1/29/2020 football Edit

Wolfpack football recruiting class added two defensive lineman over weekend

Matt Carter • TheWolfpackCentral

Editor

NC State football hosted a pair of official defensive linemen visitors this weekend, and the Wolfpack made it two-for-two.

NC State football does not often recruit the state of Texas, but it dipped into the Lone Star State to land a verbal commitment Sunday afternoon from three-star defensive lineman Nick Booker-Brown of Westfield High in Houston. Booker-Brown announced his decision at the conclusion of his official visit to NC State this weekend.

The three-star prospect had been a commitment to Boise State, but earlier this week he backed out of the pledge he had made to the Broncos on Oct. 6. Booker-Brown’s older brother Josh is a linebacker at Boise State.

Booker-Brown also had offers from Colorado, Houston, Kansas State, Memphis, Rutgers and Virginia Tech, among others. The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder helped Westfield go 13-2 this past season and reach the semifinals of the 6A Division 2 state playoffs.

He was named second-team All-Greater Houston Area by the Houston Chronicle.

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Hours after Booker-Brown, three-star defensive end Claude Larkins from Chaminade-Madonna High in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., announced he was joining the Wolfpack, too.

Larkins, 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, had verbally committed to Minnesota last summer, but the two parted ways in the days leading up to the early signing period. Indiana, Rutgers and Florida International all expressed interest in Larkins after his decommitment.

In six games as a senior, Larkins had 26 tackles, including four for loss and two sacks. Chaminade-Madonna went 12-2 in 2019 and won the class 3A state title.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel listed Larkins as the No. 22 senior in the talent-rich Broward County.

Larkins and Booker-Brown give NC State 21 verbal commitments in the 2020 class. The two join three-star offensive lineman Anthony Carter from Butler High in Matthews, N.C. as NC State’s post-signing day pledges.