NC State scouting superlatives: Under Armour’s Charlotte camp
TheWolfpacker.com hit the road this weekend for its final stop on Under Armour’s spring camp tour. NC State football prospects in the 2025 and 2026 classes gathered at Mallard Creek High in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a day full of competition.
Pack tight end commit Gus Ritchey played well on both sides of the ball, wide receivers Malik Clark and Jerel Bolder stood out and quarterbacks Faizon Brandon and Jayvon Gilmore showed why they are two of the program’s top signal-caller targets.
After watching all of these recruits compete, let’s hand out some superlative awards.
Offensive camp MVP: Four-star ’25 wide receiver Malik Clark
Clark has elite speed at 6-3. He recently posted a 10.55 100-meter dash time. You don’t see that combination of size and speed every day. On3 is the only recruiting service to consider him a four-star prospect for now. He was the best receiver TheWolfpacker.com watched Sunday. Clark is a smooth runner with good hands, and his height is legit. The rumor floating around camp was he clocked a 4.39 laser-timed 40-yard dash time. No one impressed me more at this camp than Clark, who will be a top priority recruit in the 2025 class this summer.
Defensive camp MVP: Four-star ’26 cornerback Samari Matthews
Samari Matthews guarded Clark better than anyone else I watched at this camp. The nation’s No. 50 prospect is a 6-0 cornerback who plays physical coverage while remaining disciplined. He won one of the defensive back MVP awards from the camp and also received an invite to the Under Armour All-American game Sunday. Ranking him at No. 50 might even be underrating the Cornelius (N.C.) Hough High star.
Top position group: Quarterbacks
The Carolina’s are packed with quarterback talent over the next couple of cycles, and a pair of sophomores really separated themselves Sunday.
Brandon, the No. 1 quarterback in the country and the No. 12 recruit overall, showcased his elite arm talent. At past camps and games, his accuracy was spotty at points. That was not the case today. It is hard to establish quarterback-receiver chemistry at these events, but Brandon consistently found his receivers on timing routes and deep passes to the end zone. He’s also starting to put on a little weight to his 6-3.5 frame. The Greensboro (N.C.) High star is truly elite and continues to take steps forward whenever I see him compete.
Keep a close eye on Gilmore— a three-star sophomore from Gaffney (S.C) High. NC State was one of his first offers, and the 6-6 quarterback visited twice this spring. His arm talent really popped Sunday. He missed on a few throws, but, when he threw an accurate ball, it looked as good as anyone at the camp. His touch on deep passes is very impressive.
Top competitor: Three-star tight end commit Gus Ritchey
Ritchey finished his defensive line one-on-one reps with blood all over his shirt. The Wolfpack commit originally planned on leaving after the defensive drills in the morning to get home for Mother’s Day, but he ended up sticking around to play tight end too.
He was fired up for the entire one-on-one competition, trading trash talk with opposing offensive linemen and backing that up with a couple of impressive reps. At tight end, Ritchey made a few impressive catches and showed the explosiveness I have been looking for from him during one-on-ones. The tight end gives 100-percent effort whether he is at an Under Armour camp or training at home in Cary. That’s one reason why he should be a productive college player for the Pack.
The prospect NC State needs to land: Wide receiver Jerel Bolder
TheWolfpacker.com will post an update on Bolder’s recruitment Sunday evening, but the priority pass catcher proved he is one of the most underrated prospects in the state. At 5-11, the Marshville (N.C.) Forest Hills High wide receiver has the athleticism and ball skills to play on the outside because he can out-jump most defensive backs. He is super explosive and continues to show why NC State has been recruiting him since his freshman year.
Miscellaneous scouting notes
*** I watched four-star ’26 Durham (N.C.) Jordan High defensive lineman Noah Clark closely Sunday. He moves extremely well for 6-3, 290 pounds and would be a perfect fit for NC State’s nose tackle position. The lineman’s one-on-one reps were a mixed bag, but he is a promising prospect.
*** Four-star ’26 defensive lineman Aiden Harris is truly an elite prospect. He’s quick, strong and already has a strong pass rushing skill set. The Weddington (N.C.) High star validated his No. 22 national ranking during this camp.
*** Hough High offensive lineman Kiande Marsh won his position’s MVP award Sunday. He does not hold any Division-I offers yet, but the 6-1, 315-pound prospect won one-on-one reps against some of the top defensive linemen in the country.
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