NC State LOI No. 4: Defensive back Nick McCloud
Defensive Back
Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe High
6-foot-2, 175 pounds
Measurables: At the Nike Opening in Charlotte, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds.
Stats:
• Senior: Made 68 tackles, including two for loss, six interceptions (two of which he returned for touchdowns), eight pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
• Junior: Made 11 tackles, an interception, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and blocked kick on defense and caught 33 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
Ratings:
• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 54 safety in the country, No. 9 in the state.
• Scout.com: Three stars, No. 117 cornerback in the country.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 92 cornerback in the country, No. 20 in the state.
• ESPN: Three stars, No. 58 cornerback in the country, No. 19 in the state.
Honors/accomplishments:
• Selected for the North-South All-Star Game in South Carolina.
• Picked to the Rock Hill Herald All-Area first team as a senior.
• Also named first-team all-state by South Carolina High School League and All-USA South Carolina by USA Today.
• Helped team to back-to-back Class AAA state titles in 2014 and 2015.
• Also plays basketball.
• Ranks 19th out of 347 in his class academically and is a National Honor Society member.
Recruitment:
• Stock rose during senior season and collected offers from Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Maryland, Northwestern, UCLA, Vanderbilt and West Virginia in addition to NCSU.
• Officially visited NC State (Dec. 4) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 22).
• Made his verbal commitment to the Pack over finalists GT, Vanderbilt and UCLA on Jan. 30.
Recruiter of record:
• Tight ends/fullbacks coach and special teams coordinator Eddie Faulkner
Quotable:
“I really like Nick’s upside. We had a chance to see him at the [Rivals] camp in Charlotte back in the spring, and he was really impressive there; made a lot of plays especially in one-on-ones.” — Rivals.com recruiting analyst Woody Wommack
Scouting report:
• Good height/length for potential cornerback.
• Has good athleticism.
• Could project either as a corner or safety in college, but preference is to play CB.
2016 projection:
McCloud joins a crowded group of freshmen at the cornerback position looking to make a quick impact since there is a lack of depth and experience there. McCloud is like fellow signee J.J. Givens in that he needs to get bigger and stronger first.