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Charlie Symonds breaks down decision to pick NC State

Watertown (Conn.) Taft School rising senior tackle Charlie Symonds always had a special spot in his heart for NC State, and the timing felt right a week ago.

Symonds had officially visited NC State on June 3-5, but the Wolfpack legacy was no stranger to knowing the program.

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The 6-foot-8, 280-pound Symonds is the son of former NC State kicker Toby Symonds, who played for the Wolfpack from 1989-90. He originally played soccer for NC State and then made the move to football.

“We had a great weekend down in Raleigh, getting to see the school, the facilities and hanging out with the other recruits and their families,” Symonds said. “We were in the meeting with [NCSU offensive line] Coach [John] Garrison on Sunday and he said ‘You have to figure out what you are looking for.’ Right then I knew that what I was looking for was right there at NC State.”

Symonds had attended the 2021 spring game, and the big comeback win over North Carolina on Nov. 26 at Carter-Finley Stadium. NC State offered the next day Nov. 27. In fact, he just recently re-watched the Wolfpack’s win over their rival.

“I just rewatched that game,” Symonds said. “Honestly, when we were there, we were getting pretty nervous, and then miracle after miracle. One of the most exciting games I’ve ever watched. And to have been there and then in the locker room after, it was something I’ll never forget.”

The relationship with Garrison got stronger with each passing month.

“As soon as I met Coach Garrison, I knew that I could become the player I want to be with him as my coach. He showed me the offense NC State runs and how I can be very effective. I’m already working on a lot of the stuff we talked about.”

Toby Symonds was originally recruited by former NC State soccer coach George Tarantini, who passed away in 2019. Tarantini had Toby Symonds in his club program in New York.

Charlie Symonds has heard a lot of stories over the years.

“Not gonna lie, some of my dad’s funnier stories are probably better left for him to tell himself,” Symonds said. “He has some good ones. One of his favorite stories is trying out for the football team as a soccer player, putting pads on for the first time and basically kicking off against Wake like a week later.

“He loved his time at NC State. We watched a lot of NC State games growing up and he took my brothers and me down for a few reunions. We have worn a lot of Wolfpack T-shirts over the years.”

Symonds attended camps at Georgia and Clemson in June, and he has been unofficially visited USC, California, Stanford, UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College and Rutgers.

“To be honest, the more schools I saw the harder the decision was,” Symonds said. “If I could change my recruitment process, I wish I would have committed after the UNC game. Everyone’s advice to me was to see as many schools as I could before making my decision. The reality was I knew after that game. I remember telling my brothers after the game that this was where I wanted to go.”

Symonds is one of three offensive linemen commits for NC State, joining West Charlotte (N.C.) High senior Darion Rivers and Alpharetta (Ga.) High senior Obadiah Obasuyi.

“It’s really exciting to see the O-Line growing,” Symonds said. “I have reached out and hope we all have a chance to meet this summer. I’m psyched for our future success together.”

Symonds has been boarding school since middle school, so the adjust to being on his own at NC State, shouldn’t be too difficult. He’s from around South Kent, Conn., which is about 45 minutes from school.

The recruiting process has been a journey, but he agreed with one of coach Dave Doeren’s main messages.

“Coach Doeren said ‘Don’t listen to what other people say you should or shouldn’t do. Just follow your heart,’” Symonds said. “That’s when I knew for sure.”

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