The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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Expect more from your independent Trane dealer 910-347-2843 or 800-819-2843 TRANE CLEANEFFECTS – A REVOLUTION IN CLEAN AIR TECHNOLOGY www.trane.com Doeren preached about keeping the top in-state talent home when he took the job in December 2012. He had just witnessed a football campaign where multiple in-state players starred right away on the college level — but all at out-of-state programs. D.J. Humphries started three games and played in every contest as a true freshman left tackle at Florida, while No. 6 Georgia was powered by the one-two rookie punch of running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. Humphries and Gurley are both projected to be first-round picks in this spring's NFL Draft. "There are some really, really good foot- ball players in the state of North Carolina," Doeren said. "That was one of the things that really intrigued me about this job. You can sign 10-15 great players every year from your state, that's not something you see ev- erywhere." "It was our goal — our mission — to keep the best players at home." NC State had signed just six recruits that were ranked among the state's top 10 from 2006-13, but that didn't deter the coach. In the two classes since, Doeren has inked the same number of North Carolina's top 10 — and the state has been so deep that all have been regarded as four-star prospects, as well as Gallaspy. "We have a plan where seven of our coaches are in-state recruiters," Doeren noted. "Those seven guys do a great job of getting those people on our campus. It's re- ally about educating the masses about how great of a place NC State is. The more we can, the more it will continue. "I tell them all, 'You can go to a lot of places out of state, get good educations and play good ball, but you're not going to be a local hero. You're just going to be a guy that is down there playing.' [Staying in state] is a life choice. "I feel like it just means more — not just to the kid, but to his family. He's going to get more people to come watch us play. The rivalries mean a lot to them, they can go back to your hometown and everybody knows what they're doing over here." For the NCSU assistants, the key is get- ting the recruits on campus to catch their attention. State has facilities comparable to anybody in the country, and the indoor facility that is under construction is the last piece of the puzzle, but not everybody knows about them. After the initial trip, the coaches work to keep the prospects coming back. "As a recruiter, I feel like if you can get a guy on campus, he's reciprocating the inter- est, and that's what really matters," tight ends and fullbacks coach/special teams co- ordinator Eddie Faulkner explained. "That's got to be your mindset. If you're recruiting a guy a whole bunch and he never shows up, it's kind of like the hot girl in high school that you're trying to talk to, but never talks back to you." One of the tide-changing moments for the Pack in the 2015 cycle was the Florida State game in late September. The home team jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first quarter on the defending national champions before falling, 56-41, in a wild one. However, it was not only an eye-opener due to the prod- uct on the field, but the sellout crowd was a raucous one that caught recruits' attention. "That kind of changed the things in our favor in their recruitments," Kitchings, the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach, said of the top signees and that par- ticular date. That contest also brought together many of the state's top seniors and once one com- mitted, there was a snowball effect. The prospects run into each other on visits to college campuses, camps and combines, so they know each other; some even talk routinely and share information. This year, many of the state's top uncommitted recruits were friends — McGirt and Hines said, dat- ing back to last year, they wanted to play together — and it was the perfect storm for NC State. "It got to the point where Reggie was recruiting Nyheim, Nyheim was recruiting Johnny, Reggie was recruiting Johnny, and then all those guys were communicating," Kitchings explained. "Darian Roseboro was recruiting Johnny, Nyheim and McGirt. "You can get three, four or five of them coming to State, recruiting each other and adding to their class. They take a little own- ership of it, and it adds to our program." ■ 2015 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ■ The Wolfpack beat out both Alabama and Florida State to secure Princeton (N.C.) High star Johnny Frasier, who is rated as the No. 8 player in the state and the No. 24 running back nationally. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN