Letter of intent No. 7: Outside linebacker Torren Wright
The seventh letter of intent comes from four-star linebacker Torren Wright of Kannapolis (N.C.) A.L. Brown High.
Here is a full bio on Wright.
Stats
• Senior: Wright had 116 tackles (71 solo), 13 tackles for loss, four sacks and three interceptions in 10 games. He added three catches for 33 yards and a score, plus a kick return for 10 yards.
• Sophomore: Wright had 84 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and 25 hurries in nine games.
Ratings
• Rivals.com: Four stars, No. 22 outside linebacker in the country and No. 8 overall in the state of North Carolina.
• 247Sports: Four stars, No. 29 linebacker nationally and No. 8 overall in the state.
• ESPN: Four stars, No. 32 outside linebacker in the country and No. 11 in the state.
Scouting Report With A.L. Brown Coach Mike Newsome
Kannapolis A.L. Brown coach Mike Newsome half-joked that he finally has sent a player to NC State.
Newsome has coached some talented players over the years at Wadesboro (N.C.) Anson County High, Matthews (N.C.) Butler and now at A.L. Brown, but none have picked NC State until Wright came along. The Wolfpack landed a good one.
“Torren had an unbelievable senior year,” Newsome said. “He was a senior leader at linebacker. He made a bunch of plays all over the field and a couple of big picks, fumble recoveries and some caused fumbles. He just had a fantastic year for us.”
NC State started recruiting Wright with earnest during his sophomore year. The Covid pandemic altered the recruiting landscape his junior campaign last spring. One of NC State’s assistant coaches gave the Wolfpack a built-in advantage.
“He had great sophomore film,” Newsome said. “He already had his name on people’s radar and NC State had come in to recruit him. They did a great job.
“Tony Gibson, the defensive coordinator, has been a friend of mine for a long, long time. He’s an unbelievable football coach and an unbelievable person.”
Wright improved playing in space during his senior year, which he’ll need for when he plays at NC State.
“Now, with the offenses being what they are and running RPO’s and things like that, you have to line up a lot of times in man coverage,” Newsome said. “As an outside linebacker or even an inside linebacker, you have to be able to guard a guy who is smaller and quicker than you in man coverage.”
Another area Wright improved from his junior year was being more of a vocal leader.
“Sometimes juniors allow the seniors be leaders,” Newsome said. “His vocal leaderships was something I was really impressed with this year.”
Wright will enroll at NC State for the spring semester, so he’ll be ahead of his freshman classmates, who are mostly waiting for summer school. Newsome said he’s a five-star prospect in the classroom and as a leader.
“We have that [early enrollment] all set up,” Newsome said. “I believe they start on Jan. 10.”
Wright played both outside linebacker and inside linebacker if needed. Newsome thinks he could thrive at middle linebacker in college.
“I had a former player, Peter Kalambayi [at Butler High], who went out to Stanford, and now he’s with the Houston Texans,” Newsome said. “He reminds me a lot of Peter and plays the same position that Peter did for us at outside linebacker. Now, Peter is in the NFL playing inside linebacker.
“I think that is the path Torren will go because he has the body size to be that big physical guy. He’s at 220-225 now, and he’ll be 230-245 guy eventually.”
Honors/Accomplishments
Was selected to the Carolina Bowl All-Star Game on Dec. 12.
Wright was named the Greater Metro defensive player of the year.
Wright earned a spot in the Queen City Bowl.
He was selected as a WSOC TV Big 22 player in the Charlotte area.
Recruitment
Wright narrowed his options to Duke, NC State and West Virginia, and made an official visit to the Mountaineers, before choosing the Wolfpack on June 3, 2021. Nine colleges offered Wright, with NCSU offering him June 2, 2020.
Recruiter of Record
NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tony Gibson.
Quotable
"Coach Gibson and coach Merci [Falaise] were just honest with everything. They told me everything up front and never lied to me. They want me to play the SAM. I feel very good about that spot. I feel like I'll be able to excel at a high level." — Torren Wright
2022 Projection
Normally a player of Wright’s ability would be a candidate to play right away, or least tried on special teams, but the Wolfpack are stacked at linebacker for next year. He could still get his four appearances and then preserve his redshirt status.
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