The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530878
10 ■ THE WOLFPACKER T R A C K I N G THE THE PACK PACK BY ETHAN MCDOWELL N C State inked 21 players during the December signing period for foot- ball, landing a class that placed 40th nationally and eighth in the ACC, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The Wolfpack landed three players who received four-star grades from On3's scouts in wide receiver Je'rel Bolder of Wingate, N.C., and offensive linemen Isaac "Spike" Sowells of Louis- ville, Ky., and Ta'Khyian "TK" Whitset of Antioch, Tenn. "We're excited about the young men that have joined the Wolfpack," coach Dave Doeren said. "It's a good group of guys that fit our culture, that have learned a lot about us through a lot of visits and a lot of conversations, and it's an ongoing process." To assemble this year's class, the staff competed on the recruiting trail with South Carolina, Florida State, Georgia and many, many others, trying to keep some of its in-state talent home and also go outside of its footprint at times to land some of the nation's most tal- ented prospects. Three recruiting battles stood out this cycle — a late push to secure Bolder's pledge after he appeared bound for Georgia, a consistent effort to overcome Kentucky's surge for Sowells, and the unwavering commitment of three-star South Carolina quarterback Will Wil- son. NC State always held a special place in Bolder's heart. He camped with the Pack the summer before his sophomore season and earned an early offer. Listed by On3 as the No. 217 overall prospect and No. 31 receiver nationally, as well as the No. 8 prospect in North Carolina, he received scholarship offers from South Carolina, Michigan and others. The Wolfpack remained in conten- tion as his recruitment expanded. Wide receivers coach Joker Phillips stopped by Forest Hills High, a 2A school south of Charlotte, during pretty much every evaluation period. Out-of-state schools intrigued him early in the process, but NC State re- mained consistent. It weathered inter- est from the Gamecocks and Wolverines before he truly emerged as a national recruit in the months following his ju- nior season. Bolder ended up locking in official visits with Virginia, Georgia and NC Pack Excited To Welcome 2025 Recruiting Class 2025 Commitments Name Pos Ht Wt Rating* Home School Omarian "OJ" Abraham DT 6-2 290 HHH Fort Lauderdale, Fla. American Heritage Je'rel Bolder WR 6-0 190 HHHH Wingate, N.C. Forest Hills RJ Boyd RB 6-0 210 HHH Waycross, Ga. Ware County Cedric Cisse CB 5-11 170 HHH Sumter, S.C. Lakewood Colby Cronk DE 6-3 260 HHH Palm Coast, Fla. Flagler Preston Douglas TE 6-3 225 HHH Jupiter, Fla. The Benjamin School Terris Dudley LB 6-3 200 HHH Hilliard, Ohio Hilliard Bradley Michael Gibbs OT 6-4 295 HHH Wilmington, N.C. John T. Hoggard Caden Gordon CB 6-2 180 HHH West Palm Beach, Fla. Santaluces Teddy Hoffman WR 6-1 185 HHH Delray Beach, Fla. Atlantic Gerritt Kemp DB 6-3 180 HHH Grayson, Ga. Hebron Christian Academy Kage Payne OL 6-3 290 HHH Cincinnati Kings AJ Prim DE 6-3 225 HHH Tylertown, Miss. Pearl River C.C. Kentrell Rinehart RB 6-2 200 HHH Columbus, Ohio Westland Gus Ritchey TE 6-3 240 HHH Pittsboro, N.C. Cary Isaac "Spike" Sowells OL 6-2 292 HHHH Louisville, Ky. Louisville Male Cam Strong CB 6-1 175 HHH Anderson, S.C. T.L. Hanna Tristan Teasdell S 6-1 180 HHH Leesburg, Va. Tuscarora Josiah Victor DT 6-2 270 HHH Loganville, Ga. Grayson (Ga.) Ta'Khyian "TK" Whitset OT 6-5 270 HHHH Antioch, Tenn. Antioch Will Wilson QB 6-1 220 HHH Columbia, S.C. Richland Northeast 2026 Commitments Name Pos Ht Wt Rating* Home School Jacob Smith QB 6-3 200 HHH Pfafftown, N.C. Reagan Brady Sakowitz OT 6-7 285 HHH Richmond, Va. Trinity Episcopal School *On3 ratings as of Dec. 16 Je'rel Bolder signed with NC State after a highly productive career at Forest Hills (N.C.) High in which he topped 3,000 receiving yards. PHOTO COURTESY JE'REL BOLDER