The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1493632
ligent young man and is going to come in here, I think, with 11 col- lege classes that he's already completed. A super impressive guy." • Running back Kendrick Raphael: "He came on an of- ficial back in the spring when we had official visits. At the time, we thought we were going to get him. He committed to Iowa, obviously a great place for running backs and, at some point in the season, he felt like that was the wrong fit. We were excited when he opened things back up. "He always liked us, and we always liked him. He's a guy that comes from a very good program at Naples [Fla.] High. He's a good runner for sure, can make people miss and run people over. He's got great acceleration, vision and balance, but the other thing you see with him is he's a blocker. He's a very, very physical blocker on film." • Offensive lineman Darion Riv- ers: "He's 6-6, maybe 290 now. He was on a state championship basketball team a year ago. I really enjoy him and his family, and I like what he brings ath- letically. He's going to be a guy who has to develop and get in the weight room, but he's got that work ethic to do so." • Offensive lineman Kamen Smith: "Another basketball player and a tough guy. His dad's a coach, and his mom was a basketball player. He's super athletic and can play both tackles, can play guard. Kamen does a lot of things that we like. He's close friends with [NC State classmate] Isa- iah Shirley. They had a great relation- ship throughout that was cool to be a part of." • Quarterback Lex Thomas: "We've known Lex forever, and he's a gym rat. He's just an all-around ath- lete in every sport he's in. He's com- petitive, he's a leader, people follow him. He's a guy that can really throw the football and has great accuracy." • Tight end Javonte Vereen: "He's a mismatch guy that we can use simi- lar to how we've used guys here in the past, like Jaylen Samuels, Trent Pen- nix. He's got length where he can be out there in the receiver position. He's got great ball skills. We love his leader- ship, too, the way that he's wired and built upstairs in the mind. He's a really competitive guy." Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Last School) Rating* Robert "Poogie" Kennedy III^ DB 5-10 185 Jeannette, Pa. (Old Dominion) HHH Had 52 tackles, 1 interception, 6 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and a blocked kick last fall for Old Dominion. Chose NC State after also officially visiting Boston College following entry into transfer portal, where On3 rated him the No. 7 safety and No. 121 transfer portal prospect nationally. Kelvon McBride LB 6-3 210 Mobile, Ala. (Cottage Hill Christian Academy) HHH Had 76 tackles and an interception in nine games as a senior. Flipped his commitment from Vanderbilt to NC State the same day the Wolfpack defeated rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill last fall. Zack Myers DB 6-1 190 Arden, N.C. (Christ School) HHH Playmaker had 25 tackles, 5 pass breakups and 2 interceptions (1 pick six) in 8 games last year, while also catching 25 passes for 636 yards and 8 scores. Track standout had offers from Duke, Louisville, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others. Brayden Narveson^ K 6-0 215 Scottsdale, Ariz. (Western Kentucky) — In three seasons for Western Kentucky, made 51 of 64 field goal tries with a long of 53 yards. Was twice named all- conference and was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2020. Obadiah Obasuyi OL 6-6 288 Alpharetta, Ga. (Alpharetta) HHH Physically imposing lineman received scholarship offers from Central Florida, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Mississippi State, among others. Noah Potter^ DL 6-6 270 Mentor, Ohio (Cincinnati) HHH The On3 Consensus prep four-star signed with Ohio State in the 2019 class, and injuries hampered his time before he transferred to Cincinnati in 2021. Had 17 tackles (including 3 for loss and 1.5 sacks) in 12 games in his first collegiate ac- tion this past fall. On3 rated him the No. 27 edge prospect in the portal. Kendrick Raphael RB 5-11 180 Naples, Fla. (Naples) HHH One-time Iowa commit rushed 140 times for 1,731 yards and 22 touchdowns in 12 games as a senior. Also eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground as a junior with 126 carries for 1,374 yards and 18 scores in 11 contests. Darion Rivers OL 6-6 290 Charlotte, N.C. (West Charlotte) HHHH Was awarded a four-star rating by On3 despite having played football for only two seasons at West Charlotte. Also helped hoops team win a state title as a junior. Isaiah Shirley DL 6-3 259 Boone, N.C. (Watauga) HHH Played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game after having 70 tackles, including 15.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks, in 12 games as a senior. Also picked up offers from Boston College, Duke, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others. Kamen Smith OL 6-5 275 Wilkesboro, N.C. (Wilkes Central) HHH Chose NC State after also taking official visits to North Carolina and Virginia Tech and picking up additional offers from Duke, South Carolina and Wake Forest. Lex Thomas QB 5-11 193 Wake Forest, N.C. (Heritage) HHH Younger brother of former NC State stars Drake and Thayer Thomas. Completed 40 of 59 passes for 538 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing 19 times for 166 yards and 3 more scores before suffering season-ending shoulder injury after three games as a senior. Javonte "Juice" Vereen TE 6-4 209 Havelock, N.C. (Havelock) HHHH Had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons for Havelock, including catching 72 passes for 1,098 yards and 13 touch- downs in 12 games as a senior. Also had offers from Boston College, Duke, Georgia, Louisville and Maryland, among others. *On3 player ratings as of Feb. 22; ^ College transfers MARCH/APRIL 2023 ■ 41 Running back Kendrick Raphael originally committed to Iowa but reopened his recruitment in September and switched his pledge to NC State two months later. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN