Sinorice Moss

5-8, 168, 4.37 in the 40

Miami (Fla.) Carol City

Sinorice (sin-orris) Moss must be the type of player Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato had in mind when he said he wanted to mine Florida's rich high school ranks.

Moss, a rising senior at Miami (Fla.) Carol City, has the raw athletic talent that Amato wants to add to NC State's roster. The speedy wide receiver said that he has been clocked at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a 37.5-inch vertical leap. Moss stands just 5-8 -- small for a receiver -- but that's not something that concerns him.

"I know I'm going to get bigger," he said.

Moss caught only six passes last season with his high school team, which finished the year with a 9-2 record. But he was quick to point out that Carol City uses a run-oriented offense.

"We don't throw the ball at all," said Moss, who also returns punts. "But they're really trying to get me the ball this year."

Moss could certainly get his hands on the ball more often at pass-happy NC State, which is among his top five in a group that includes football powerhouses Florida, Miami, Auburn and Florida State. When asked if he had any favorites, Moss said the Gators and Wolfpack are holding the edge at the moment, although he has placed no timetable on making a decision.

Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Doc Holliday, who is renowned in recruiting circles in Florida, has been NC State's primary contact with Moss.

"He's a great coach," Moss said. "I talked to him over the phone, and he's been writing me."

If Moss seems eerily reminiscent of a recent standout college wide receiver, it might be because his brother is Santana Moss, a star player with Miami who was taken by the New York Jets with the 16th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. NC State fans probably remember the older Moss best for torching the Wolfpack in the 1998 Micron PC Bowl with five catches for 141 yards and a touchdown.

Comparisons between the two brothers are inevitable, but Sinorice doesn't shy away from them.

"I kind of welcome them," Moss said. "It makes me better myself. Looking at him and what he's doing now, how he's working hard, he's made it to that level. That's where I want to be. I want to work hard and do what I have to do to go to college and, after college, pursue my career in the NFL."

Some believe that Moss may even have enough talent to eclipse his older brother.

"A lot of people say maybe someday I'll be better than him if I keep working hard and doing what I'm trying to do now," Moss said.

If nothing else, Sinorice has benefited from Santana's recruiting experiences. The two have discussed the process before, and Sinorice has listened closely to his brother's advice.

"He said there are going to be colleges writing me, and just don't get too big-headed about it, because if you do one simple thing wrong then they won't talk to you anymore," Moss said.

Moss recently attended Auburn's football camp, where he said he "ran good times and had a good vertical." He plans on spending the rest of the summer continuing to improve.

"I'm just working out hard right now,” he said, “just getting ready for the season.”