Seven Of NC State's recruits named first-team all-state by USA Today

USA Today has released its high school all-state teams on both offense and defense for all 50 states, and NC State's signees and commits were well-represented throughout.

The Wolfpack had an impressive six first-team selections from their class of 2019, and one verbal commit in the 2020 class also was selected.

Rome (Ga.) High senior running back Jamious Griffin was named the Georgia Offensive Player of the Year after helping lead his team to a 13-1 record and spot in the AAAAA state semifinals. The NCSU verbal commit rushed 288 times for 2,815 yards and 38 touchdowns, and finished his decorated prep career with 7,047 total yards and 113 touchdowns. Griffin was also named the Gatorade player of the year in Georgia.

We have the complete breakdown below:

Offensive Player of the Year Award Winners In Their Respective States

First-Team Offense

• Rooks is a 2020 commit

Notes: Sometimes players from the private schools in football in North Carolina get lost in the shuffle, but Ekwonu and Rooks from Charlotte Providence Day were all among the players recognized for their efforts.

NC State landed four offensive linemen, with three of them earning first-team or second-team honors among Ekwonu, McKay and Zovon Lindsay. The top junior offensive lineman in the state, Raleigh Sanderson High junior tackle Mitchell Mayes, also earned first-team honors and is a major NC State target in the class of 2020.'

Knight might be ranked as the No. 45 running back in the country, but history has shown that the top backs in the state of North Carolina are a good bet to have a lot of college success — Todd Gurley, Bryce Love and Nyheim Hines in recent years. Even Missouri sophomore back Larry Rountree of Raleigh Millbrook is off to a terrific college career with 1,216 rushing yards and 11 scores this season.

Knight and Griffin, if he ultimately signs with NC State, will form a terrific trio with current freshman Ricky Person. Add in freshman Trent Pennix and the depth chart will be fortified.

First-Team Defense

Notes: Martin is the rare four-year varsity player, arriving on to the scene early at East Forsyth High, which has produced cornerback Madison Cone (Wisconsin) and running back Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest) in recent years.

Jackson didn't have gaudy statistics with 7.5 sacks this season, but he earned a spot in the prestigious Under Armour All-American Game, the lone Wolfpack signee to play in one of the two main all-star contests (Army All-American Bowl the other).

Second-Team Offense

Notes: Lindsay is part of the Wolfpack's impressive offensive line haul, and was also a good enough defensive tackle that some colleges evaluated him at that position.

Walker will enroll at NC State during the summer, hence why he wasn't announced Dec. 19 during the Wolfpack's signing day activities.

Second-Team Defense

Notes: Clark was injured during his senior year, which perhaps is why he didn't make first-team all-state.

Syracuse signee Lee Kpogba of Winston-Salem Parkland and East Carolina signee Traveon Freshwater led the first-team linebacker selections, though Freshwater played a lot of defensive end at Elizabeth City Northeastern, which reached the state title game.

The surprise was perhaps Charlotte Vance sophomore Power Echols edging out Thomas for the third linebacker spot on the first team. Echols could be on track to become a key NCSU recruiting target in the class of 2021. Echols' father played at Michigan State, and his mother was a women's basketball player at Western Michigan.