The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State bolstered its 2020 recruiting class with the addition of four prospects since October. The first of them to commit was three-star Joshua Crabtree from Heri- tage High in Wake Forest, N.C. The Pack has landed three players from Heritage — sophomore running back Ricky Person Jr., redshirt freshman defensive end Joseph Boletepeli and freshman linebacker Drake Thomas — over the previous two classes. In addition, redshirt sophomore wide receiver and former walk-on Thayer Thomas came from there. Crabtree caught 47 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games as a se- nior. He added 45 receptions for 590 yards and five scores during his junior year. The 6-3, 185-pounder landed on State's radar with a strong performance at a summer camp, during which he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds and the shuttle in 4.22 sec- onds while adding a 9-10 broad jump. NC State offered Crabtree Oct. 9, and he accepted 11 days later. He had also been tendered by Air Force, Army, Liberty and Navy. "It was my first Power Five offer," Crab- tree noted. "We took a couple of trips up to NC State throughout the summer and the spring. We just fell in love with the campus. "My sister actually goes to NC State. … It was an easy choice." Committing on Nov. 29 was three-star wideout Jalen Coit from Cheraw (S.C.) High. The 5-11, 165-pounder was selected to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game in Spartanburg, S.C, which will be played Dec. 21, after he made 55 catches for 842 yards and 11 touchdowns as a se- nior. During his prep career, Coit notched 175 receptions for 2,746 yards and 39 scores. He is also an outstanding basketball player and averaged 21.4 points per game through his junior year. Rivals.com ranks Coit as the No. 17 player in the state of South Carolina, and he also reported of- fers from Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Purdue, Syracuse, Vander- bilt, Virginia, Vir- ginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others. Two days later, NC State landed a sleeper in two-star wideout Anthony Smith from Huntingtown (Md.) High. He had been offered earlier that day. Smith did not begin playing high school football until his junior season and then spent that year mainly as the team's punter. His athleticism, though, began to blossom. He tried track last spring for the first time and the 6-1, 180-pounder ran a 10.98-second 100-meter dash. He was second in the 3A state championship in the 200 with a time of 21.96 seconds. This summer, Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at Ohio State's sum- mer camp, and that speed translated onto the field. He finished his senior year with 35 receptions for 918 yards and 14 touch- downs, including a 95-yard receiving score in the state 3A semifinals, Huntingtown's only loss in 13 games. Smith unofficially visited NC State for the game against Clemson. "I just fell in love with the school and how the coaching staff interacted with the players," Smith said. "When I got there, they welcomed me with open arms. … I kind of had my mind set on going to NC State if they offered me." The Wolfpack also picked up a pledge from three-star linebacker Jayland Parker from Macon (Ga.) Westside High. The 6-2, 215-pounder is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 41 outside linebacker in the senior class and the No. 52 prospect from Georgia. Parker originally committed to Colo- rado July 2, but then backed out of that pledge in September. He made official visits to Arizona and NC State before picking the Wolfpack Nov. 7. "When Sept. 1 came, all the coaches on the defensive side of the ball from North Carolina State called me," Parker said. "Coach [Dave] Doeren talked to me that day, too, and since then they have had great communication with me and made me feel wanted. "Things with them really took off from there." Overall, NC State had 17 verbal com- mitments as of Dec. 4, with the early Na- tional Signing Day quickly approaching Dec. 18-20. ■ TRACKING THE PACK New Wolfpack pledge Joshua Crabtree hauled in 92 passes for 1,301 yards and 13 scores over the last two seasons at Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN NC State Football Picks Up Four Commitments In 2020 Class ■ Class Of 2020 Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Last School) Devon Betty LB 6-1 215 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Austin Blaske OL 6-5 270 Bloomingdale, Ga. (South Effingham) Devan Boykin DB 5-11 175 Greensboro, N.C. (Ragsdale) Jalen Coit WR 5-11 165 Cheraw, S.C. (Cheraw) Joshua Crabtree WR 6-3 185 Wake Forest, N.C. (Heritage) Ben Finley QB 6-2 195 Phoenix (Paradise Valley) 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) Nehki Meredith DB 5-10 170 Virginia Beach, Va. (Bishop Sullivan) Jayland Parker LB 6-2 215 Macon, Ga. (Westside) Pheldarius Payne DE 6-2 270 Suffolk, Va. (Lackawanna C.C. [Pa.]) Porter Rooks WR 6-2 180 Charlotte (Myers Park) Anthony Smith WR 6-1 180 Huntingtown, Md. (Huntingtown) 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)