There is a good chance that in a few years, with the benefit of hindsight, football fans will realize that the class of 2022 in the state of North Carolina was better than originally thought.

A combination of factors, mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the risk of players falling through the crack. Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford High standout receiver Terrell Timmons could have been such a case.

Colleges are facing limited scholarship numbers unless the NCAA approves a boost of the 85-team limit since eligibility was frozen in 2020. Furthermore, there was no live evaluation as the NCAA had an extended dead period that did not lift until after May 31. Finally, in the state of North Carolina, the football season was delayed until the spring and abbreviated.

For Timmons, that meant he was making his varsity debut under the most atypical scenario. Yet a few months after his first year on varsity, Timmons is verbally committed to NC State.

What makes that more impressive is that Timmons had not played receiver for Northern Guilford until his elevation on varsity, as Northern Guilford head coach Erik Westberg explained.