NC State football had been showing interest in Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes three-star safety TJ Quinn, but that recruitment took to another level last week when the Wolfpack extended an offer.

Quinn received the good news from the Wolfpack defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tony Gibson, and he has also been in communication with safeties coach Joe DeForest.

“They want me to play free safety,” Quinn noted.

Gibson and DeForest previously coached together at West Virginia. While there they had an All-American safety in Karl Joseph, who would go on to become a first-round draft choice for the Oakland Raiders in 2016. This offseason, Joseph signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns.

The Wolfpack coaches see a lot of similarities between Quinn and Joseph.

“They see me as the same type of player,” Quinn noted.

NC State’s offer may be recent, but it is a significant one.