16

NC State picked up two more commitments over the weekend and could add more talent to the class in the near future. With 16 rising seniors already pledged to the program, the focus is already starting to shift towards 2025. The Wolfpack picked up two junior commits this summer.

This week’s mailbag addresses questions about both recruiting cycles, some thoughts on the 2023 class and more.

The Wolfpacker NC State football recruiting mailbag

Who are 3 recruits who you feel could be the next 2025 commitment for State?

Now that Will Wilson and Gus Ritchey have committed to the Pack, expect a bit of a break in commitments for the 2025 class. Most junior prospects will likely lock in for their football seasons and then focus on recruiting afterwards.

Here are three names to keep an eye on later this fall.

1) Three-star wide receiver Arrion Concepcion: The sibling legacy recruit loves NC State, and the Wolfpack is the favorite to land his commitment right now. With that said, I expect his offer list to expand quickly this fall, which could change the outlook of his recruitment. He recently told TheWolfpacker.com that he plans on waiting until next summer to make his decision.

2) Three-stare wide receiver Jerel Bolder: The in-state receiver from Marshville has visited campus a few times and thinks highly of the program. He holds an impressive offer list already, and the Pack will have plenty of competition in his recruitment. Wide receivers coach Joker Phillips began making him a priority more than a year ago. NC State will be a top contender in his decision-making process.

3) Three-star cornerback Tyler Redmond: The elite defensive back has an extremely impressive offer list filled with Power Five schools. He returned to campus this summer and plans on making it back for a game day in the fall. ON his most recent trip to Raleigh, Redmond shared that NC State is a serious contender in his recruitment. I think his strong bond with cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell is going to keep the Wolfpack involved here.

Best percentage guess that Alex Taylor flips from UNC to NC State? Will there be room for him in the class?

I do not like giving out percentages in these situations because recruiting is so fluid. Right now, I expect Alex Taylor to stick at UNC. He seems locked in and, when TheWolfpacker.com spoke with him recently, he seemed happy to be done with his recruiting process.

Jonathan Paylor and Terrell Anderson will be in his ear though. His fellow four-star receivers have both said they are recruiting him to form a historic class at NC State. The chances at a flip are low but certainly higher than zero.

Of our 16 commitments for 2024, who of them do you expect will be enrolling early?

So far, these five recruits have shared their plans to enroll early.

Four-star wide receiver Terrell AndersonThree-star running back Duke ScottThree-star linebacker Zane WilliamsThree-star linebacker Cannon LewisThree-star defensive back Asaad Brown IIThree-star safety Brody Barnhardt

This list will likely grow, but three-star defensive line commit Justin Terrell and Paylor both plan on finishing up their high school track careers next year, so they will not enroll early. Three-star running back Isiah Jones was also undecided on his enrollment date when he committed this summer.

Based upon overall needs at this point given current commitments, which position group is now the priority?

NC State’s quarterback, running back, defensive line and safety classes are all full right now. The only position groups I could see the Pack taking more than one more prep commit right now are receiver and linebacker, making those the two priorities going into the fall.

Earlier this summer, a source indicated that the Wolfpack would like to sign at least three receivers in this class. With two already committed, I could see NC State pushing for one of Jimmar Boston and Christian Zachary before spending the rest of the cycle trying to flip Taylor.

The Pack holds two linebacker commits, and the program wants to sign at least three athletes at that position every cycle. A class of four prep athletes is definitely on the table this year. Joshua Ofor and Jacorey Stewart are the main candidates to fill those spots.

The 2023 class was ranked 6th in the ACC, not counting transfers. We had two four-star recruits. When you add the transfers, we had six four-star recruits. Where would you rank that class with the big time transfers included?

NC State brought in a really impressive transfer class, so I took a look at the five programs ranked in front of the Wolfpack— Baylor, North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Nebraska. While the Pack did bring in a few highly regarded transfers, so did those schools. NC State would probably have an argument to jump past UNC in the rankings, but the rest of that group would likely remain as it is now.

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