The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1343401
QUOTING THE COACHES Here are some thoughts from NC State's coaches on a few of the top recruits in the class: Linebacker Jordan Poole was ranked as the No. 72 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class by 247Sports, while ESPN also dubbed him a four-star recruit and listed him at No. 196 overall. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM from Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly High and defensive lineman Travali Price from Lin- colnton (N.C.) North Lincoln High. McLaughlin (Auburn) and defensive back Nate Evans from Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox High (Tennessee) were each previously committed to SEC schools, while junior col- lege offensive tackle Anthony Belton was once pledged to go to TCU of the Big 12. Moving forward in 2022, it's likely the Pack will have to take a considerably smaller class. "Last year's class is technically consid- ered freshmen again," Doeren noted, refer- ring to the NCAA freezing eligibility in the fall. "So you have two classes in the same classification. It's really: how is that going to play out over a five-year window with your numbers? "The NCAA has got a lot of things they need to look at, and they're the ones that granted this year and now they've created kind of a log jam, I guess you would say, on how we're supposed to classify and look at our numbers. We'll see what they end up do- ing. Until then, we'll just keep on going." ■ • Wide receiver Jakolbe Baldwin from Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond Senior • Offensive tackle Anthony Belton from Midway, Fla., and Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga. • Defensive back Sean Brown from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough • Offensive lineman Lyndon Cooper from Carrollton (Ga.) High • Wide receiver Micah Crowell from Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth • Defensive back Nate Evans from Virginia Beach (Va.) Cox • Defensive back Cyrus Fagan from Daytona Beach, Fla., a transfer from Florida State • Linebacker Caden Fordham from Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School • Offensive lineman Thornton Gentry from Chapin (S.C.) High • Wide receiver Julian Gray from Huntersville (N.C.) Hopewell • Defensive back Mario Love Jr. from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough • Quarterback Aaron McLaughlin from Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark • Defensive back Derrek Pitts from Dunbar, W.Va., a transfer from Marshall • Linebacker Jordan Poole from Oakboro (N.C.) West Stanly • Defensive lineman Travali Price from Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln • Defensive lineman Jayden Tate from Lincolnton (N.C.) North Lincoln In addition, one preferred walk-on joined the team in the spring in former Gastonia (N.C.) Hunter Huss quarter - back Zo Wallace. A three-year starter, the 6-2, 215-pound Wallace completed 345 of 670 career pass attempts (51.5 percent) for 5,795 yards with 62 touchdowns and 27 picks, while also rushing 170 times for 983 yards and 14 scores. ON QUARTERBACK AARON MCLAUGHLIN: • "The first thing you notice is his size, his arm strength. He came to one of our camps early in his high school career and ran really well, ran [the 40-yard dash] in the 4.6s. So he's very gifted from an athletic standpoint." — Head coach Dave Doeren • "Not only is he a big guy that can run with a strong arm, he's a very competitive, smart guy. He's just a great person." — Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Beck ON WIDE RECEIVER MICAH CROWELL: • "He's a very versatile guy on offense. He's a really good receiver. He's big, so he can do a lot of different things at that position. "I think he's also a good runner with the ball. You see him carrying the ball a lot if you watch his high - lights on jets and out of the backfield, so there's a lot of versatility there with him, and with his size it allows you to be creative and do some different things with him around the box, too." — Doeren • "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 receivers coach George Mc - Donald ON OFFENSIVE LINEMAN CHANDLER ZAVALA: • "He's very physical, very aggressive; he's a finisher. Obviously, he was a decorated player at the school he's at [Division II Fairmont State]. "His mom actually works at NC State, so he's a young man that wanted to be here and had family ties to the university. We were looking for an experienced guy that wants to compete at a high level, is going to come in with a chip on his shoulder — and he has all the tools." — Offensive line coach and run game coordina- tor John Garrison ON DEFENSIVE LINEMAN ZYUN REEVES: • "He's long, he's 250 pounds right now and easily could be a 280-pound kid here in a year or two. The unlimited potential is what excites me the most. He's raw, and then being able to develop a kid like that there's no telling what he can turn into, so I'm very excited." — Defensive line coach Charley Wiles ON DEFENSIVE LINEMAN TRAVALI PRICE: • "An explosive kid. He can play all three downs. He's played a lot of football in high school and was a really tremendous player as a 10th grader, too. Obviously, he missed his senior season but has played a lot of ball and has really worked hard to get bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive." — Wiles ON LINEBACKERS CADEN FORDHAM AND JORDAN POOLE • "I think that both of those kids fit our scheme re - ally well. They're very athletic. Both of those guys are converted safeties, played a lot on offense, do a lot of different things on the field. "Caden has played wildcat quarterback. Jordan's played some tailback. Those guys have great ball skills, just great football sense and savvy. They're very athletic." — Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Tony Gibson SIGNEES THAT ENROLLED EARLY: 16 16 MARCH/APRIL 2021 ■ 33