The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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70 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State sits on six verbal commitments in the 2016 class with room to take up to 10 more in what is expected to be a small group of signees. The Wolfpacker has compiled a list of 10 players, in al- phabetical order, that NC State is heavily involved with and would comprise a best- case scenario collection. DEFENSIVE BACK CARLOS BECKER Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola It is not often that a top talent from Florida with offers from both Florida and Florida State would seem like a good bet to leave the state, but that appears to be the case with Becker. The 6-3, 185-pound defensive back from Osceola High in Kissimmee, Fla., has revealed a recent top three of Kentucky, NC State and Ohio State. The Pack has the advantage of host- ing Becker for a pair of unofficial visits, and his former teammate, linebacker Ri- ley Nicholson, is an early enrollee fresh- man at NC State who impressed enough to run second string at the Kay Yow Spring Game. Becker, who had 56 tackles and three interceptions as a junior, was at that spring game and additionally visited NCSU in February. Rivals.com rates Becker as a three-star prospect. He also has offers from Boston College, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among others. LINEBACKER DONTA EVANS Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer NC State has three connections to Ev- ans, and they are all cur- rent commitments. Evans played last season for Lake Marion High in Santee, S.C., where one of his best friends was future Wolf- pack cornerback James Valdez. His transfer to Archer makes him teammates with defensive tackle Kobe Smith. Evans played for Team USA when he was 14 with safety Tim Glass from Dan- ville, Va. Glass, Smith and Valdez are all committed to NC State, and they are put- ting the squeeze on the 6-2, 220-pound Evans. "It would be exciting if all four of us could play together," Evans admitted. "I would get to play with people I already know and possible roommates." Auburn, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina and Wake Forest have also offered Evans, who had 116 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles in nine games as a junior. CORNERBACK MARK GILBERT Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford Gilbert (6-2, 170) had 34 tackles, three interceptions, six passes broken up and one fumble recovery as a junior. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown and is rated as the No. 28 prospect in North Carolina and the No. 53 cor- nerback nationally by Rivals.com. Boston College, Duke, Michigan, NC State, North Carolina, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West Virginia are among Gilbert's offers. He has taken multiple visits to NCSU. Gilbert has some impressive football genes in his family. His cousin Zack Gil- bert is a highly recruited rising senior defensive lineman at South Mecklenburg High in Charlotte. Zack Gilbert, who has offers from Florida, Pitt, Tennessee, UNC, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others, is the son of former Pitt and NFL standout defensive lineman Sean Gilbert. Another cousin of Gilbert is six-time Pro Bowl corner Darrelle Revis, who just picked up a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots. Revis also played his college football at Pittsburgh. Yet another cousin is Reggie Mitchell, a rising redshirt junior defensive back for Pitt. WIDE RECEIVER ERIC KUMAH Woodbridge (Va.) Forest Park On April 26, Kumah released a top eight of offers — Ken- tucky, Maryland, NC State, P i t t s bu rg h , Te n n e s s e e , Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech. He hopes to announce his decision June 19. Rivals.com lists Kumah (6-3, 200) as a three-star prospect and the No. 21 player in Virginia. He caught 43 passes for 830 yards and totaled 24 touchdowns as a junior. He was named first-team all- conference at both wide receiver and kick returner. DEFENSIVE TACKLE DEXTER LAWRENCE Wake Forest (N.C.) High Lawrence is considered one of the pre- mier talents in the country. Rivals.com rates Lawrence as a five-star prospect, the top talent in North Caro- lina, the No. 3 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 13 player in the coun- try regardless of position. At the Shrine Bowl Combine held at South Johnston High in Four Oaks, N.C., in March, Lawrence displayed elite-level athleticism. Checking in a 330 pounds, Lawrence ran the hand-timed 40-yard dash on a track in 4.79 seconds and the short shuttle on a gym floor in 4.68 seconds, and lifted 185 pounds on the bench press 38 times. He also had a seven-foot, eight-inch standing broad jump. As a junior, Lawrence had 55 total stops, 25 tackles for loss and 10 sacks for Wake Forest, which went undefeated until losing to Charlotte Mallard Creek in the 4-AA state title game. Lawrence, who was named Wake Forest's Defensive MVP in that contest, also had an interception, three passes broken up, three forced fumbles, three blocked kicks and a fumble recovery last fall. Lawrence's many offers include Ala- bama, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Michi- gan State, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC. LINEBACKER ELYSEE MBEM-BOSSE Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove Mbem-Bosse has impressive offers, and he has released a heavy-hit- ting early favorites list that includes Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, NC State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Caro- lina, Tennessee and Wake Forest. The 6-1, 225-pound Mbem-Bosse is a teammate of NCSU signee Quentez John- son, a defensive tackle who picked State over Tennessee and Oregon. Rivals.com rates Mbem-Bosse as a three-star recruit and the No. 65 pros- pect in Georgia. In 12 games last season, Mbem-Bosse piled up 69 tackles, a pair of stops for loss, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING Ten Most Wanted: A List Of The Top Prospects On NCSU's Wish List