TheWolfpacker.com’s NC State football recruiting mailbag: April 19
One of NC State’s priority prospects plans on announcing his commitment this afternoon, the spring transfer portal is open and recruits are continuing to set their official visit schedule and finalize commitment timelines this week.
TheWolfpacker.com’s subscribers sent in some awesome questions this week, so let’s dive into them. Topics this week include what I am hearing on the transfer portal, Jayden Scott, official visits and more.
Will Jayden Scott run with the Pack?
The three-star running back will officially announce his decision at 4 p.m. EST today, and I am sticking with my prediction in the Wolfpack’s favor. No school has recruited Scott harder than NC State this spring. Wake Forest and Rutgers are the other two finalists. If he chooses the Pack, he would bring tremendous home run speed and quickness to the backfield.
A note on transfer portal recruiting
Subscribers, understandably, asked a lot of portal-related questions this week. With that said, I heard from a source earlier this week that NC State has not reached out to potential transfers yet. There is not enough scholarship space on the roster to do so right now.
Is there a list somewhere on all the OVs that have been scheduled to this point?
You can find a list of official visits at the top of TheWolfpacker.com under “FB recruiting” and then the “Visits” tab. I will put together a running list on the message board today as well.
For now, here’s a list of the confirmed visitors:
June 9-11
Four-star defensive lineman Amaris WilliamsFour-star wide receiver Jordan Shipp (date not set-in-stone, but he will visit)Three-star safety commit Brody Barnhardt
June 16-18
Four-star wide receiver Terrell AndersonFour-star wide receiver Alex TaylorFour-star wide receiver Jonathan PaylorThree-star safety Quentin ReddishThree-star defensive back commit Asaad Brown II
June 23-25
Three-star cornerback Jivan BalyThree-star defensive lineman Justin TerrellThree-star offensive lineman Deryc Plazz
Are we recruiting any football junior college recruits that you are aware of?
NC State has not offered a junior college prospect yet. That usually happens later in the cycle, but the program did host a group of recruits from Louisburg College for the spring game.
In general, to what degree of certainty do you find that you are able to predict which school a recruit will pick?
It depends on the prospect. Some recruits like to keep it a total mystery, some hint at it heavily and some will just tell you where they are going. I have not missed a RPM pick since joining TheWolfpacker.com, knock on wood.
With the changes in official visit times and quantity, are we still expecting a big crowd this summer for prospects who come to the camps?
NC State slightly cut down its number of camps this summer, but I think there will still be huge crowds of prospects at each of them. Last year, Kevin Concepcion, Nathan Leacock and even Noah Rogers were a few recruits on campus during camp season despite taking official visits during that time as well.
I do not expect the visit limit to change camp season much. The local recruits who want to stop by for a day still will. In addition to the in-state prospects, I will be watching to see if Cedrick Bailey Jr. makes the trip up to throw with some of the top receiver prospects.
The coaching staff really values in-person evaluation at these camps, so they will always be super important as long as Dave Doeren is the head coach. Last year, Brandon Cisse was a camp offer and turned out to be a four-star prospect. NC State also offered Ondre Evans after a great camp performance. He was a three-star prospect at that time but has since moved into the top-100 of On3’s class of 2024 rankings.
While it is always nice to have priority rising prospects in town, these camps are crucial for class of 2024 recruits who the staff is considering offering and emerging underclassmen as well.
Cannon Lewis and Tyler Redmond are great examples of that. NC State was Lewis’ first power-five offer after he camped in Raleigh. Towards the end of his junior season, the linebacker was receiving interest from Kentucky and Cincinnati, but his relationship with defensive coordinator Tony Gibson was already too strong, and he committed to the Wolfpack really early in the cycle.
Redmond picked up his first Division-I offer from NC State during last year’s camp season. Since then, Ohio State, Tennessee and many others have extended scholarships to the class of 2025 safety, but the Wolfpack remains a contender because of his long standing bond with the staff.
A few recruits I am interested to see camp this year if they choose to do so:
’24 offensive lineman Umar Rockhead’25 quarterback Will Wilson’25 wide receiver Arrion Concepcion’25 three-star quarterback Bryce Baker’25 quarterback Zachary Lawrence ’26 quarterback Faizon Brandon’25 four-star wide receiver Shamarius Peterkin’25 wide receiver Jerel Bolder’25 tight end Gus Ritchey’25 four-star defensive lineman Isaiah Campbell’25 four-star safety Jordan Young
Without naming names do you foresee any wide receivers entering the portal?
At this time, I have not heard any buzz about wide receivers leaving the program.
Are we recruiting freshman QB Jysen Shepherd?
It seems like there is some level of interest there, but I do not know how serious it is. Faizon Brandon is the Wolfpack’s only 2026 quarterback offer right now, and I think NC State is doing a great job recruiting him so far.
I have noticed a kind of void in recruiting in the Shelby/Gastonia area. I am not local, but hasn’t that area produced a lot of good talent in the past? Is the talent in that area down or just not at the same level as it has been in the past?
This question was timed extremely well. NC State offered Trent Mitchell yesterday, a 6-6 offensive tackle from Gastonia. There is still talent in that area. Three-star edge rusher Curtis Simpson, the No. 11 athlete in North Carolina, plays for Kings Mountain high. Javarius Green, a three-star wide receiver and the No. 16 player in the state, plays for Shelby (NC) Crest High. To round out the list, three-star Shelby High defensive lineman Jaden Pierce is ranked No. 37 in the state. None of those three athletes hold an offer from the Wolfpack.
The post TheWolfpacker.com’s NC State football recruiting mailbag: April 19 appeared first on On3.
