The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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32 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER I n addition to the 23 signees, NC State announced four new walk-ons joining the program. Highlighting them is kicker Con- nor Haskins, a graduate transfer from UNC Pembroke and a native of Lumberton, N.C. Haskins, who will participate in spring drills and will be listed as a senior, made 38 of 53 field goals at Pembroke with a career long of 50 yards. Two walk-ons are linebackers: David Pierson from Wendell, N.C., and Matt Ste- vens from Charlotte. The 6-0, 223-pound Pierson was a post grad at Jireh Prep in Indian Trail, N.C., last fall after previously attending Corinth Holders High. He had 115 tackles as a senior at Corinth Holders. Stevens is the brother of Wolfpack ris- ing junior cornerback Mike Stevens. The younger Stevens is a 6-0, 212-pounder that played as a senior at Hough High in Char- lotte where he had 27 tackles in six games, missing parts of the season with an injury. Stevens, like Haskins, is already enrolled. Tight end Thomas Ruocchio from Cardi- nal Gibbons High in Raleigh will also join the Pack. The 6-4, 230-pounder caught 10 passes for 114 yards last season and was named all-conference. Border Wars Two schools that NC State found itself going up against frequently this recruit- ing cycle were Virginia Tech and South Carolina. The battles with the Hokies were mainly in the spring and summer, whereas NCSU butted heads with the Gamecocks more often in the winter. The Wolfpack edged out Virginia Tech for three-star linebacker Brock Miller from Port St. Lucie (Fla.) John Carroll High. Con- versely, NC State finished second to VT for wide receiver Eric Kumah from Woodbridge (Va.) Forest Park, and made the top three with wide receiver Divine Deablo from Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mt. Tabor High and offensive tackle Patrick Kearns from Rome (Ga.) Darlington High, who both also inked with the Hokies. Kearns entertained taking an official visit to NCSU following the coaching change in Blacksburg, but before he could schedule a trip Justin Chase from Chesapeake (Va.) Great Bridge High took what would have been his spot in the Pack's class. NC State signed two former South Caro- lina commits: four-star receiver Kelvin Har- mon from Palmyra (N.J.) High and three- star corner JJ Givens from Mechanicsville (Va.) Atlee High. Prior to the coaching change in Columbia, NCSU beat out Steve Spurrier's staff for three-star corner James Valdez from Orangeburg (S.C.) Orangeburg-Wilkinson High. The Gamecocks, though, were able to score some from NCSU. Longtime Pack lean Chavis Dawkins, a two-star wide receiver from By- rnes High in Duncan, S.C., grabbed an 11th-hour offer from South Carolina and im- mediately accepted it. Asheville (N.C.) Reynolds High athlete Rico Dowdle took an official visit to NCSU, but chose to commit to South Carolina in January. Length And Skill Last spring, it was clear that NC State wanted to add some height to its receiving corps. They had a list of eight prospects on the board going into camp season in the summer with the hopes of getting two. They ended up getting a pair of them, although it took all the way until Feb. 1 when Palmyra (N.J.) High four-star Kelvin Harmon com- mitted. Three-star C.J. Riley from Coconut Creek (Fla.) North Broward Prep was also on the list. Harmon is 6-3 and Riley is 6-5. The Pack decided to take a third receiver when Daeshawn Stephens from Durham (N.C.) Hillside proved too good at camp to ignore. Stephens is the shortest of the three at 6-2, but he may also have the longest wingspan, an impressive six-foot, seven- inch reach that gives him a wide catch radius. This fall it became a pri- ority to add some length to the secondary as well, and mission accomplished. The Pack signed four corners all at least six-foot tall. Three of them — Bryce Banks of Co- lumbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge High, JJ Givens of Mechan- icsville (Va.) Atlee High and Nick McLoud of Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe High — stand 6-2 and committed in December and January. State also landed 6-4 safety Isaiah Stallings, a three-star from Fayetteville (N.C.) Terry Sanford High, in December. Geographic Footprint Under Dave Doeren, the Pack has made in- state recruits a priority. In his first full class, 16 of 31 signees were from North Carolina. Last year it was 13 of 22, and this National Signing Day nine of the 23 were natives. The footprint of the Pack's recruiting, the Atlantic seaboard from the D.C./Mary- land/Virginia region south to South Florida, was fairly well established in 2016. NCSU signed three from Virginia, two from South Carolina, three from Georgia and three from Florida. The foray into Virginia was most notice- able. NC State inked three of the state's top 40 players, according to Rivals.com, after previously signing just one prospect from Virginia this decade. Only Wake Forest (four) among out-of-state programs signed more top-40 recruits from Virginia. ■ ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING Notebook: The Wolfpack Is Bringing In Four Preferred Walk-Ons C.J. Riley, a 6-5, 188-pound three-star prospect from Coconut Creek (Fla.) North Broward Prep, is part of a group that will add length to NC State's receiving corps. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Rivals.com (Nat. Rank) 1. Florida State (2) 2. Clemson (5) 3. North Carolina (23) 4. Miami (24) 5. Pittsburgh (30) 6. Duke (31) 7. Louisville (37) 8. NC State (43) 9. Virginia Tech (49) 10. Syracuse (57) 11. Virginia (62) 12. Wake Forest (63) 13. Georgia Tech (69) 14. Boston College (83) Scout.com 1. Florida State (3) 2. Clemson (14) 3. North Carolina (tied 23) 4. Pittsburgh (27) 5. Duke (33) 6. Miami (37) 7. Louisville (40) 8. NC State (46) 9. Virginia Tech (56) 10. Syracuse (58) 11. Virginia (62) 12. Wake Forest (64) 13. Georgia Tech (65) 14. Boston College (70) 247Sports 1. Florida State (2) 2. Clemson (8) 3. Miami (22) 4. Pittsburgh (26) 5. North Carolina (33) 6. Duke (34) 7. Virginia Tech (39) 8. Louisville (40) 9. Wake Forest (56) 10. Georgia Tech (57) 11. NC State (58) 12. Virginia (61) 13. Syracuse (67) 14. Boston College (78) Ranking The ACC