The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/266935
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE COLE COOK ■ TE Carrollton (Ga.) High • 6-5 • 235 pounds Measurables: Reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds. Stats: As a senior, playing in a Wing-T offense, made four receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown … Defen- sively, added 31 tackles, including three for loss and a sack … As a junior, caught six passes for 80 yards and made 18 pancake blocks. Ratings: Rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 57 player in Georgia and the No. 26 tight end in the country by Rivals.com … Ranked as a three-star prospect, the No. 45 player in the state and the No. 30 tight end in the country by Scout.com … Listed as a three-star prospect, the No. 42 player in the state and the No. 14 tight end in the country by 247Sports … Tabbed a three-star pros- pect, the No. 59 player in the state and the No. 20 tight end in the country by ESPN. Honors/accomplishments: Named 2013 first- team All-State for Class AAAA by Atlanta Journal-Con- stitution and selected second-team All-State by Georgia Sportswriters 3 … Selected first-team All-Region by the Times-Georgian in 2013 … Played in the Georgia Rising Seniors All-Star Game in December 2012 … Mother, Kelli Casteel, played basketball at Tennessee from 1988-92, and his uncle Mike Casteel was a defensive tackle for the Volunteers from 1979-82. Recruitment: NC State gave Cook his first major offer … Other BCS offers came from Boston College, Florida State, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi State and Missouri … First visited NCSU in the spring and then committed during a repeat visit on June 26. Recruiter of record: Wide receivers coach Fris - man Jackson. Quotable: "He may be the most driven kid that I've ever coached, as far as his desire to play at the next level. He's willing to do whatever it takes to do it. He's just a special guy." — Carrollton head coach Rayvan Teague to the Times-Georgian. Dave Doeren on Cook: "He has tremendous leadership ability. Again, it's another tight end that can catch, but is a very physical blocker. He's a kid that already power cleans over 350 pounds, and for a 6-5 guy, that's really impressive in high school, just from an explosion standpoint." Scouting report: Physically gifted tight end with the size and speed to be an all-around player at the position … Comes from a high school offense that demands the tight end block, thus is more advanced in that aspect than most high school tight ends … Will have to learn finer points of route-running and a spread offense. 2014 projection: A freshman tight end is not going to see the field if he cannot hold up at the line of scrim - mage, and that is where Cook has an advantage given his background. Do not be surprised if Cook plays as a true freshman given State's short numbers at the position. COULT CULLER ■ LB Wilmington (N.C.) Laney High • 6-5 • 230 pounds Measurables: At the Shrine Bowl Combine in Washington, N.C., ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds and the shuttle in 4.53 seconds … Registered a 9-0 standing broad jump … Did 25 reps at 185 pounds on the bench press. Stats: As a senior, made 135 tackles … As a junior, tallied 139 tackles, including 14 for loss and a sack. Ratings: Ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com … Rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 24 player in the state and the No. 47 middle linebacker in the country by Scout.com … Tabbed a three-star prospect, the No. 41 player in the state and the No. 51 inside linebacker in the country by 247Sports … Listed as a three-star prospect, the No. 25 player in the state and the No. 46 outside linebacker in the country by ESPN … Ranked as the No. 19 player in the state by the Fayetteville Observer … Evaluated as the No. 38 player in the state by Athlete Vault. Honors/accomplishments: Named first-team All-State by both the Associated Press and NCPreps. com, and also picked 4A All-State by the latter publication …Wilmington Star-News Area Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and first-team All-Area defense the prior season … Conference's player of the year as a senior and defensive player of the year as a junior … Was first-team all-conference as a sophomore … Father played football at Clemson in the 1970s. Recruitment: First two offers were from UNC and East Carolina … NC State offered in April, and he visited the Pack for the spring game … That trip turned the tide from UNC toward NC State, and he verbally committed May 13. Recruiter of record: Running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Des Kitchings. Quotable: "He has the uncoachable knack. You can show him and get him to understand what an offense is trying to do, but he just knows how to teach himself within the game and how to flow to the football." — Laney head coach Greg Ditz. Dave Doeren on Culler: "He's a very physical football player. I know a lot of coaches down in the Wilmington-area are glad he's gone. He's a tackling machine and had multiple games where he had 20-plus tackles." Scouting report: Large linebacker with long arms … Very instinctive with a nose for the football … Plays with high motor and arrives at the point of tackle in full force. 2014 projection: Those who have watched Culler play quickly figure out that he has an advanced understanding of the game for a high school senior. Given his size, physicality and instincts, he should be a quick study for the college game and may find his way on the field next fall. ELLIOTT DAVIS ■ CB North Potomac (Md.) Quince Orchard High 6-1 • 175 pounds Measurables: At the University of Maryland's summer camp, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and the shuttle in 4.3 seconds … Registered a 10-6 standing broad jump. Stats: As a senior, caught 19 passes for 459 yards and seven touchdowns … As a junior, made 23 receptions for 384 yards and two scores. Ratings: Ranked as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com … Rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 22 player in the state, the No. 106 recruit in the East Region and the No. 79 cornerback in the country by Scout.com … Listed as a two-star prospect, the No. 42 player in the state and the No. 180 athlete in the country by 247Sports … Tabbed three-star prospect, the No. 15 player in the state and the No. 65 athlete in the country by ESPN … Evaluated as the No. 17 player in the state by National Underclassmen. Honors/accomplishments: Named second-team All-State as a defensive back for Maryland big schools by the Associated Press in 2013 … Tabbed first-team All-Gazette defensive back for Montgomery County by the Maryland Gazette … Selected honorable mention All-Metropolitan as a receiver by the Washington Post in 2013 … State triple-jump champion in track and field as a junior and has a personal best of 46-1.75 in the event set at the state regional. Recruitment: Camped at NC State in June but did not earn an offer until November after a strong senior season … Also had offers from Maryland, Rutgers and Wake Forest … Was favoring Wake Forest prior to head coach Jim Grobe's resignation … Picked NC State over fellow finalist Rutgers on Jan. 16. Recruiter of record: Cornerbacks coach George Barlow. Quotable: "I'm a long corner … and I have good range. I have pretty good reactions and can make plays on the ball with my receiver experience because that was my primary position." — Davis. Dave Doeren on Davis: "He's a long, 6-1 corner and is also a state champion triple jumper who jumped 45-feet, 6-inches last year, which is very explosive. You see that as you watch his tape." Scouting report: Good-sized corner … Shows a knack for making big plays on both sides of the ball … Top-end speed is not great, but has good acceleration and explosiveness. 2014 projection: There is room for a corner (or perhaps two) to find the field this fall for NC State, but Davis is still a bit raw at the position having played both ways in high school and might be a better candidate to redshirt. 44-53.Recruiting Bios.indd 46 2/25/14 2:53 PM