The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER O N MARCH 30, THREE-STAR CORNER Joseph Johnson from Life Christian Academy in Chester, Va., started a flurry of commitments for NC State. The 6-3, 180-pound Johnson was heavily recruited and had more than a dozen Power Five offers. He visited Penn State, Pitt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and NC State, and picked the Pack over Penn State, Tennessee and WVU. Johnson will enroll early at NC State. He also runs track, competing in the 100, 200 and 400-meter sprints, plus the high jump while also running on relays. He hopes to participate in track in college as well. As a junior, Johnson had 40 tackles, two interceptions, four passes broken up, a forced fumble and a blocked punt in nine games. He is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 16 prospect in the state of Virginia's 2020 class. Three-star corner Aydan White from Christ School near Asheville, N.C., com- mitted a day after Johnson. The 6-2, 170-pounder also had an offer from Wake Forest. White is a versatile prospect. He had a huge junior season on offense with 60 receptions for 1,049 yards and 11 touch- downs in 11 games, but schools valued him for his defensive abilities. In track, White is a two-time defending state champ in the 110-meter hurdles at the independent school 3-A level and has a personal best of 14.90 seconds in the race. He has also twice finished second in the high jump with a top leap of six feet, no inches (6-0) in the event. Last fall, White had 39 tackles, three interceptions, 12 passes broken up and a forced fumble. He acknowledged if he had his preference he would play corner, but NC State told him he would get a look at corner and nickel. Speedy three-star wide receiver Nate McCollum from Dutchtown High in Hampton, Ga., also committed to NC State March 31, over offers from Kansas, Michi- gan State, Syracuse and Tennessee. The Pack likes the 5-9, 180-pounder as a slot receiver. As a junior, McCollum was named the Class AAAAA Offensive Player of the Year by the area's coaches and also was picked all-county by The Henry Herald. In addi- tion, he was selected second-team all-state for Class AAAAA. McCollum has been playing both base- ball and football since he was 6 years old. He is a center fielder and leadoff hitter on the diamond, but can also play second base. Perfect Game noted Mc- Collum has "elite speed" and has timed him at 6.39 seconds in the 60-yard run. For some perspective, former NC State baseball player Trea Turner, generally considered one of the fastest players in MLB, was timed at 6.25 seconds by Wolfpack baseball coach Elliott Avent and 6.3 seconds by his old high school coaches, according to reports. Perfect Game gave McCollum a 9.5 rat- ing as a baseball prospect. A 10 is consid- ered a "potential very high draft pick and/ or elite level college prospect," and a 9 is a "potential top-10 round pick and/or highest level college prospect." Three-star safety Devan Boykin from Ragsdale High in Jamestown, N.C., made his pledge April 15. Boykin intends to graduate early and enroll in the spring. He also had offers from, among others, Air Force, Army, Appalachian State, East Caro- lina, Georgia Southern and Navy. Boykin is a two-sport start at Ragsdale. He averaged 16.3 points per game as a ju- nior in basketball. On the gridiron, the 5-11, 175-pound Boykin played on both sides of the ball. As an option quarterback, he completed 54 of 103 passes for 671 yards with seven touch- downs and two picks while also rushing 132 times for 588 yards and five scores. He ran for 100 yards three times in 10 contests. Boykin was also an electric punt returner, bringing back 10 punts for 215 yards (21.5 per attempt) with three touchdowns. De- fensively, he had 33 tackles, three stops for loss and a 58-yard pick-six last year. Rivals.com ranks Boykin as the No. 23 player in North Carolina's 2020 class. He was named his conference's offensive player of the year as a junior, and his father Johnny Boykin is Ragsdale's head coach. Three-star center Ethan Lane was of- fered by NC State while unofficially visit- ing in late March, and he quickly returned for a second unofficial trip for the Kay Yow Spring Game April 6. He verbally commit- ted April 16. NC State was Lane's first Power Five of- fer, but shortly after the Wolfpack stepped forward Louisville offered him. Lane, who is 6-3 and 270 pounds, was also tendered by Air Force, Florida Atlantic, Georgia State and Memphis. Lane was named first-team all-county by the Touchdown Club of Gwinnett and second-team all-county by The Gwinnett Daily Post as a junior. He also throws the shot put and discus in track. NC State now has eight verbal commit- ments in its 2020 class. ■ TRACKING THE PACK Wolfpack Adds Five More To Its Football Recruiting Class ■ Class Of 2020 Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Devan Boykin S 5-11 175 Greensboro, N.C. (Ragsdale) Ben Finley QB 6-2 195 Phoenix (Paradise Valley) Joseph Johnson CB 6-3 180 Richmond, Va. (Life Christian) Ethan Lane OL 6-3 270 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Archer) Nate McCollum WR 5-9 180 Hampton, Ga. (Dutchtown) Porter Rooks WR 6-2 180 Charlotte (Myers Park) Jaylen Smith DT 6-4 265 Ahoskie, N.C. (Hertford County) Aydan White CB 6-1 170 Asheville, N.C. (Christ School) NC State pledge Aydan White of Asheville (N.C.) Christ School, a three-star cornerback, is a versatile athlete who has excelled on both the gridiron and the track at the prep level. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM