The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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26 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE "He handled it really well," Mallard Creek head coach Mike Palmieri noted. "He became a leader. He actually became a captain towards the end of the year. He came in here, and he had to adjust to the pace of the practices, but he was great in the locker room and great on the field for us. "He was a guy that wanted to be in the back and lead by example on the field. He's not a rah-rah guy all that much. He makes his presence known by his work ethic and what he does between the lines." With his low-key persona, Moss did not necessarily enjoy the recruiting process. "A lot of coaches were telling me a lot of lies," Moss said, adding a chuckle. "It was just real hectic. When I got to the end, I did really started enjoying it." That's because Moss had found his school of choice. After narrowing down his options to NC State, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC, he went on an official visit to Raleigh Jan. 23 and decided he had seen enough. The 6-4, 247-pounder posted a picture on Twitter of himself standing next to NC State head coach Dave Doeren, the two holding up the Wolfpack sign with their fingers. The caption on the photo announced the answer to what all those pesky reporters were try- ing to glean from Moss for months: he was going to NC State. "Everything felt comfortable," Moss summed up. "It felt like home to me. I've been up there I think five times before I committed. I just felt comfortable with ev- erything. It's a good fit for me. "I am close to my family. I am going to have a good support system around me." Moss' family is also part of him being the focal point of NCSU's class. His fa- ther is Randy Moss, a future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver. The elder Moss was a seven-time Pro Bowler and led the league in touchdown receptions five times during his career. He owns the NFL record for most scoring hauls in a single season (23) and finished his playing days with 982 recep- tions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns. Understandably, the son of Randy Moss choosing to play college football at a power conference school warrants attention, and unsurprisingly when Thaddeus picked NC State it did not take long for the news to spread to the front page of ESPN.com. But as Doeren noted at his National Signing Day press conference, the day was about Thaddeus himself, not Randy's son. "It's his path, it's his future here," Doeren said. "It's his story to write. I think that's been the main focus all the way through. "His father, Randy, was great through the process, letting Thad narrow it down. We really enjoyed sitting down and talking with him. He's raised a really serious, hard- working young man." The younger Moss' credentials on the field stand out in the 2016 recruiting class, his last name aside. He caught 54 passes for 831 yards and 13 touchdowns to help lead Mallard Creek to a third straight state title. MaxPreps.com selected him as a first-team All-American, and Rivals.com rated him as the No. 123 overall player in the nation's senior class regardless of position. "He's an all-around tight end, can catch the ball, will block, is smart, can line up as a receiver, can put his hand in the dirt. He's just an all-around great football player," Palmieri noted. "He has all the tools. He knows the game. "I just think he should be able to adjust to the speed of the game. He just needs to get stronger to be able to block. Some of those D-ends in the ACC are pretty tough." Palmieri even suggested that Moss could be a force at defensive end if needed. "He's a great defensive end," Palmieri said. "We liked him on defense. He played both ways for us. He's a playmaker on that side of the ball, too. "He can do it all. He has great hands and hand-eye coordination. The sky is the limit with what he is able to do on the football field. We wish him the best. He's one of us, one of our guys, so we'll be rooting for him." Moss is ready to attack the field at NC State like he did at Mallard Creek last fall. Among his objectives: an ACC cham- pionship and ACC Freshman of the Year. "I set my goals and expectations as high as possible," Moss stated. ■ HEADLINER Four-Star Tight End Thaddeus Moss' Signing With NC State Was Big News "He can do it all. The sky is the limit with what he is able to do on the football field." ■ Mallard Creek head coach Mike Palmieri on Moss BY MATT CARTER T ight end Thaddeus Moss is generally regarded as the marquee player in NC State's 2016 football recruiting class. However, Moss is not the type that wants to be in the spot- light, a notion driven home this past season when he would routinely decline interview requests with reporters itching to get the latest de- tails on his recruitment. Nor did he want to overshadow his teammates at his high-profile high school: powerful Mallard Creek in Charlotte, N.C. Mallard Creek had just won back-to-back 4-AA state titles when Moss trans- ferred in last offseason after previously playing at private Victory Christian Academy. Moss' preference was to blend in and be a valued teammate. Moss was named a first-team All-American by MaxPreps.com in 2015, and he was ranked as the No. 123 overall player in the senior class regardless of position by Rivals.com. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN