The Wolfpacker

July 2019

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER J UNE HAS BECOME THE BUSIEST time of the year in college football recruiting, and this year was no exception. Overall, NC State has added eight new verbal pledges to its 2020 class, seven of them coming in June. Leading the way were offensive line- men, the top priority for NC State in the class. Half of the newcomers will play up front on offense. Austin Blaske, a three-star from South Effingham High in Bloomingdale, Ga., which is near Savannah, was the first to commit when he did so May 11. The 6-5, 270-pounder enjoyed a nice rise in his stock in the spring, and he chose NC State one week after picking up an offer from the Pack. Boston College, Central Florida and Vanderbilt also offered in early May. Rivals.com ranks Blaske as the No. 103 player in talent-rich Georgia. On the gridiron as a junior, Blaske was first-team All-Region 2-5A and named to the All-Greater Savannah Team by The Savannah Morning News. Blaske also wrestles and competes in the shot put in track. He finished second in the state heavyweight class as a junior on the mat, and as a sophomore he advanced to the state championships in track. On June 8, three-star tackle Patrick Matan from Gonzaga Prep in Washington, D.C., made his verbal commitment to NC State. The 6-5, 295-pounder also had offers from, among others, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Pitts- burgh, Rutgers and Syracuse. Rivals.com ranks Matan as the No. 11 player in the D.C. region. He is part of an offensive line at Gonzaga that includes seniors verbally committed to Penn State, Virginia and Wake Forest. One day after Matan made his choice, three-star lineman Sean Hill from Brookwood High in Snellville, Ga., announced his commitment. As a junior, the 6-3, 300-pound Hill was named first-team all- region by the coaches for 7-AAAAAAA and was an honorable mention all-county pick by the Touchdown Club of Gwinnett, which borders Atlanta's Fulton County to the east. Hill chose NC State over offers from Boston College, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Miami, Purdue, Rutgers, South Florida and Central Florida, among others. Most of Hill's offers came during the spring evaluation period when, like Blaske, his stock began to rise. Rivals.com ranks Hill as the No. 74 prospect in Georgia and the No. 80 offen- sive tackle in the country. The final offensive lineman to commit was three-star Jonathan Adorno, a local product from Rolesville (N.C.) High. Adorno committed June 11, picking NC State over offers from Duke, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others. NC State got the jump on the 6-4, 300-pound Adorno, offering him on the first day of its spring practices, during which Adorno was visiting, March 2. Ri- vals.com lists Adorno as the No. 18 player in of North Carolina and the No. 74 offen- sive tackle in the nation. Adorno's commitment was part of a tor- rid period in June when NC State landed six commitments in six days. Starting that stretch was three-star wide receiver Stephen Gosnell, who played through his junior season at East Surry High in Pilot Mountain, N.C., and has moved to neighboring Carroll County High across the state line in Hillsville, Va. The 6-2, 195-pound Gosnell was of- fered by NC State after he was clocked at 10.78 seconds in the 100-meter dash at a local track meet in May. Playing at quarterback, he helped East Surry reach the 1-AA state title game a year ago. Gosnell completed 66 of 120 passes for 1,134 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven intercep- tions. He also ran 110 times for 1,080 yards and 17 scores. And he caught 21 passes for 430 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named the conference's offensive player of the year. Gosnell picked NC State June 6 over offers from Wake Forest, Ap- palachian State and Cincinnati, among others. One day later, multi-sport star Davin Vann, a defensive tackle from Cary (N.C.) High, committed to NC State over an offer from Louis- TRACKING THE PACK Rolesville (N.C.) High's Jonathan Adorno — the No. 18 player in North Carolina and the No. 74 offensive tackle in the country per Rivals — was one of four blockers the Wolfpack earned pledges from in May and June. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ Class Of 2020 Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Jonathan Adorno OL 6-4 300 Rolesville, N.C. (Rolesville) Austin Blaske OL 6-5 270 Bloomingdale, Ga. (South Effingham) Devan Boykin DB 5-11 175 Greensboro, N.C. (Ragsdale) Ben Finley QB 6-2 195 Phoenix (Paradise Valley) Stephen Gosnell WR 6-2 195 Hillsville, Va. (Carroll County) Sean Hill OL 6-3 300 Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood) Ethan Lane OL 6-3 270 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Archer) Patrick Matan OL 6-5 295 Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga) Nate McCollum ATH 5-9 180 Hampton, Ga. (Dutchtown) Nehki Meredith DB 5-10 170 Virginia Beach, Va. (Bishop Sullivan) Porter Rooks WR 6-2 180 Charlotte (Myers Park) Jaylen Smith DT 6-4 265 Ahoskie, N.C. (Hertford County) Ezemdi Udoh TE 6-5 225 Fayetteville, N.C. (Terry Sanford) Davin Vann DT 6-2 270 Cary, N.C. (Cary) Aydan White CB 6-2 170 Asheville, N.C. (Christ School) NC State Football Loads Up In 2020 Class

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