NC State War Room: Positive vibes and official visit intel
In the days following NC State’s spring game visit weekend, the intel from recruits continued to pour in. Going into the weekend, it looks like the Wolfpack could add another member to its 2024 class soon.
This week’s War Room takes a look at Jayden Scott’s recruitment, which will wrap up in the next few days and shares the latest news and notes from this week of NC State football recruiting.
‘24 three-star running back Jayden Scott
Earlier this week, Scott informed TheWolfpacker.com that he is ready to shut down his recruitment. The three-star running back said he made up his mind a couple of weeks ago but wanted to go through the rest of his spring visits to make sure he was making the right choice.
He has not committed privately to a coaching staff yet but plans on doing so in the next few days before announcing the decision next week. Wake Forest, NC State and Rutgers make up his final group.
Going into the decision, I view the Wolfpack as the favorite with the Demon Deacons in second place. NC State and running backs coach Todd Goebbel made Scott a top priority over the past few months, and that effort paid off in a big way.
Scott visited Stanford and California this week. As the running back considered stretching his recruitment into the summer, I was interested to see if any of his other offers, such as South Carolina or Miami, would make a push in his recruitment. It sounds like the west coast schools did not move the needle much in his recruitment, and his current decision timeline is an extremely positive development for the Pack.
The running back feels the family environment at NC State, and that, plus the constant communication from the staff since he picked up an offer in January, makes me comfortable keeping my prediction in for the Wolfpack.
‘24 offensive lineman Amare’ Grayson
Amare’ Grayson is Scott’s teammate and one of his best friends at Stockbridge (Ga.) High. He visited NC State for the spring game and holds offers from West Virginia, James Madison and Maryland right now.
“My visit was great,” Grayson told me this week. “The coaches showed a lot of love to me and my family. It was a great experience, watching their schemes and how they are fast paced.”
When I talked to Scott Thursday, he would like to team up with his current teammate at the collegiate level as well. That interest sounds mutual, based on my conversations with the running back.
NC State has not offered Grayson yet but, if the staff does extend the scholarship and Scott picks the Pack next week, I could see the interior offensive lineman joining the class. He has an official visit scheduled with West Virginia for June 10.
‘24 four-star offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal
Fletcher Westphal set a spring visit list that included each of his top 10 schools, plus NC State and Florida State. He was in Raleigh for the spring game but left after a football hit his mother in the head. Despite that, the trip went well as he continued to build his bond with offensive line coach Garett Tujague.
“It was good seeing Coach Tujague in his element at NC State and meeting one on one with Coach Doeren to learn more about the Wolfpack,” Westphal said. “There’s a good vibe there.”
The elite offensive lineman, who also holds offers from Georgia, Clemson, Auburn and many others, said he liked what he saw while on campus. He will release his top 5 schools April 30. I view NC State as a longshot to make the cut.
‘25 four-star athlete Jordan Young
I checked in with Monroe High star Jordan Young, the No. 16 recruit in the 2025 class, this week. He enjoyed his most recent trip to Raleigh, which included a receivers room meeting, practice, and conversations with wide receivers coach Joker Phillips and head coach Dave Doeren. A lot of teams are recruiting him to play both sides of the ball after his dominant sophomore season. Phillips is his primary recruiter.
NC State was Young’s first offer, and the Wolfpack made a solid early impression with the elite prospect. It is early, but I expect the Wolfpack to be one of the top schools in his recruitment moving forward. He also visited South Carolina and Notre Dame this spring.
‘24 four-star cornerback Santana Wilson
Santana Wilson’s first trip to Raleigh checked a lot of boxes and established the Wolfpack as a contender moving forward. After originally planning on dropping a top 5 later this month, the cornerback has pushed back that timeline to May.
Oregon is a team I am keeping a close eye on here, but do not overlook the family legacy pitch from NC State. A lot of the program’s staff already knew Adrian Wilson, the Wolfpack legend and Santana’s father, and the class of 2024’s No. 90 prospect said that quickly made him comfortable in Raleigh.
‘24 three-star defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam
Xavier Gilliam’s trip to NC State lasted nearly an entire day, and it sounds like he had a great time. He is quickly becoming a priority for the staff after picking up an offer Feb. 22. In addition to his recent visit, I heard he scheduled a phone call with the staff Wednesday night.
The lineman already has June official visits set with Penn State and Duke. Earlier this week, a source shared some optimism that Gilliam will end up adding a Wolfpack OV to that list. The lineman told me he is definitely considering that.
I think NC State could be a strong contender for the lineman, and the good news is that he does not plan on narrowing down his recruitment until July, so the coaching staff has plenty of time to build that relationship.
‘24 three-star cornerback Ondre Evans
Ondre Evans confirmed this week that he plans on officially visiting NC State this summer. I still feel very comfortable projecting him to the Wolfpack, but do not expect a decision any time soon. The defensive back plans on visiting Kentucky soon, per KSR+, and stopped by Georgia Tech Friday.
‘24 three-star safety Quentin Reddish
Quentin Reddish will take his NC State official visit the weekend of June 16. The coaching staff asked Reddish if the Pack could receive the final official, and Reddish made that happen. I view Wake Forest as a strong contender here, more so than Virginia Tech, the other member of his top 3. I think NC State is in a good spot going into the visits. He hopes to return to campus unofficially later this spring.
‘24 wide receiver Andrew Brinson
Andrew Brinson picked up an NC State offer Feb. 22 and, while he has not made it to campus yet, the receiver from Florida is still considering the program and plans on taking an official visit to Raleigh in the summer. UCF and Oregon State likely have the edge here, as they have already set June visits.
‘24 three-star wide receiver Isiah Canion
I confirmed with Isiah Canion that he did visit Raleigh last week. He picked up an offer from the Wolfpack and could be someone to watch going forward. Florida State, Notre Dame and others also offered recently.
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