The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/430118
14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER N C State's 2015 football recruiting class gained a pair of significant verbal commitments, highlighted by offensive tackle Emanuel McGirt from Durham (N.C.) Hillside High. Rivals.com rates McGirt as a four-star prospect and the No. 28 offensive tackle in the country. He is one of just 14 four-star seniors in the state. The 6-5, 270-pound McGirt had originally committed to North Carolina in June, but decommitted in August. He took official visits to Georgia and Virginia Tech, plus an unofficial trip to Penn State, before making his pledge to NC State public Nov. 19. "The fan base, the coaching staff and everything, and I was just re- ally excited," McGirt explained about his decision. "I just felt like I had the opportunity to contribute. I just wanted to get it over with. I was going to wait until my official visit, but I don't want to waste anybody's time. It's a big relief. It's over now. They've been on me for a long time, and I'm just happy." McGirt has been selected to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game Dec. 20 in Spartanburg, S.C. A day prior to McGirt's commitment, NC State landed a pledge from defensive tackle Jabari Zuniga from Sprayberry High in Mari- etta, Ga. Zuniga, a 6-3, 265-pound late bloomer, also picked up offers from Kansas State and Minnesota. Additionally, Arkansas implied an offer was coming if he would officially visit, and Georgia Tech was expressing serious interest. The Arkansas visit, though, is unlikely to happen. "I am going to tell them I am a Wolfpacker," Zuniga clarified. Even before he began picking up interest and offers from major col- leges over the past couple of months, Zuniga had settled on NC State as a school he would like to play for if he got the chance. "That was back when I had no offers, and nobody knew about me," Zuniga noted. "When they offered me about two or three months ago, I was so excited I was about to commit on the spot. My mom told me not to do that. I just waited until I took my official." That official visit occurred for the Wake Forest game weekend. The additions of McGirt and Zuniga gave the Wolfpack 16 verbal commitments in the 2015 class. Zuniga is the third Peach State native to join the group, while McGirt is one of 10 in-state products who have committed, counting Greensboro native Daris Workman, who is an offensive tackle playing at Contra Costa Community College in San Pablo, Calif. NC State also added a pair of commitments in the junior class, in- cluding quarterback Dylan Parham of Southeast Raleigh High. Parham admitted that he had been thinking about committing to NC State for a while before making it official Nov. 8. "The offense they run is really similar to ours, and I felt like it could present a lot of opportunities for me," Parham noted. "Then I talked with my parents and my coaches about it, and they felt it was perfect for me. I went ahead and decided not to waste any more time." It has been quite a rise for Parham. He was a part-time starter at quarter- back as a sophomore, but NC State was impressed with him after he threw in front of Pack coaches twice over the summer, first at a seven-on-seven camp and then at an individual camp. NC State offered Parham and contin- ued to recruit him throughout his junior season, during which he completed 149 of 296 passes (50.3 percent) for 1,773 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 picks. He also rushed 75 times for 394 yards and seven scores. Parham was playing his best football at the end of the season. Dur- ing the last three games, he completed 61 of 100 passes for 749 yards with eight scores and five interceptions, while running 27 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns. That stretch included a game against Triangle area power Garner (N.C.) High, which reached the semifinals of the 4-AA state playoffs. Parham will have to decide if he wants to graduate early. He has a 4.0 grade-point average, and he suspects that he will have most of his credits taken care of so that he could pursue enrolling at NCSU in the spring of 2016 if he wanted. Rivals.com rates Parham as a three-star prospect and the No. 27 junior in the state. Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer High three-star junior defensive tackle Kobe Smith has been on NC State's radar for a while. He was actually offered by the Pack when he came up during spring practices for an unofficial visit. The 6-3, 310-pound Smith has since gotten to know NC State well. He was back again in the summer for camp and then returned in September when the Pack competitively battled then-No. 1 and still undefeated Florida State. It was in the summer, though, that Smith admitted he began to get the vibe that NC State was the school for him. Despite other early of- fers from Indiana, Iowa, Wake Forest and West Virginia, Smith pulled the trigger and committed to the Wolfpack Dec. 1. Despite the other offers, Smith said that besides NC State he was mainly intrigued by interest coming his way from Florida and Tennes- see. Rivals.com rates Smith as the No. 54 junior in the initial state of Georgia rankings for the 2016 class. NC State now has five verbal pledges in the junior class. — Matt Carter Pack Adds Four Football Commitments TRACKING THE PACK ■ 2015 NC State Football Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Malik Douglas ATH 6-4 220 Southport, N.C (South Brunswick) Reggie Gallaspy RB 5-10 217 Greensboro, N.C. (Southern Guilford) Tyler Griffiths LS 6-2 220 Monroe, N.C. (Sun Valley) Quentez Johnson DT 6-2 328 Ellenwood, Ga. (Cedar Grove) Austin King QB 6-2 192 Alpharetta, Ga. (Alpharetta) T.J. McCoy OL 6-2 320 Groveland, Fla. (South Lake) Emanuel McGirt OL 6-5 271 Durham (Hillside) Jarius Morehead S 5-11 188 Gibsonville, N.C. (Eastern Guilford) Riley Nicholson LB 5-11 228 Kissimmee, Fla. (Osceola) Freddie Phillips S 6-1 195 Pelion, S.C. (Pelion) Darian Roseboro DT 6-4 283 Lincolnton, N.C. (Lincolnton) Brian Sessoms WR 5-8 165 Winston-Salem, N.C. (Carver) James Smith-Williams LB 6-4 203 Raleigh (Millbrook) Phillip Walton OT 6-7 260 Charlotte (Charlotte Christian) Daris Workman OL 6-5 265 San Pablo, Calif. (Contra Costa CC) Jabari Zuniga DT 6-3 265 Marietta, Ga. (Sprayberry) Offensive tackle Emanuel McGirt is rated a four-star prospect and the nation's No. 28 player at his position. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN