The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/49933
PACK Football Recruiting Class Filling Up N C State's football recruiting was active in the month of Novem- ber, and the class is nearly full with 20 verbal commitments through Dec. 8. State technically has room for one more commitment under the 85 scholarship limit, but that assumes everyone eligible to return comes back. Typically there is roster attrition in the offseason that opens up a few more slots. The recruiting action actually started on Halloween, when cor- nerback Marchez Coates, a three-star prospect from McDonough High in Pomfret, Md., decided to switch his commitment from Pittsburgh to NC State. "I have family in Raleigh. Pitt is a good place and NC State is a good place, but NC State is a better fit for me," Coates said. "NC State is a solid ACC school. I want to play against the best. I also want to major in business management." The 5-11, 175-pound Coates originally verbally committed to Pittsburgh July 28. NCSU defensive line coach Keith Willis led Coates' recruitment. Coates ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the VTO Sports Combine in Richmond, Va., April 16. He had 78 tackles, 35 of them solo, two interceptions and nine pass breakups on defense in 2011. He added 12 catches for 269 yards and a score on offense. Rivals. com ranks Coates as the No. 16 player in Maryland. NC State landed a surprise commitment when running back Shadrach Thornton from Liberty County High in Hinesville, Ga., picked the Wolfpack on Nov. 11 over Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. Thornton had previously committed to Kentucky in September. Many had expected the 6-1, 205-pound Thornton to pick either the Yellow Jackets or Commodores. "I really like the pro-style offense that North Carolina State runs, and I like [running backs] Coach [Everette] Sands," Thornton told the Savannah Morning News. "After he saw my highlights, he was all over it. Even when I took trips to other schools, he stayed on me and let me know how much he wanted me to play there. "I hope I can have an impact right away. I'm a competitor, and I believe anything is possible." Thornton rushed 243 times for 1,738 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. He is listed as a three-star prospect and the No. 58 recruit from the state of Georgia. At the VTO Sports Combine in Atlanta April 9, Thornton ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds and the shuttle in 4.32 seconds. He had a 30-inch vertical leap. Thornton also runs track. His best 100-meter time is 11.32 seconds, and his top 200-meter clocking is 23.14 seconds. Three days following Thornton's announcement, State picked up two more commitments. The first was interior line prospect John Tu'uta, a native of Fredericksburg, Va., who is playing for the prep team at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy. 12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Safety Jarnor Jones, a 6-4, 190-pound two-sport star at Martin Luther King High in Lithonia, Ga., became the Pack's 20th commitment for the class of 2012 when he announced his pledge on Thanksgiving. PHOTO COURTESY JONES FAMILY The 6-3, 310-pound Tu'uta, who also had an offer from Akron, was named all-league each of the last two years and all-state as a junior. He played both guard and center for Fork Union. "He had a good year," Fork Union head coach and athletics di- rector Micky Snyder said. "He got a high ankle sprain about four games in, played the rest of the season with it and missed practice time to get ready to play on game day. "He's a tough kid. He's a throwback. He's a kid that goes back to the olden days where you play. If you go to watch John play, find the dirtiest, nastiest guy out there." Hours after Tu'uta picked State, athlete Lakeith Walls from Rhodes High in Cleveland, Ohio, joined the class. Walls officially visited NC State Sept. 16, and after an official visit to Louisville Nov. 11 decided to go ahead and join NCSU's class while he had a chance. "NC State was almost full and running out of scholarships," Walls noted. "I didn't want to miss out. I felt like it was the place for me. "I just feel like it's an up-and-coming program. It's already a good program. The players are close. It's not even like it's a football team — it's like a room full of brothers in the team meeting rooms. Raleigh is a nice city, it just felt like the place for me." Walls, 6-3, 195 pounds, played quarterback, tailback, receiver, linebacker, safety and kick returner this fall. He finished the season with 1,699 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on offense. Walls had two interceptions on defense, including one for a touchdown, and returned a kickoff 79 yards for a score. He's also a very good athlete, having run a 10.85 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 22.54 seconds in the 200 meters in track. TRACKING THE