The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MATT CARTER N CSU will have room for around 16 recruits in the 2015 class, which means that the coaching staff will be more selective this cycle compared to 2014. Here's a break- down of how the Wolfpack's recruiting board may shape up with some targets that have already emerged. ■ Quarterback NC State has only two scholarship quar- terbacks on its roster in redshirt junior Ja- coby Brissett and incoming freshman Jalan McClendon. The Wolfpack is seeking to land two quarterbacks in this class, and there are already a pair of names that are high on the board. Four-star Kelly Bryant (6-4, 205 pounds) from Piedmont (S.C.) Wren High is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 92 overall player and No. 5 dual-threat signal-caller in the country. He completed 187 of 298 passes for 2,665 yards with 29 scores and eight picks as a junior. He also rushed 189 times for 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns. Bryant has consistently listed NC State as one of the schools recruiting him the hardest. He also has offers from Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. The other signal-caller to watch is Ken- dall Hinton, a 6-0, 180-pounder from Dur- ham (N.C.) Southern High. Hinton has offers from Duke, NC State and East Caro- lina after completing 219 of 339 passes for 3,972 yards with 39 touchdowns and just five picks, and leading Southern to a 3-AA state title as a junior. Hinton, who has ad- mitted he is favoring Duke, also rushed 95 times for 1,183 yards and 13 scores. Rivals.com lists Hinton as a three-star recruit. Both Bryant and Hinton visited NC State for its junior day Feb. 2. ■ Running Back Expect NC State to try to sign two tail- backs in the 2015 class, and the Pack may not have to go far to do it. There are four high-profile tailbacks in the state. Four-star Bryce Love of Wake Forest (N.C.) High is the most highly ranked by Rivals.com. He rushed 181 times for 1,914 yards and 24 touchdowns last year, and added two scores receiving and three on kick returns. The speedy 5-9, 180-pounder finished second in the 100-meter dash in the 4-A state title meet last year with a time of 10.68 seconds. He was third in the 200 with a sprint of 21.64 seconds. Love, whose father Chris Love played football at South Carolina, reports of- fers from Clemson, Georgia, Nebraska, NC State, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, UNC and Virginia Tech, among others. Rivals.com listed him as the No. 93 overall player and the No. 3 all-purpose back in the country. Garner High's Nyheim Hines, a 5-8, 180-pounder, is rated as a three-star pros- pect and the No. 43 athlete in the nation by Rivals.com. Last season, he rushed 311 times for 3,129 yards and 50 touchdowns, and added 10 scores via receiving and kick returns. NC State, Clemson, Duke, North Caro- lina, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennes- see, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are among the schools that have offered Hines, who also runs track. The most heavily recruited in-state tail- back may be Johnny Frasier of Princeton (N.C.) High from the 1-A ranks. Since National Signing Day, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, South Carolina and Ten- nessee are among the schools that have offered Frasier. The 5-11, 200-pound Frasier rushed 248 times for 3,042 yards and 45 touchdowns, and caught 25 passes for 555 yards and five scores last year. In track, he finished third in the 1-A finals with a 10.74-second 100-meter dash time. Rivals.com rates Fra- sier as a three-star recruit and the No. 33 running back in the country. The fourth tailback to watch is Reggie Gallaspy, perhaps the most college-ready at 5-11 and 215 pounds. He ran 282 times for 1,704 yards and 26 touchdowns, and caught 14 passes for 245 yards and a score as a junior for Southern Guilford High in Greensboro. Listed by Rivals.com as a three-star re- cruit and the No. 26 running back nation- ally, Gallaspy has a top five (in order) of Duke, NC State, North Carolina, West Vir- ginia and Virginia. All four running backs were at State's junior day. ■ Wide Receiver Expect NCSU to take one or two receiv- ers in this class. Entering March, NC State was the lone major offer for Markeyvious Adams from Greenwood (S.C.) High. The 6-3, 175-pounder, who is rated as a three- star prospect by Rivals.com, visited NCSU for junior day. Michael Bowman (5-11, 185) is a three- star prospect from talent-rich Havelock (N.C.) High. He caught 52 passes for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns to help lead FULL SPEED AHEAD An Early Look At The 2015 Class Quarterback Kendall Hinton, a 6-0, 180- pounder, totaled more than 5,000 yards of total offense and 52 touchdowns while leading Southern High in Durham, N.C., to a 3-AA state title as a junior. Hinton, who has been offered by NC State, was a teammate of incoming wide receiver Maurice Trowell. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 54-55.2015 Look Ahead.indd 54 2/25/14 3:40 PM