Letter of intent No. 3: Defensive lineman Dante Johnson

• Listed by NC State at 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds. At a Nike Camp in Orlando last February, ran the 40-yard dash in 5.47 seconds and the shuttle in 5.26 seconds. Had a 29.0-inch vertical leap and did a 40-foot power ball throw, one of 26 among several hundreds to record a 40-plus heave.

Ratings:

• Rivals.com: Two stars.

• Scout.com: Two stars.

• ESPN: Three stars, No. 81 defensive tackle nationally and No. 201 player in the state.

Honors/accomplishments:

• Selected second-team All-Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel as a senior.

• Picked first-team all-district by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.

• Missed his junior season with a torn ACL.

Recruitment:

• Recruitment was slow to develop after missing junior season with knee injury.

• Central Florida offered during the spring of 2016, but during and after his senior season picked offers from Iowa State, NC State, Purdue and Tulane.

• Made a verbal commitment to Purdue on Jan. 15 but switched his pledge to NC State just 10 days later.

Recruiter of record:

Linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable.

Quotable:

“It was closer. They have a great education. The football program is amazing. I just felt like I would fit at NC State. It seems like home to me. I love NC State.” — Dante Johnson

Scouting report:

• Bit of a tweener between defensive end and tackle.

• Has good punch and explosion off the snap.

• Might best project as a three-technique defensive tackle in college if he can gain the necessary weight.

2017 projection:

The first priority will be Johnson finding his home on the defensive line. Given NC State’s veteran roster of linemen, the Pack has the luxury of likely redshirting Johnson while trying to acclimate him at a spot.