The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1153250
14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER AND JACEY ZEMBAL P HELDARIUS PAYNE CELEBRATED his verbal commitment to NC State in the most perfect setting imagin- able. Payne attended the Alpha Wolf Show- case at Carter-Finley Stadium July 27 and was able to tell the coaching staff his deci- sion in person. He also met several fellow members of the class of 2020, most of whom were at the cookout. The Scranton (Pa.) Lackawanna Com- munity College standout is the 16th mem- ber of the class, which is ranked No. 33 in the country by Rivals.com, as of Aug. 6. Payne had a good idea that NC State could be his destination, but admitted he wasn't completely sold until that visit. He had earned a Wolfpack offer earlier in July after excelling at a camp in June. Playing close to his hometown of Suffolk, Va., was a big motivator for Payne. "I was undecided coming in, but I really liked NC State," Payne said. "I just wasn't for sure. I just feel like this is home and it wasn't really a time thing. "I just felt like this was the perfect place to play." The 6-2, 270-pounder helped Lackawa- nna go 11-0 last year. He finished with 22 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks at defensive end. Payne will have three years to play two when he arrives at NC State. He's looking forward to working with NCSU defensive line coach Kevin Patrick. "I like him a lot as a person and as a coach," Payne said. Payne was able to check out NC State's academics and classrooms prior to the Alpha Wolf Showcase, plus he met with an academic advisor. He hopes to enroll early, but said arriving in the summer of 2020 is more likely. Payne attended a camp at NC State while in high school, which helped pro- vide motivation two years later. He at- tended Suffolk (Va.) Nansemond River High, where he helped lead his team to the state semifinals and was an all-district and all-region performer in 2017. "My family is just really happy," Payne said. "They feel like it is a family at- mosphere. Knowing it is only three hours away, it's perfect for them." Family is everything to Payne. He half-joked that his mother let him know if he was going to Lackawa- nna, he better not waste his opportunity there. He has gained about 20 pounds in the last year. "The coaching staff [at Lackawanna] is amazing and introduced me to the weight room," Payne said. "Before JuCo, I lifted, but I wasn't really focused. I was just playing basketball and running around and doing my own thing. They focused and humbled me a lot." NC State was Payne's lone major offer, but he was receiving interest from Penn State and Syracuse. Also attending the Alpha Wolf Show- case was three-star receiver Stephen Gos- nell, who verbally committed to NC State in June over offers from Wake Forest, Appalachian State and Cincinnati, among others. The 6-2, 195-pound Gosnell had ex- celled at East Surry High in Pilot Moun- tain, N.C. He was named his conference's offensive player of the year last fall after he completed 66 of 120 passes for 1,134 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran 110 times for 1,080 yards and 17 scores, plus caught 21 passes for 430 yards and seven touch- downs. In addition, he averaged 20.9 yards per kickoff return. Gosnell had been expected, due to a family move, to attend Carroll County High in Hillsville, Va., this fall. Gosnell ran track this past spring in his first se- mester at Carroll County. However, Gosnell was able to change course late in the summer, and confirmed in August that he will once again be back at East Surry High for his senior season. East Surry reached the 1-AA state title game in 2018 and finished 11-4. ■ TRACKING THE PACK Pheldarius Payne — a 6-2, 270-pound strong- side defensive end — compiled 22 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks while help- ing Lackawanna Community College to an 11-0 record last fall. PHOTO BY MATT CARTER ■ 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 Pilot Mountain, N.C. (East Surry) 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) Pheldarius Payne DL 6-2 270 Suffolk, Va. (Nansemond River) 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) Junior College Defensive Lineman Commits To NC State