NC State’s class of 2023 had a lot of ebbs and flows, with busy time periods last June and this past few weeks in December.
Here is a look at how the Rivals.com No. 41-ranked recruiting class came about, though some new additions could be added in February. The Wolfpack have 87 players on scholarship.
Easiest recruitment: Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage quarterback Lex Thomas never needed a second scholarship offer. Once the Wolfpack offered, it was done, and he committed July 23, 2021. He’ll be the third Thomas brother to play for NC State coach Dave Doeren, joining linebacker Drake Thomas and wide receiver Thayer Thomas.
Hardest recruitment: How about a tie? NC State went head-to-head with North Carolina on Charlotte (N.C.) Chambers wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, and Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central offensive lineman Kamen Smith, and won. Concepcion was offered June 23, 2021, so if there is a tie-breaker, he’d get it for the length of the battle. North Carolina didn’t offer him until Feb. 4, 2022, and that might have played a role in the Wolfpack earning his commitment.
Biggest surprise recruitment: This might be where Naples (Fla.) High running back Kendrick Raphael fits in. The Rivals.com four-star prospect looked to be leaning toward NC State following his official visit, but then he officially visit Iowa and quickly committed June 13, 2022. That proved very surprising. He then backed off the Hawkeyes commitment Sept. 21, 2022. NC State was quickly back in the mix, but the question was what other schools would join them. Penn State and Oregon offered him, but he still picked NC State on Nov. 29.
Most immediate impact: It would be surprising if any of the class of 2023 ended up being full-time starters, but the two junior college signees should have key roles on the depth chart. Defensive end Jy’Keveous Hibbler of Northwest Mississippi Community College and cornerback Terrente Hinton of Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C. are both Rivals.com three-star prospects, who helped their respective programs have successful seasons.
Best long-term impact: Havelock (N.C.) High tight end Javonte Vereen wouldn’t have fit in every offense, but the hunch is that he’ll continue to be a great fit for what new offensive coordinator Robert Anae will do. He’s the size of a wide receiver at about 6-2 and 205 pounds, and had a terrific senior season. He should be a matchup nightmare at some point in his NC State career.
Who could out-play ranking: Alpharetta (Ga.) High tackle Obadiah Obasuyi has terrific size at 6-7 and 285 pounds, and he played some defensive line his junior year. Rivals.com has him as a three-star prospect and a 5.6 rating, which projects him as a potential all-conference player and a potential NFL Draft prospect. NC State would take both of those traits, but he could climb the latter during his NC State career due to his combination of great size and football IQ.
Who flipped?: NC State had a handful of players that were committed to other colleges. All three outside linebackers fell into that category — Rohan Davy (Cincinnati), Kamal Bonner (Georgia Tech) and Kelvon McBride (Vanderbilt). Raphael also started off as an Iowa commit. Maybe not a true flip, but tackle Rico Jackson was previously an Illinois commit last summer.
Who decommitted? NC State lost running back Kyron Jones and left tackle Charlie Symonds in the last few weeks of recruiting, nickel Tamarcus Cooley on National Signing Day. Symonds, a NC State legacy prospect, was lost due to offensive line coach John Garrison going to Ole Miss. He is going to Stanford. Jones officially visited both Georgia and Nebraska, so his decommitment wasn’t a total shock, and he picked the Bulldogs to play defensive back. Cooley flipped to Maryland on Wednesday, and will play either wide receiver or defensive back.
Biggest recruiting battle: Four-star safety Daemon Fagan of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage picked NC State over Miami (Fla.), LSU and Ohio State. It was an impressive recruiting victory for NCSU safety coach Joe DeForest. The Hurricanes kept trying during the fall, but he stayed loyal to the Wolfpack. Rivals.com ranks him No. 221 overall in the nation.
Biggest miss: NC State had Rolesville (N.C.) High senior wide receiver Noah Rogers on campus for three years, but he might not have ever officially visited. The big-play expert came down to Ohio State, NC State and North Carolina, among others, and he picked the Buckeyes on June 22. After all the hype over the last several months about flipping to the Wolfpack, there was little buzz this past week. Rivals.com ranks him No. 87 overall in the country in the class of 2023. New Bern (N.C.) High defensive tackle Keith Sampson (Florida State) and Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan interior offensive lineman Sam Pendleton (Notre Dame) would be the next wave.
Most surprising miss: Symonds wasn’t the only NC State legacy prospect to end up at another college. NC State was Raleigh Millbrook senior wide receiver Nathan Leacock’s very first offer, and his father did track and field at NCSU. Leacock, who unofficially visited NC State often, ended up having a national recruitment. He picked Tennessee over NC State on July 22, and went on to catch 82 passes for 1,703 yards and 23 touchdowns his senior year. Rivals.com ranks him No. 93 overall in the country.
Any players left?: NC State will continue to aggressively go after transfers to fill out the roster. One obvious high school target left on the board is uber-productive wide receiver Elijah Caldwell of Rock Hill (S.C.) Northwestern High. The former West Virginia commitment will officially visit NC State on Jan. 13-15.
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