The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1343401
32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Wide receiver Micah Crowell was listed as a four-star prospect by both Rivals, which ranked him as the No. 161 overall recruit in the land, and ESPN, which tabbed him No. 189. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN " He does a really, really good job of creating plays in space and creating plays after he's gotten the ball in his hands." — Former wide receivers coach George McDonald on Micah Crowell 3 Players from Florida State's 2017 class, ranked sixth nationally by Rivals.com, ended up in Raleigh. Four-star safety CYRUS FAGAN, an incoming transfer, was the highest rated of the trio, regarded as the No. 81 prospect nationally. Former three-star and NCSU quarterback Bailey Hockman was considered the No. 15 pro-style signal-caller in the country, while three-star defensive tackle Cory Durden — another incoming transfer — from Newberry (Fla.) High was the No. 22 prospect at his position. Fagan arrived in the spring, while Durden will wait until the summer. Hockman transferred to Middle Tennessee State in the winter after starting most of last sea- son for the Wolfpack. If those three players, plus four-star linebacker Vi Jones — rated as the No. 79 recruit in the country when signing with USC before transferring to NC State in 2019 — were added to the Wolfpack's original 2017 haul, the class would have ranked 31st nationally instead of 53rd, which was the lowest-rated finish among Dave Doeren's eight full recruiting classes. PHOTO BY KYLE PULEK/COURTESY FLORIDA STATE Pitts brings versatility and familiarity to the Pack defense. He played his first two years at West Virginia in a defense coor- dinated by Tony Gibson, who is now the Pack's defensive coordinator. He was a valuable reserve/spot starter as a sophomore at WVU with a PFF defensive grade of 74.5, the third-highest mark on the team among those with at least 100 snaps. Pitts emerged as a full-time starter for a Thundering Herd squad that went 7-3 last year and spent time ranked in the top 25. He finished with 42 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and three passes broken up while playing nine games and starting at both strong and free safety. Zavala started at guard for Fairmont State, a Division II school in West Virginia, where he was a two-time all-conference selection and an honorable mention All-American in 2018. Virginia, among other schools, also pursued him. Balanced Class Among the high school and junior college signees, NC State used a balanced approach, inking one quarterback, one running back, two tight ends, three wide receivers, four offensive linemen, three defensive linemen, two linebackers and four defensive backs. Seven of those were rated four-stars by at least one of the three big scouting services, Rivals.com, 247Sports and ESPN: receiver Micah Crowell from Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth High, linebacker Caden Fordham from Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School, receiver Julian Gray from Huntersville (N.C.) Hopewell High, defensive back Chase Hattley from Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek, quarterback Aaron McLaughlin from Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark High, linebacker Jordan Poole