On Thursday afternoon, three-star quarterback Aaron McLaughlin from Denmark High in Alpharetta, Ga., went public with his verbal commitment to the NC State Wolfpack.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound McLaughlin is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 21 pro-style quarterback in the country and the No. 24 prospect in talent-rich Georgia. He is the Wolfpack's fifth verbal commitment in the 2021 class.

As a junior, McLaughlin completed 134 of 220 passes for 2,018 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven picks in 10 games while helping Denmark go 7-3 in the second year of the program. He also rushed 79 times for 284 yards and nine scores.

Here is an analysis of McLaughlin's commitment:

McLaughlin was at one point a four-star recruit, but the updated Rivals.com rankings now have him as the No. 21 pro-style quarterback in the country and a high three-star. That's still among the highest-rated signal-callers in Wolfpack history.

Since 2002, here are the highest-rated quarterbacks to commit to or end up at NC State:

• Four-star Mike Glennon in 2008 (No. 59 nationally and No. 3 pro-style)

• Four-star Jacoby Brissett in 2011 (No. 75 nationally and No. 3 pro-style when he signed with Florida)

• Four-star Marcus Stone in 2003 (No. 84 nationally and No. 3 dual-threat)

• Four-star Devin Leary in 2018 (No. 240 nationally and No. 9 pro-style)

• Four-star Pete Thomas in 2010 (No. 16 pro-style when he signed with Colorado State)

• Three-star Bailey Hockman in 2017 (No. 15 pro-style when he signed with Florida State)

• Three-star Justin Burke in 2006 (No. 16 pro-style)

• McLaughlin in 2021 (No. 21 pro-style)

There are only two quarterbacks rated higher than McLaughlin committed to an ACC school in the 2021 class, and there are only three ranked higher than him still uncommitted.