NC State LOI No. 8: Safety Isaiah Stallings
Safety
Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford High
6-foot-4, 205 pounds
Measurables: At the Nike Opening in Charlotte, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.94 seconds and the shuttle in 4.3 seconds. Had a 34-foot power ball throw and a 30.3-inch vertical leap.
Stats:
• Senior: Made 159 tackles, including five for loss, six interceptions, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
• Junior: Totaled 46 tackles, including one for loss, four interceptions and three pass breakups.
• Sophomore: Piled up 58 tackles, five picks and 12 breakups.
Ratings:
• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 39 safety in the country, No. 23 in the state.
• Scout.com: Three stars, No. 78 safety in the country.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 40 athlete in the country, No. 25 in the state.
• ESPN: Three stars, No. 35 safety in the country, No. 19 in the state.
• Fayetteville Observer: No. 16 in the state.
• Charlotte Observer: No. 22 in the state.
Honors/accomplishments:
• Started at safety in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game and unofficially finished with four tackles, a pass breakup and a blocked extra point.
• Picked first-team All-USA North Carolina by USA Today.
• Named Fayetteville Observer Cape Fear Region Player of the Year in 2015.
• Selected the conference’s co-defensive player of the year as a senior, first-team all-conference as a junior and second-team as a sophomore.
• Four-year starter at Terry Sanford and holds school career-record with 17 interceptions.
• Also plays basketball, averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior and help leading Terry Sanford to a 3-A state title.
Recruitment:
• Claimed offers from Boston College, Clemson, Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia among others.
• Narrowed his favorites to Clemson, NC State, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
• Verbally committed to NCSU on Dec. 7, a day after returning home from his official visit.
Recruiter of record:
• Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Dave Huxtable and safeties coach/co-special teams coordinator Clayton White.
Quotable:
“He loves to come up from his safety spot and lower the boom on ball carriers. In pass coverage, it’s intimidating to throw in his direction because of his height and football IQ. Stallings plays the game with great intelligence, which in combination with his athletic ability, makes him one stellar defender. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him grow into an outside linebacker in college. But if he stays at safety, he could be a rare player for that position.” — Fayetteville Observer recruiting columnist Sammy Batten
Scouting report:
• Great size and frame for a safety.
• Has good ball skills and a knack for making the hard hits.
• Needs to improve top-end speed and athleticism.
2016 projection:
Stallings, one of the more recruited prospects in NC State’s signing class, has the potential to make a quick impact for NCSU, especially if he proves to be an upgrade over the inconsistent play the Wolfpack got from the position last season.