The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/112604
2013 football recruiting issue Sneak Peak A First Look At The 2014 Recruiting Class Wheaton (Ill.) North quarterback Clayton Thorson is rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 234 overall player in the class of 2014 by Rivals.com. photo courtesy rivals.com B By Matt Carter ased on early projections, NC��State will have at least 18 scholarships to give out in the 2014 recruiting class. Realistically, however, with the typical attrition that occurs during the offseason, especially when there is a coaching change, the Pack should be able to take a class closer to the limit of 25 next February. Here are some early recruiting targets that NC State has identified, broken down by position. ��� Quarterback In a departure from the previous staff���s procedures, NC State is believed to have already offered a pair of quarterbacks. Under Tom O���Brien, the Pack waited until its summer camps to make in-person evaluations before extending an offer. Clayton Thorson (6-4, 195 pounds) from Wheaton (Ill.) North lined up more at receiver last fall since Wheaton North had an all-state quarterback in Johnny Peltz. When Thorson did throw, he completed 32 of 44 passes for 401 yards with seven scores. Thorson used his 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash to catch 36 passes for 578 yards and four touchdowns. Rivals.com ranks Thorson as a fourstar recruit and the No. 234 player in the country. NC State���s new staff has been on Thorson since they were at Northern Illinois. Thorson hopes to visit NCSU in the spring, but he has admitted that his top three consists of Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern. Zack Darlington (6-2, 205) from Apopka (Fla.) High is also a dual-threat quarterback. Darlington finished the season with nearly 2,500 total yards and 29 touchdowns, completing around 66 percent of his passes and rushing for more than 700 yards. In the 8-A state title game, Darlington accounted for 379 yards and three touchdowns despite playing with a broken bone in his throwing wrist. Darlington, like Thorson, hopes to visit NC��State in the spring. He also has offers from Arizona, Boston College, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. ��� Running Back One of the top prospects on NC��State���s board is Derrell Scott from Havelock (N.C.) High. The 5-11, 180-pounder has helped Havelock win back-to-back 3���A state titles. As a sophomore, he rushed 179 times for 1,807 yards and 22 touchdowns, plus caught 17 passes for 235 yards and one score. Last fall, Scott ran 181 times for 1,742 yards and 34 touchdowns, and grabbed 11 passes for 185 yards and two scores. Rivals.com rates Scott as a four-star prospect and the No. 141 overall recruit in the country. He has an impressive offer list that includes Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among others. Scott has long maintained that South Carolina, which signed one of his teammates in February, is his leader, but he has also said that NC State ���is rising��� on his list. ��� Wide Receiver It happens to be a solid year for in-state wide receivers. Highlighting the group is a local four-star talent in Braxton Berrios of Raleigh Leesville Road High. The 5-11, 175-pound Berrios is a slot receiver-type. He has offers from Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others. As an option quarterback, Berrios rushed for more than 1,000 yards and threw for another 766. A couple of in-state speedsters that NC��State has positioned itself well with are DeAndre Thompkins from Swansboro High and Bo Hines from Charlotte Christian. Thompkins (6-0, 170) rushed 175 times for 1,359 yards and four touchdowns as a junior. He also added four receptions for 96 yards and returned five kickoffs for touchdowns. Defensively, Thompkins posted 42 tackles. Thompkins has offers from NC�� State, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Penn State, among others. NCSU was Hines��� first major offer. The 6���1, 190-pounder turned heads at the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indianapolis Feb.��18, when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. Hines caught 45 passes for 795 yards as a junior. Duke, Nebraska and Wake Forest have also expressed interest in Hines. ��� Tight End NC State did not sign a tight end in the 2013 class, so expect the position to be an emphasis this fall. The top local prospect is Avery Edwards from Raleigh Ravenscroft School. The 6���5, 220-pound Edwards caught 40 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns as a junior. He and his parents are season ticket holders at NC��State, but UNC has made a big run at Edwards. He also has offers from Duke, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Wake Forest. The staff returned to its Midwestern roots to recently offer Ethan Wolf from Minster (Ohio) High. The 6-6, 240-pounder has also been tendered by Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Pittsburgh, among others. Wolf caught 43 passes for 580 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. ��� Offensive Line NC State is in the thick of it with a pair of in-state prospects. Will Richardson (6���6, 330) from Burlington Cummings High has NC State in his top two along with Duke. Florida State and Virginia are among the academic-minded Richardson���s other offers. Trip McNeill (6-5, 295) from Mocksville���s Davie County High has offers from Duke, East Carolina, NC State, North Car- 50��� ������ the wolfpacker 50,52.2014 Targets.indd 50 2/26/13 1:12 PM