The Wolfpacker

80 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State had three verbal commitments in the 2015 recruiting class entering May: athlete Malik Douglas from South- port (N.C.) South Brunswick High, re- ceiver Brian Sessoms from Winston-Salem (N.C.) Carver High and offensive tackle Philip Walton from Charlotte Christian. The following is a position-by-position look at where recruiting stood entering the summer. ■ Quarterback NCSU is hoping to sign two signal-call- ers in the 2015 class. The Pack lost one top target when Kelly Bryant, a Rivals.com four-star prospect from Piedmont (S.C.) Wren High, verbally committed to Clem- son in April. There are still plenty of quarterbacks on the board, highlighted by four-star Lorenzo Nunez from Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison High and in-state standout Kendall Hinton from Durham (N.C.) Southern High. Nunez visited NCSU unofficially April 26 and has the Pack in his top four along with South Carolina, Ohio State and Miami. He hopes to make a commitment during the first full week of May, and most analysts believe the top two are NC State and South Carolina. The 6-2, 190-pounder is rated as the No. 96 overall player in the country, the No. 6 dual- threat signal-caller nationally and No. 11 recruit in Georgia by Rivals.com. The 6-0, 190-pound Hinton completed 219 of 339 passes for 3,972 yards with 39 touchdowns and just five picks as a junior. He also rushed 95 times for 1,183 yards and 13 scores to help Southern win a 3-AA state title. The three-star recruit has offers from Boston College, Duke, East Carolina and NC State, and the Pack could be emerging as his leader. Hinton visited for the Pack's spring game April 12. His favorite receiver last season, Maurice Trowell, signed with NC State in February. Beyond those two, there are at least three more quarterbacks with reported State of- fers. Joe Burrow (6-3, 200 pounds) said that he wants to visit NCSU over the sum- mer. He completed 71.2 percent of his passes last year for 3,732 yards and 47 touchdowns with just seven picks for Ath- ens (Ohio) High. He also rushed for 589 yards and nine more scores. Burrow, who is rated as a three-star re- cruit and the No. 34 prospect in the state of Ohio by Rivals.com, also has offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Iowa State, Maryland and West Virginia, among others. Tommy Stevens is a 6-4, 190-pounder from Indianapolis Decatur Central who threw for around 1,500 yards and 13 touch- downs while rushing for 800 yards and an seven scores as a junior. He is rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, but that may change after he was voted the quar- terback MVP at the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour stop April 26 in Columbus, Ohio. Stevens has an offer list that is more im- pressive than a two-star as well. Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, NC State, Purdue and West Virginia are among those in pursuit. NCSU hosted pro-style signal-caller Nick Johns from Washington (D.C.) Gon- zaga High on an unofficial visit in March, but the 6-3, 215-pounder is believed to be favoring offers from Maryland and Vir- ginia. He is expected to make his choice at some point in late May or early June. Rivals.com lists Johns as the No. 15 pro- style quarterback in the country and No. 4 player in the District of Columbia. ■ Running Back NC State wants two running backs in the 2015 class, with one being a power back. Their best chance of landing a bruis- ing ball carrier may be Reggie Gallaspy, a 5-10, 215-pounder from Southern Guilford High in Greensboro, N.C. Gallaspy visited NCSU for its spring game April 12, and the Pack is in a battle with Duke for the four- star prospect. Gallaspy ran 282 times for 1,704 yards and 26 touchdowns, and caught 14 passes for 245 yards and a score as a junior. Ri- vals.com ranks him as the No. 26 running back in the 2015 class. A pair of in-state speedsters from Wake County are also on NCSU's board. Bryce Love is a 5-10, 185-pounder from Wake Forest High. He finished second in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore in the 4-A state title track meet, completing the sprint in 10.68 seconds. He was third in the 200 with a time of 21.64 seconds. Love ran 181 times for 1,914 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding two scores re- ceiving and three on kick returns last year. Love visited NCSU for a spring practice. He also visited Stanford during the spring and has almost two dozen offers, includ- ing South Carolina where his father Chris Love, played college football. Love's lengthy list of other major offers include Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Ne- braska, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Rivals.com ranks Love as the No. 3 all-purpose back nationally and the No. 93 overall player in the 2015 class. Like Love, Nyheim Hines, a 5-8, 180-pounder from Garner High, visited NCSU during the spring for a practice. Hines is rated as the No. 43 athlete in the country and a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. He rushed 311 times for 3,129 yards and 50 touchdowns last year, and scored 10 more times via receiving and kick returns. Clemson, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech are among Hines' other offers. ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING The Wolfpack's Pursuit Of 2015 Prospects Is Heating Up Durham (N.C.) Southern three-star quarterback and NC State target Kendall Hinton accounted for 5,155 yards of total offense and 52 touchdowns during his junior campaign. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 80-85.FB Recruiting.indd 80 4/29/14 3:12 PM

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