Breaking News: NC State

Somebody is jealous.

 

holy shit

 

Either the coaching isn't all that bad or some of those recruiting gurus don't know shit.

 

stars

 

College football recruiting: N.C. State's hot start drawing interest from prospects

Recruiting by Sammy Batten


A 4-0 start that's the best since 2002 may already be having subtle effects on N.C. State's recruiting efforts.

For example, there's been a higher-than-normal demand by prospects desiring to attend Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference showdown with Virginia Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Other recruits, such as the state's No. 1-ranked Stephone Anthony of Anson County, say they've taken notice of the Wolfpack's fast start.

Matt Carter, editor for The Wolfpacker website on the Rivals.com network, believes more will be known about the real impact of N.C. State's start after the Virginia Tech game.

"There will be a lot of recruits at that game,'' Carter said. "The demand to come see N.C. State games is increasing.''

Carter said at least three of the prospects in attendance Saturday will be making official recruiting visits. They are:

Dave Mann, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end from Lithonia, Ga. N.C. State was the first to offer Mann back in August, and he watched the Wolfpack knock off Georgia Tech last Saturday in Atlanta. Mann also has an offer from West Virginia.

Darrell Williams, a 6-5, 245-pound offensive tackle from Orlando, Fla. Williams has offers from Colorado State, Florida International, Florida State, Mississippi, N.C. State, South Carolina, South Florida and Central Florida. South Florida appears to have the edge presently, but the Wolfpack is getting his first official visit.

Frankie Williams, is a 5-10, 175-pound cornerback from Tampa, Fla. Williams has already taken one official visit in September to Purdue. He has other offers from Cincinnati, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Towson, Vanderbilt, Washington State and Western Kentucky.

Help for the D-line
The Wolfpack currently has seven oral commitments, but none of those play the positions Carter believes are the top recruiting priority for the Class of 2011.

"They need to restock the defensive line,'' Carter said.

N.C. State's current depth chart includes three seniors and a junior as the starters and backups at the end positions, and a senior, two juniors and a sophomore at the tackle spots.

Seven scholarship underclassmen are behind that group, including two who have seen action this season in true freshman A.J. Ferguson and redshirt freshman Darryl Cato-Bishop.

Wide receiver and linebacker are two other spots the Wolfpack may be seeking help in recruiting, said Carter.

Normally, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien likes to have a larger part of his recruiting class in place by this time of year. But Carter believes having fewer commitments at this stage could work to the Wolfpack's advantage.

"This puts them in position to evaluate a lot of seniors who haven't been recruited heavily yet,'' Carter said. "A 4-0 start makes it easier to get in the front door with kids who may be having breakout seasons.

"They'll (N.C. State) be in better position to go after those guys than they were in early September.''

N.C. State will also have more scholarships to work with than first expected. Originally, the Wolfpack had about 15 scholarships available to offer this year. But two members of the Class of 2010 - defensive back Peter Singer and kicker Billy Bennett - did not enroll. Two other scholarship players have left the program in punter Chris Ward and linebacker William Beasley.

Two to watch
Carter said two players who could be affected by N.C. State's start are Anthony and tight end Drew Owens from Ardrey Kell High in Charlotte.

Both have the Wolfpack listed among their favorite schools, but not at the top.

"I think both of them liked N.C. State, but weren't sure about the program,'' Carter said. "I think this (start) could help validate N.C. State in their eyes and make them feel more comfortable with the direction of the program.''

 

And without John Blake around supplying money to these recruits, we might have a shot to actually land some of these guys.