The Wolfpacker NC State football recruiting mailbag: Sept. 6

NC State picked up commit No. 18 in the 2024 cycle from three-star wide receiver Jimmar Boston Tuesday. He is the latest addition to a promising pass catching class that could continue to grow later this fall.

This weekend, NC State will welcome Boston and three-star linebacker Joshua Ofor back to campus for official visits. The 2024 high school class is nearly complete, but this week’s recruiting mailbag covers what the next few months could look like for the Pack and more.

The Wolfpacker NC State football recruiting mailbag

When will On3 have a recruit rating for Joshua Ofor?

On3 actually ranked Ofor this week. He is a three-star prospect with an On3 rating of 88. The Jonesboro (Ga.) Mundy’s Mill High star is considered the No. 76 linebacker nationally and the No. 67 prospect in Georgia’s 2024 class. If he committed to NC State, he would be the highest-ranked commit at his position.

How much does team performance factor into how recruits are regarded?

I think it is a bit of a bell curve. Recruits who play for larger, more successful high schools often have access to more coaches and trainers, and that helps them prepare for the jump to college football players. Coaches see and value that.

While I can not speak for any coaches on this, there is a point, in my opinion, where some talent evaluators take too much credit away from a prospect because he plays on a stacked high school team, and that is sometimes reflected in rankings.

Quarterback commit Cedrick Bailey and safety commit Brody Barnhardt are two examples of this. Both players put up huge numbers for elite programs, but their success is at times discredited by fans or media because they play for two of the top football teams in the country. I believe they should each have borderline four-star rankings based on their respective tools and on the field production.

I know this is off subject, but what is the expected weather for the game?

The torrential downpour at the 2023 spring game certainly changed that huge day of visits, so weather questions are not off topic at all. As of Wednesday afternoon, there is a chance of storms throughout the day with the temperature in the mid-to-low 80s.

What are we looking for for the offensive line?

I am not sure if you mean this offensive line cycle or just offensive line recruiting in general, so here are the answers to both.

*** NC State is pretty much done recruiting prep offensive linemen this cycle. The Pack landed three of its four top priority prospects from earlier this year— Trent Mitchell, Robby Martin and Tyler West. Deryc Plazz ended up picking Miami.

*** In general, I get the impression that offensive line coach Garett Tujague looks for offensive linemen who play with a ton of toughness, and he also looks for tall prospects. He offers quite a few 6-5 and above recruits, so it looks like he might be trying to increase the overall height of that position group.

Who of our committed recruits have not yet taken their official visits, and when are they scheduled to do so?

Most Wolfpack commits have already taken officials at this point, but a few are waiting to do so until later this year.

*** Jimmar Boston: Sept. 8-10

*** Cannon Lewis: December

*** Zane Williams: December

*** Isiah Jones: December

Just wondering if there are potential recruits left that we have a decent chance for who would raise our ranking beyond 37?

Boston’s Tuesday evening commitment bumped the Wolfpack’s recruiting ranking up to No. 36 nationally, 2 spots below where the 2023 class ended up after signing day. If Ofor and three-star wide receiver Christian Zachary join the class, it should move NC State up to around the same standing as last year.

During the 2023 cycle, the three junior college recruits drastically increased the Pack’s recruiting ranking. The highest rated prospect in the class was Bishop Fitzgerald. Red Hibbler took the No. 2 spot and Renté Hinton slotted in at No. 5.

Adding a few JUCO commitments could help the program secure a low 30s standing for this cycle.

What has made the difference in wide receiver recruiting this year versus earlier recruiting cycles?

Joker Phillips took the NC State job before the 2021 season. At that point, four-star receiver commits Jonathan Paylor and Terrell Anderson were both sophomores. This gave the Wolfpack position coach multiple years to build bonds with them and their respective families before it was time for the recruits to make their decisions.

Everyone I talk to— coaches, recruits and parents— love Phillips, and I think those longstanding relationships really paid off this cycle.

He also did a great job building a recruiting board that extended beyond the elite in-state recruits. The Wolfpack assistant evaluated and offered both Boston and Zachary once Jordan Shipp and Alex Taylor opted committed to UNC.

NC State secured a commitment from Boston this week and the Pack has a solid chance to flip Zachary later this year.

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