The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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NOVEMBER 2016 ■ 13 TRACKING THE PACK From the last week of June until the first weekend of October, three-star offensive tackle Bryson Speas from Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley High was a verbal commitment to Virginia. Yet during that time there was a pull to NC State for Speas, especially after the Wolfpack offered him a scholarship July 22. The 6-4, 260-pounder came back to Raleigh to watch NC State defeat Old Dominion 49-22 Sept. 10. He was supposed to be in attendance for NC State's 10-3 victory over Notre Dame Oct. 1, but rather than watch in person Speas understandably stayed home due to the weather from Hurricane Matthew. Perhaps that trip would have been the ideal time for Speas to switch his commitment to NCSU. Instead, he did it the following evening. "I Facetimed Coach [Dave] Doeren and told him I'd be joining the family," Speas noted. "They were all very excited." Ultimately, Speas admitted he was drawn more to NC State than Virginia over time. "NC State just felt like the right fit for me, and after taking a couple of visits and getting around the coaching staff it really solidified itself," he said. Speas became NC State's 16th verbal commitment in the 2017 class and its first offensive line pledge. "They see me at tackle right now," Speas noted. "They want to use my athletic ability to their best advantage." He has not set an official visit to NC State yet. The preferred visit weekends for the commitments of Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 could easily conflict with Dudley's likely deep playoff run. The Panthers are considered one of the premier 4-A teams in the state. Speas has twice been named all-conference for Dudley. Regardless of when he makes that official visit, Speas is ready to be a part of NC State's class. "Making the decision really felt like getting a weight off my back," he said. "It had been on my mind for a while." Rivals.com ranks Speas as the No. 38 prospect in the state of North Carolina. ■ 2017 Football Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Deslin Alexandre DE 6-5 235 Deerfield Beach, Fla. (Deerfield Beach) Erin Collins RB 6-0 190 Seffner, Fla. (Armwood) Damien Darden TE 6-4 245 Pikeville, N.C. (C.B. Aycock) Emeka Emezie WR 6-3 200 Waxhaw, N.C. (Marvin Ridge) Max Fisher WR 6-3 190 Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga) 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) Isaiah Moore LB 6-2 210 Chesterfield, Va. (Lloyd C. Bird) Nakia Robinson RB 5-11 180 Miami (Jackson) Raven Saunders LB 6-1 215 West Palm Beach, Fla. (Dwyer) Nick Smith LB 6-3 215 Orlando, Fla. (Dr. Phillips) Bryson Speas OL 6-4 260 Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley) Antoine Thompson WR 6-1 170 Plant City, Fla. (Plant City) Greensboro (N.C.) Dudley of- fensive tackle Bryson Speas — the No. 38 prospect in the state according to Rivals.com — switched his commitment from Virginia to NC State Oct. 2. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN NC State Adds Offensive Tackle To 2017 Recruiting Class The North Carolina squad for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas will feature at least three NC State verbal commitments. Waxhaw (N.C.) Marvin Ridge High wide receiver Emeka Emezie, Mooresville (N.C.) High cornerback Chris Ingram and Wake Forest (N.C.) High linebacker Darius Hodge were selected for the prestigious all-star game, which will be played at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford University in Spar - tanburg, S.C. Emezie verbally committed to NC State in June, but briefly backed out for a couple of weeks in September. He recommitted Oct. 3. Through nine games this season, Emezie (6-3, 200 pounds) has caught 62 passes for 870 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 83 wide receiver in the country's 2017 class. Ingram is ranked as the No. 41 senior cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com. The 6-0, 180-pound three-star prospect verbally committed to NC State in July 2015 and was the first member of the class. Ingram had 36 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes broken up through nine games this fall. He was also averaging 12.8 yards on 16 punt returns. The three-star Hodge (6-1, 250 pounds) verbally com - mitted to NCSU on June 13. He is enjoying a big senior season with six interceptions and eight sacks through nine games, all of them wins for the Cougars. Hodge's prep teammate Xach Gill, a four-star lineman, also made the team and is one of at least five uncommit- ted players in the game considering NC State. The 6-5, 275-pound Gill additionally likes North Carolina, Ole Miss, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Rivals.com regards him as the No. 18 senior defensive tackle nationally. Garner (N.C.) High defensive lineman Matthew Butler was selected and has the Wolfpack in his top group. The 6-4, 260-pound Butler is also considering Duke, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He is ranked No. 13 among the country's senior strongside defensive ends and had 21 sacks in his first eight games this year. Four-star offensive lineman T.J. Moore from Charlotte Mallard Creek, a one-time South Carolina pledge, also is on the team. Rivals.com listed him No. 9 in the country among senior offensive guards. The 6-5, 280-pounder is also looking at Tennessee. Brelin Faison-Walden is still committed to Penn State, but the four-star prospect from Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley High made a visit to NC State for its win over Notre Dame on Oct. 8. The 6-1, 200-pound Faison- Walden is regarded as a linebacker by Rivals.com, and he is ranked No. 23 at the position nationally in the 2017 class. He had 45 tackles in his first eight games. Four-star safety Davondre "Tank" Robinson from San - tee (S.C.) Lake Marion High was picked for the Palmetto State team. The 6-0, 190-pounder is rated as the No. 23 safety in the 2017 class by Rivals.com. North Carolina topped South Carolina 54-39 in the game last year. — Matt Carter and Jacey Zembal Pack Commits And Targets Make Shrine Bowl Linebacker Darius Hodge from Wake Forest (N.C.) High was one of three NC State pledges to be selected for the all-star game. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL