The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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one up," Doeren noted. "That's just my opinion. They probably don't care what my opinion is, but I hope there's some relief at some point to help all these high school kids that have nowhere to go, and not just them. "They created a portal where all these guys can go where they want and there's no scholarship space for anyone to take any of them." Nevertheless, Doeren was pleased with the work his staff did under the constraints. NC State inked 12 high school standouts during the early sign- ing period in December and then added a pair of transfers — punter Shane Mc- Donough from Towson and receiver Darryl Jones from Maryland — leading up to National Signing Day Feb. 2. "I think this is a really good class, and I hope it just doesn't slip through be- cause of the fact there are not 25 guys in it," Doeren said. "There are 12 really good players." Doeren noted that the average rating of the dozen signees (86.85 per On3) is the highest in school history, but he's NC State's Class Of 2022 Signees Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Previous School) On3 Consensus Stars Michael Allen RB 5-11 186 Greenville, N.C. (J.H. Rose) Four A three-sport star who was also a standout in baseball plus track and field, Allen chose NC State over North Carolina, Louisville and East Carolina. In three seasons, he rushed for 2,314 yards and 30 touchdowns, and caught 70 passes for 965 yards and 14 scores. Nick Campbell DL 6-3 270 Minneola, Fla. (Lake Minneola) Three Has two older brothers who also played college football — Dante at West Virginia and Christian at Ca- tawba College. As a senior, Campbell had 47 tackles, 12 stops for loss and five sacks in 10 games. Chose the Pack over Missouri, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Virginia and West Virginia, among others. Brandon Cleveland DL 6-3 265 Tampa, Fla. (Carrollwood Day) Four One-time Miami verbal commitment had 50 stops, 26 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 10 games as a senior. Also played baseball, and he picked the Wolfpack over Virginia after backing off from his pledge to the Hurricanes. Isaiah Crowell DB 5-11 175 Kernersville, N.C. (East Forsyth) Three Younger brother of NC State redshirt freshman running back Micah Crowell and former Virginia defensive back Germane Crowell, Jr., son of former NFL receiver Germane Crowell and nephew of NFL linebacker An - gelo Crowell. Had 93 tackles, 12 stops for loss, four sacks, one interception and seven passes broken up as a senior. DJ Jackson DL 6-2 275 Sumter, S.C. (Sumter) Three Missed his senior season rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn ACL, but as a junior had 56 stops, 26 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, and also was a two-time state runner-up in wrestling. Picked NC State over South Carolina, Syracuse and Coastal Carolina. Darryl Jones WR 6-3 195 Virginia Beach, Va. (Maryland) Four (2018) Caught 23 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns last season at Maryland, highlighted by four catches for 111 yards and two scores in the Terrapins' Pinstripe Bowl win over Virginia Tech. Will have one season of eligibility with the Pack after transferring. Shane McDonough P 6-2 200 Clearwater, Fla. (Towson) — Was a two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association punter at Towson, averaging 43.9 yards per punt in 2019 and 41.3 yards this past year, before announcing his transfer to NC State. Also handled kickoffs at Towson and will have one season of eligibility at NC State. MJ Morris QB 6-1 192 Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton) Three Completed 186 of 295 passes (63.1 percent) for 3,089 yards with 33 touchdowns while adding 602 yards rushing and seven scores on 109 carries, helping his team go 12-2 and earning a finalist mention for Mr. Georgia by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. Chose NC State over Georgia Tech and Nebraska, and will also try to play baseball for the Pack. Jacarrius Peak OL 6-6 300 Valdosta, Ga. (Valdosta) Four Is NC State's highest-rated signee at No. 163 overall in the country per On3's rankings. Broke out as a senior after losing 25 pounds and earned double-digit Power Five offers before picking the Wolfpack over Louisville during the early signing period in December. Daejuan Thompson LB 6-3 200 Whiteville, N.C. (Whiteville) Three Had 115 tackles (75 solo), 31 stops for loss, 15 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and nine passes broken up in 12 games as a senior. Picked NC State over Duke, and is rated a four-star prospect by On3. Terrell Timmons Jr. WR 6-2 180 Greensboro, N.C. (Northern Guilford) Three Converted from quarterback to receiver after moving up to varsity as a junior, and had 44 receptions for 595 yards and seven touchdowns that year. Followed up with 38 receptions for 549 yards and 11 scores while also returning a pair of punts for touchdowns as a senior. Rylan Vann OL 6-1 270 Cary, N.C. (Cary) Three Younger brother of NC State sophomore defensive lineman Davin Vann. Played both ways as a senior and had 33 pancake blocks while totaling 44 stops (14 solo), seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Also won a state title in wrestling as a junior after finishing second as a sophomore. Jackson Vick DB 6-0 175 Bailey, N.C. (Southern Nash) Three Two-way standout for Southern Nash, rushing for 3,220 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career, and also totaling seven interceptions. Also was a four-year varsity basketball performer, averaging 11.2 points per game as a junior, and picked the Wolfpack over Duke, Syracuse and Wake Forest, among others. Torren Wright LB 6-3 215 Kannapolis, N.C. (A.L. Brown) Four Racked up 116 tackles (71 solo), 13 stops for loss and four sacks as a senior. Also had three interceptions and added a receiving score. Picked NC State over Duke and Wake Forest, and he is the highest-rated recruit in NC State's class based on the On3 Consensus (No. 324 overall). 7 Signees were rated four stars by at least one major recruiting service (On3, Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN): • Linebacker Torren Wright from A.L. Brown High in Kannapolis, N.C.: 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals • Running back Michael Allen from J.H. Rose High in Greenville, N.C.: 247Sports and ESPN • Defensive lineman Brandon Cleveland from Carrollwood Day in Tampa, Fla.: ESPN and Rivals • Offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak from Val - dosta (Ga.) High: On3 and 247Sports • Quarterback MJ Morris from Carrollton (Ga.) High: Rivals • Linebacker Daejuan Thompson from Whiteville (N.C.) High: On3 • Defensive back Jackson Vick from South - ern Nash High in Bailey, N.C.: On3 In addition, Maryland receiver transfer Dar- ryl Jones was rated four stars by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals coming out of Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach, Va., in the 2018 class. Of the group above, Allen, Cleveland, Peak and Wright were considered four stars per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media com - panies. MARCH/APRIL 2022 ■ 31