Reply With QuoteSounds like we are still after 4* LB Devaris Brunson, who committed to ECU a few months ago.
His only known scholarship offers are ECU and us. Supposedly a very fast LB prospect who is underrated by many services.
Movin' on up, to the East Side.
Sounds like we are still after 4* LB Devaris Brunson, who committed to ECU a few months ago.
His only known scholarship offers are ECU and us. Supposedly a very fast LB prospect who is underrated by many services.
Last edited by packman687; 08-12-2012 at 12:02 AM.
That's the OL, Curtis from Florida, we have got set in our sights. Looks identical to the the tall, more muscle, less body weight type OL prospects that we've gone for. We've really cranked it up a few notches recruiting the Sunshine State. Four so far, maybe Curtis next, and Priester is from there up till last year.
^ The free rivals.com podcast I linked a few weeks ago talked about how our coaching staff was putting more emphasis on Florida and how they had split it up between Archer, Bridge, Reed, Kitchings, and Walters. Each coach was given a geographic part of Florida to concentrate on.
Brunson would be awesome to get on board. High motor, fast and very physical. I have a hunch the staff is hungry to get another LB. Watching Patterson play makes me think he would make a great starting FB and special teams wedge buster. We will need someone with Purvis and Winkles graduate in a couple and he fits the mold perfect (even plays FB at Crest and has soft hands catching the ball).
A few RB notes and other random notes...
Recruiting has slowed down significantly, due to the start of practice and the staff is going to be very picky with the last few scholarships, with a lot of evaluating still to be done. We are still looking to land one more OT, and few along the DL, with hopefully Desmond Owino joining this class after Hargrave. At QB, after Viviano committed to Harvard no one has stood out and right now I don't know if we take a QB in this class, and just go hard next year after one, which will be easier considering the depth chart spacing. Time will tell if the staff finds someone else they like during the season, but one thing is for sure. Only 2 scholarship QBs next season is a little scary.
-Below is good article with 2 NC State mentions:
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/201...ays-moody.html
ATH Mykal Moody, SC- Moody plays QB in HS and is the leader for his team. He is a great athlete with similar size to Russell Wilson, but does not have Wilson's arm strength or accuracy. He wants to decide within the next few months after official visits to UK, Ole Miss and us. He could end up at WR, DB, RB or even play some QB. I really like him and think he would be a good back up QB in a pinch next year and then move to whatever skill position he best fits at.
-A few RBs are still being looked at, no one is being pursued extremely hard and it will come down to scholly numbers.
FR/RB Harold Atkinson, SC- Atkinson is also in the article and mentioning NC State. I'm not sure he has a legit offer at this point. He is a bit of a tweener, not having the ideal beefy frame for FB and not having the ideal speed for RB, but he is an effective runner. He could be a take later when the scholly numbers are a little more clear.
RB Marquez Grayson, NC- As packman said he released his top 4 with VT, Tenn, Wake, and us. The staff likes him, but with 2 guys committed I would be surprised if lands here. He has good size and very good straight line speed, but not a ton a wiggle in his game.
-Finally a WR note
WR Jonathan Alston, NC- At this point Alston will give UNC and State one more visit each and try to make a decision. Again it is too close to call right now and he likes both schools. UNC may have a greater need at WR than us, but we still certainly need more impact WRs and a few of the guys in this class probably won't contribute right away. It seems it will come down to the final visits and how they go. Hopefully he loves ours and knows what he wants.
I agree Joseph. Brunson would be awesome and he looks like the top choice. The staff will for sure still land at least 1 more LB in this class. After Brunson I don't think there is a clear #2 choice, but Brunson still has concerns for qualifying.
With recruiting being slow, and my week off before school starts, here are some observations from watching sneek peeks of some State commits.
First off, wow on the Nichols kid. Nothing could be more omisleading then putting 2* and only other offer being AF Academy. Things that stand out right away-power and speed. Seriously, the guy is built like a sprinter and breaks out of his stance like one. His power is not from taking hits head on, but from his ability to never lose his form so that he just can't be fazed by arm tackles. He has what Dion Sanders called "football speed". What that means is that guys all put on their fancy outfits and shoes and run blazing 40 times, then put on pads and a helmet and things arent quite amazing anymore. A guy like Nichols runs a 40 time about the same fully dressed out because of the power and form he posseses. The only reason I could think he lacked offers is that he doesn't show a lot in cutback an elusiveness but part of that I think is due to the HS triple option they run. He doesn't have to make reads and cuts because the offense is designed to take care of that itself. He is still very much a guy we would love two sign and get started in our program. Could even grow more, and he already frame to bulk up to Creecys size and still stay fast.
The other player who really bears noting is Jack Tocho. There is nothing flashy or astonishing about his game, its just rock solid. He hits squarely like a LB at his CB position and you can tell he really likes the contact. He looked susceptible to playing man to man, though he was able to make some ground up at times. Where he was technicaly sound at was zone, where he makes great breaks on the ball using his instincts. The best way to describe him is a slightly larger version of Jarvis Byrd when he came to State as a Freshman. Tocho should RS a year and probably be in the mix at CB, and Definetly a special teams guy right away.
Two more State commits to share some my thoughts on.
Ath Marcus Edmond of SC. This guy just stands out as a player who needs the ball in his hands to be successful. Plays QB in an option attack that will air it out more than the norm. Also plays what looks like SS, but kind of roves around the field some. Athletic, decent height, not slight frame, but hardly big by anymeans, the word elusive just comes to mind. The way he outruns and slips by would be tacklers reminds me some of James Summers without the ultra athleticism. When the ball is in his hands something big is going to happen, and when there seems to nothing there he finds a crack of daylight and takes full advantage. I can't see it any other way then WR-for large part because of the yards after catch capability that is obviously there. He also has a decent gauge on what receivers need to do to get open based on his QB experience (and its a not a well known fact that QBs make good grabs-they're playing catch all the time!). His prospects playing on defense are decent, but the potential for reaching the high-level productivity leans more on Receiving in my humble opinion.
The other prospect I wanted to talk about is the one most fans no nothing about, and frankly, probably have little desire to rave over. Perhaps its that Quinton Patterson, MLB from Shelby Crest, is a two star recruit and was lost in the shuffle of the flury of recruiting commits this summer, but he is an intriqing prospect on multi levels. Film show him as a protype, straight out of the 1950s era cut version of middle linebacker. Midsized, average speed, hard hitting, straight ahead attacking style. Those traits are not hotly pursued in this day of so called "sophisticated" defensive schemes. Might be why only State a the brand spanking new Charlotte 49ers were high on him. What makes him appealing to State, and especially Tenuta, is that he has the feel and instincts for the position that could have him end up being the sleeper prospect of the class. At Crest he plays deep behind the line, makes the split second read on the play and shows an uncanny ability to be the a fierce solo tackler. He even flashed the ability to recognize pass and put himself in perfect position to get his hands on the ball, which he finished with some great use of hands to pick some off. He understands what the other team is trying to do and when you match that with Tenutas ability to keep teams guessing makes a great duo. We may only have two MLB on the roster next season, both Seniors, so to say Patterson won't get a real look at playing next year is kind of silly (though a RS year would be ideal).
If it doesn't pan out I could really see him being a solid FB, the other position he plays at Crest. Anyway you look at it, if he works his tail off, he will get an opportunity to play somewhere for us.
Thanks for the notes, Joseph... Great stuff!
Worth noting that Tocho and Nichols are both track stars in their own right. As well as Edmond from SC.Originally Posted by Joseph
Nichols reminds me of a quicker J. Washington and Dayes just reminds me of someone that could juke you or run you over, along the lines of a bigger Barry Sanders.
Look for things to pick up again about the middle of September when we start our stretch of home games. Hopefully with a good showing in the Tennessee game, we can attract some very nice visitors for the first few home games.
Yea, I just thought stirring the pot of the 2013 recruiting would be nice (anything non *NCHeat or involving Vol fans seems nice).
We should be celebrating the fact that our recruiting commits are almost full before kickoff for once. It is always interesting to disect TOB/Petetcuskie recruits considering that they have an eye for guys that can develop into All Conference mentions down the road instead of, say, FSU guys who anything less than All American is a surprise to them.
Anyone have any requests for a commit write up next? I did mention its boring here until school starts. Quick disclaimer-OL are a complete mystery to me and as rule of thumb if TOB wants them they're plenty good.
I will make a couple requests... Da'Wan Hunte and Chris Burton. I can come up with a few more as well!
Burton is a very good TE. Very underrated. Very, very good hands. Won MVP at his position at a major camp up north. I want to say it was a 5-Star Showcase Camp. Burton plays a slot position in a very interesting wing-T type offense, so he gets the ball, just not in a traditional sense that a TE in a pro-style offense would. Very good with the ball in his hands. Has room to add some bulk and become a load in the passing game and a good blocker in the running game.
And, you have to love getting guys from Virginia. RW, MG, Slay and Jay Smith come to mind. Virginia prep football is as underated as NC is overated.
I saw in some fall video clips that Asa Watson was in the same formation noted above as Burtons HS position. My guess is that its a single TB set with the H back in motion a lot playing a hybrid TE/FB role. It would be great if Watson produces in this set and paved the way for Burton to be the next.
A look at positions of need and top targets with the last few scholarships. We currently have 16 commits with 4 open spots technically, which means we can probably expect at least 5 more commits.
NEED-QB, WR, OL, DE, LB
QB-next season we will only have 2 on scholarship(RJr Thomas and So Stocker) which is too thin. It would be very surprising if we do not take one in this class, but right now I have not heard of anyone standing out, that is not already committed.
WR-we definately want to take at least one more, but we are in great positions with 3. In the likelihood of landing them I would say X. Griffin, K. Priester and J. Alston. Griffin plans on being here in Jan., I would say we have a slight lead on S. Carolina with Priester, and Alston is too close to call between us and UNC.
OL-we want one more OT and the 2 biggest names that have been thrown around are Shawn Curtis of FL and Jaryd Jones-Smith of PA, but at the moment I would be susprised if we get either of those guys.
DE-we lose 2 DEs this year and 3 next, so getting at least one in this class is important. Hopefully we can hang on to Desmond Owino. Look for DE to be a major focus in 2014.
LB-a similar situation at DE. We lose Lucas this year, but next year we will lose Caldwell, Green, Cheek and Dowdy. We are still going hard after Devaris Brunson, who wants to visit still, and he would finish this LB class perfectly.
WANT-RB, DT
RB-we have a very nice RB class, but Marquez Grayson still has interest in us. If I had to guess I would say right now, we don't land him, but the staff would still take him and anything can happen.
DT-none stand out right now and none graduate this year, but if we can get it good with a good one then we will take them.
I have not seen this posted anywhere yet, but Crowder has cut his list down to four schools and they are Clemson, Georgia, UN-Cheat and Stanford for what thats worth.
Since the guys we are recruiting now are at least a year from playing for us, and most of the Fr will redshirt I was going to take a look at guys who have been in the program for a year and are RFr now that I think will be good players for us.
3 guys with immediate impact this year
-WR Maurice Morgan-Very lightly recruited in HS with his only other offer coming from ECU if I remember. He did it all for his HS team which very rarely won and got blown out pretty often. He was mostly RB in HS so he needed time to learn WR, but this guy came in at 6'2 and around 215 lbs running a 4.39 40. If we can get the ball he his hands with his speed and solid build he can be a serious threat at a position of need.
-WR Hakeem Flowers-More heralded from HS, and has very good height and speed. Flowers can at minimum turn into a very good possession receiver, but also can make some plays after the catch.
-DT Carlos Gray-He prepped after signing with UNC out of HS in AL, and redshirted last year to get his grades working well and to learn the playbook. He should have a breakout year with Buntyn on the 2 deep at DT. Both guys are huge and really strong.
3 guys who will make a big impact in the future
-TE Benson Browne-He was one of the guys I liked most from his class. Very intelligent and very fluid athlete who is every bit of 6'5. I know he started football late and I think only started his Jr year of HS and before that was a big backetball player, which typically translate to good hands in football. He really needed time to learn football and the position, and with 3 experienced guys ahead of him this year, he may not get a ton of PT, but look out for him later down the road.
-OL Joe Thuney-late bloomer in HS and only weighed around 230-240 playing there. He moves really well and carries very little bad weight, but is still pretty light now around 265 and another year of weight will do him good which is fine with our veteran OL. He is a very smart and tough blocker though and should be a good player and contributor a year from now.
-DE Mike Rose-one of my other favorites from this class and another guy that needed to put on some weight and muscle, but how often can you get a DE who ran a 4.45 in HS and played some S and LB? He is now 6'4 and in the 230s and his potential is great if he can get stronger, but it will be interesting to see what he can do this year on the field, and even more next year with a some more weight.
Last edited by TheGuy; 08-15-2012 at 03:49 PM.
NJpack,
Doing work looking into Hunt, CB from Miami. Let me just tell you that there is more info on Romney tax returns then this recruit. Not finished investigating yet, and what info I have found leads me to believe that he fits the mold of an Archer type CB to a T (although some may not necessarily think that is awesome).
More later, but a little morsel I've got for you is "wreaking ball" of tackling.
Joseph... Thanks for taking on the challenge! I picked on Hunte because I really have not seen or heard much on him, and the film I have seen suggested (my take only) that he may be a bit small in stature. He looks quite a bit younger than his age, so I am interested in whether he continues to grow and fill out. Given that, I can say that I am impressed with the fact that he is willing to stick his nose into traffic to make the tackle with all the super-sized athletes running at him down in FL.
TheGuy... I am really looking forward to seeing Kenderious Whitehead on the field at the DE position. No slight to the other recruits, but he and Knox were the headliners for me in this incoming class (I just lean toward the DL). What are the chances that he sees the field some this year?
NJ, pretty slight unless one of our main DEs becomes injured. Whitehead has a long, lean frame which will be great for adding muscle, which he needs pretty badly. He is only in the 220s now. If you have been able to catch any of the pics of him from practice you can tell how skinny he is. He will need to put as much good weight on as possible this year, but starting next year he is going to be a terror if he can be at least in the 240s by then, and that should be no problem. He has impressed a lot of people in practice so far.
Added-the guy in picture 15 in the black shirt to the far right is Kenderius. You can tell he needs to add a lot to his core and his legs here and he would be at significant power disadvantage against a lot of OL this year.
http://ncstate.rivals.com/photofeatu...=899&fid=40496
Last edited by TheGuy; 08-15-2012 at 03:47 PM.
Target 5* OG Crowder has narrowed his list to UGA and Clemson.
Barring injury, I think the only freshman that plays and burns a redshirt will be Stocker.
Here's a good story about Hunte:
http://www.caneinsider.com/content/l...nior-day-1494/
Here's ESPN's review of Hunte:
"Hunte is a baller at defensive back who plays and competes bigger than his listed measurables would suggest. Has experience at both corner and safety. While he may start his career off at corner we feel with continued physical development he will end up at safety at the college level"
Top skills are run support and zone coverage according to ESPN.
In my opinion, this would make him a good candidate to be a field corner.
Packman, as far as I know Crowder officially only cut his list to 4, not just UGA and Clemson. He also included UNC and Stanford. I think Clemson is pretty far ahead, with UGA and UNC a possibility and Stanford not really in the running.
Also Charlie Hegedus has a pretty good shot at playing this year along with Stocker. It comes down to what the coaches think before the Tenn game and if/how ready Underwood is. Outside of him, Marchez Coates, Quincy McKinney, and Bryce Kennedy are being considered, but are extremely unlikely.
Last edited by TheGuy; 08-15-2012 at 03:45 PM.
Great read on the link on Hunt above.
Things that stand out were that Archer had been recruiting him far back, that article was from February. Typically these guys from Miami are very loyal to there commits so I have a good give he will a ok come signing day.
Another thing interesting is that he plays in one of the best HS leagues on the East Coast. The division they are in around Miami Dade is the who's who of Florida football, and typically stocks a major portion for the "U".
At 5'10" he listed anywhere from 180-185lbs. Add that he runs track and he has the physical attributes to step up early in college.
Best playing at Zone and is a ferocious tackler. ESPN labeled him a "baller" of a player. What the heck does that even mean.
I think he fits in with the group Archer typically wants. Having Amerson and Johnson at the corners standing ay 6'3" is the exception, not the rule. My gut tells me Hunter could really have an impact on special teams and a the primary "nickel" back.
TheGuy was talking about RS Freshmen, meaning from the class of 2011. Whitehead and Knox were from the class of 2012. Hope that explains why he didn't mention them.
Understood... I did not mean to pick on why the true freshman were not mentioned, just steered the original comments to a partly related thought on my part. Many thanks for all the information provided here! I cannot seem to get enough of these insights and I am really looking forward to the "product" we will be able to put on the field over next few years running.
Yeah, there's a lot of info being thrown around, most of making you wonder why these guys aren't ranked higher than they are. Oh well. They can show it as a Wolfpack member.
Leathem will be preparing as third string QB then keeping in that spot next year won't hurt any. He may not be, or ever will be BCS caliber, but he will be better then he is now. He has great size and I remember him throwing up huge numbers at Middle Creek. He's Definetly not athletic in the way you want, but if he can master the playbook and work hard on accuracy then I'm all for putting everything into '14 QB.
Not sure what is going on at Florida, but they have had 4 marquee recruits decommit in the last two weeks. This could affect recruitment of NC athletes that might suddenly have a spot at Florida that was being occupied by someone else (WR Marquez North is one of these).
Here is some video of Leatham from the summer before his senior season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6xLhGKmomQ
Leatham won several Top QB awards from the NUC Combine series after his junior season. The only knock that I saw on him were that many people said that he was a QB that was more suited for a spread offense with quick-hit passing schemes and not complex deep patterns that are a part of the pro-style offensive set. He is a high-IQ type QB that will not blow you away with any facet of his game, but he is a good player to have as a backup.
With our current QB situation, if he improves a lot under Bible's tutelage, he might earn a scholarship to replace Brosius's lost scholarship.
Last edited by packman687; 08-16-2012 at 11:47 AM.
I will probably drop a notch towards rosecolored optimist when I give this summary, but sometimes you just got to stick your head out there and proclaim what you believe in.
Jerod Fernendez, LB from St.Marys Fl, is the best prep LB we have signed in a series of good, but not outstanding classes at LB. The class with Manning, Lucas and Maddux was a big one and Fernendez is not as good a prep recruit as Manning. But, he may not have to be in order for this to work.
At 6'1" and 215 he reports about a 4.8 40 time and 32" vertical leap. I watched some video on him and was remarkably impressed by his relentless effort on each play. Another thing that became apparent, even before the ball was snapped, is that Jerod has some freakishly long arms. This made some sense that in his highlight vid it mentioned being a basketball MVP. Those two elements, the relentless chasing madness and watching him wrap up guys to be thrown to the turf reminded me off someone.
So I checked out Mate Irvings NFL Combine stats.6'1",240 lbs.40 time at 4.76.32.5" vertical.33.5" arm length (that's very long for 6'1"). Bare was a 2* recruit out of Wallace, and I'm telling you, this 3* has got the chance to come in, RS, get closer to 225lbs, and who knows. I think he can be a player like Nate and bring that relentless effort to the future Pack D.
I have questioned the 40 time of Fernandez in watching a few of the clips available to me... Do you think he is that slow? Seems to play faster, but perhaps that is instincts and the lack of false steps.
The simple answer is what is 2/10 second in a 40 time? What makes some guys able to put a time in that everyone jumps for joy for? For a track guy its easier to tweak things things here and there to finally put up up a true sub 4.6. For guys like Nate and Jerod its harder because they haven't recieved specialized training.
I think to be a four year Varsity LB in Orlando you have to be instinctive and savvy. Jerod has a 3.5 GPA and is in National Honors Society, along with getting invites to National Student Association Conferences. That's a cut above the rest without even factoring being a star football player and Bballstandout
The staff went after him hardest then any other LB commit, harder even then Bryant and others who went to SEC schools. I'm not saying he is the reincarnation of Nate, but I am saying this is not your type LB we need to RS, play special teams early and sit in the two deep for a couple years to build up. If he busts but with Coach Ed, puts 10 lbs on and remains at 4.8 40, then his baseline is still starter for many years at State, and the ceiling is the sky. We haven't brought that caliber of LB into the program since Manning.
Fernandez was reportedly timed at a 4.6 in our camp.
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