The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY 2016 ■ 11 TRACKING THE PACK Summertime is typically a popular period for commitments in football recruiting, and this year has been no exception for the Wolfpack. Five seniors and a junior have pledged to join Dave Doeren's football program. Three-star corner Jacobe Clement, who transferred high schools in Charlotte — from South Mecklenburg to Mallard Creek — in the spring, pledged on June 11 after camping earlier in the afternoon. The 6-1, 180-pounder is listed as the No. 43 safety nationally in the 2017 class by Rivals.com. Clement credited Doeren, cornerbacks coach George Barlow and Charlotte-area recruiter Eddie Faulkner for embracing him the last two years. He pointed out some schools didn't stay loyal after he injured his knee during his junior year at South Mecklenburg. "NC State was the first school to offer and has always been there for me," Clement said. "They have always felt like home for me. I really like Coach Barlow and want to work with him the next few years. "Coach Faulkner has been big, too, and with me since my fresh- man year. When I came back up here … it was still the same. There was no fake love or anything like that. They show real love." Clemson, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech had previously offered him. Two days later, linebacker Darius Hodge from Wake Forest (N.C.) High joined the fold. The three-star recruit claimed earlier offers from Virginia, North Carolina and Pittsburgh, among others. The 6-1, 250-pound Hodge finished his junior year with 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss and eight sacks for the 12-1 Cougars. On June 15, defensive end Xavier Lyas from Plant City (Fla.) Durant High committed after spending a day at NCSU, including working out at camp. He had been previously offered during the spring. Lyas, who checks in at 6-5 and 200 pounds, has impressive athleticism. At NC State's camp he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds and the shuttle in 4.35 seconds. He had a 9 foot-10 inch standing broad jump and 32.4-inch vertical leap. He had his reasons for picking the Wolfpack. For one, the Florida native likes the weather better. He also considers himself a North Carolinian, somewhat, because he was born in Fayetteville and lived in the city while his father was stationed at Fort Bragg on two different occasions. "I feel like I could develop as a football player and also as a student, too," Lyas added. Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Florida International, Northern Il- linois and Western Kentucky also offered him. Two days after Lyas pledged, three-star wide receiver Emeka Emezie of Marvin Ridge High in Waxhaw, N.C., made the trek to Raleigh to verbally commit to NC State. The 6-3, 200-pound Emezie is rated the No. 81 receiver in the 2017 class by Rivals.com after he made 69 catches for 1,101 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior. Boston College, Kentucky, Miami, Wake Forest and West Virginia had also offered him. "Emeka is a big target down the field and over the middle," Ri- vals.com regional analyst Adam Friedman noted. "He could use a little bit better top-end speed, but he does a really good job getting off the line and down the field in a hurry. He does a pretty good job, also, coming out of his breaks. That's how he creates a lot of his separation. "He's got really good length in his arms, and he knows how to catch the ball away from his body. He makes it really difficult for defensive backs to get to the ball." On June 27, three-star defensive end Deslin Alexandre from Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High chose NC State over offers from Pitts- burgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Temple, among others. The 6-5, 235-pound Alexandre has only played football one year after previously focusing on basketball. He unofficially visited NC State June 14. In the 2018 class, the Pack landed the nation's top kicker accord- ing to noted kicking guru Chris Sailer in Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson's Chris Dunn. Dunn (5-9, 165 pounds) committed to NC State on June 24, after being offered earlier in the month. He made 14 of 20 field goals as a sophomore with a long of 47 yards. In May, Sailer made him the first five-star kicker in the 2018 class. "Since day one, I've fallen in love with NC State," Dunn said. "It's close to home. The football program is on the upswing. They have the major I am looking for. The coaches and staff treat me like family, and it's a perfect fit for me." NC State has 10 commitments in the 2017 class and three in 2018. — Matt Carter Waxhaw (N.C.) Marvin Ridge product Emeka Emezie notched 69 recep- tions for 1,101 yards and 11 scores during his junior season en route to being rated as the nation's No. 81 wide receiver in the class of 2017 by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Six Football Players Verbally Commit To NC State ■ 2017 Football Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Deslin Alexandre DE 6-5 235 Deerfield Beach, Fla. (Deerfield Beach) Jacobe Clement CB 6-1 180 Charlotte (Mallard Creek) Damien Darden TE 6-4 245 Pikeville, N.C. (C.B. Aycock) Emeka Emezie WR 6-3 200 Waxhaw, N.C. (Marvin Ridge) Grant Gibson DT 6-1 300 Charlotte (Mallard Creek) Darius Hodge LB 6-1 250 Wake Forest, N.C. (Wake Forest) Chris Ingram CB 6-0 180 Mooresville, N.C. (Mooresville) Xavier Lyas DE 6-5 200 Plant City, Fla. (Durant) Matt McKay QB 6-4 185 Raleigh (Wakefield) Raven Saunders LB 6-1 215 West Palm Beach, Fla. (Dwyer) ■ 2018 Football Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Christopher Dunn K 6-9 165 Lexington, N.C. (North Davidson) De'Von Graves ATH 6-1 180 Appomattox, Va. (Appomattox County) Nadir Thompson ATH 5-11 170 Bailey, N.C. (Southern Nash)