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Letter of intent No. 11: Linebacker Kamal Bonner

The 11th letter of intent comes from three-star outside linebacker Kamal Bonner of Newman Grove (Ga.) Colquitt County High.

Here is a full bio on Bonner.

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Stats

Senior: He had 125 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks in 14 games.

Junior: He had 40 tackles, two passes broken up, one caused fumble and three fumble recoveries.

Ratings

• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 68 overall player in Georgia and No. 54 safety nationally.

• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 103 overall player in Georgia and No. 100 linebacker nationally.

• ESPN: Three stars, No. 125 overall player in Georgia and No. 100 safety nationally.

Scouting Report From Colquitt Country Coach Sean Calhoun

Senior outside linebacker Kamal Bonner didn't have to work hard to get the inside scoop on being an NC State football player.

Norman Park (Ga.) Colquitt County coach Sean Calhoun previously coached at Carrollton (Ga.) High, where he had current NC State redshirt freshman center Lyndon Cooper and freshman quarterback MJ Morris.

When Bonner took his official visit to NC State on Dec. 9-11, he was able to FaceTime his coach while with Cooper and Morris from PNC Arena.

"I was able to talk to Bonner and he obviously wanted to do his homework and research on every school that offers, and then schools you want to visit," Calhoun said. "When you have players there that you have coached, I was like, 'Hey, I can get you on the phone with kids that are already there.'

"He could get a player's perspective of the head coach and the coaches in general."

The evolution of Bonner's development was impressive in that he as an all-conference performer his junior year at safety, and then was all-league his senior year at linebacker.

"He's only been a linebacker for 14 games, and to think he had that kind of production [125 tackles], and was able to grasp the defense and make calls in a short amount of time is a testament to him," Calhoun said. "That shows his football knowledge and savvy."

The other big difference is that he was around 180-185 pounds his junior year, and Bonner now thinks he's in the 210-pound range. Calhoun has been impressed with Bonner's instincts and expects his body to keep growing.

"He was just playing safety and running around, and he's got some length to him," Calhoun said. "He just had an amazing offseason and gained about 23 pounds, and was up to 205-210. We moved him to inside linebacker."

Because Bonner just has a year of playing linebacker under his belt, his best football should be ahead of him under the tutelage of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tony Gibson. Bonner will enroll for the second semester.

"I think the sky is the limit at NC State," Calhoun said. "I think he fits exactly what they do defensively at NC State. Coach Gibson and Coach [Dave] Doeren think the same thing.

"It just comes natural for him."

— Jacey Zembal

Honors/Accomplishments

• Colquitt Country coach Sean Calhoun said Bonner was named first-team all-region his senior year at inside linebacker, and also his junior year at safety.

• He received the most votes from the players on Colquitt County leadership council.

Recruitment

Bonner had picked Georgia Tech on June 27, 2022, but the Wolfpack offered him Sept. 8 and he was intrigued. Bonner decommitted after the Yellow Jackets coaching change and opened things up Oct. 25.

Bonner unofficially visited NC State on Nov. 5, and then officially visited the Wolfpack on Dec. 9-11. He committed Dec. 14 over Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Recruiters of Record

NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tony Gibson.

Quotable

“The official visit was big. I had seen them play. It was just the best place for me. One of the things I didn’t see [on the unofficial visit] was the campus.” — Kamal Bonner

2023 Projection

Bonner will likely redshirt this upcoming season.

Highlights

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