The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
62 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER H ead coach Dave Doeren has al- ways aggressively pursued pre- ferred walk-ons at NC State, and this year he has added eight to supple- ment his class of 20 signees. The most notable name may be Garner (N.C.) High safety Dalton Counts, son of former NC State and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Eric Counts. The younger Counts racked up 131 tackles, 23 hits for loss, 13 sacks and two interceptions while serving as a team captain for Garner last season. The 6-0, 211-pounder is a two-time first-team all-conference selection. Yet the most-watched prospect could be kicker Trenton Gill from Cedar Ridge High in Hillsborough, N.C. As a senior, the 6-4, 187-pound Gill made 8 of 12 field goal attempts and 41 of 44 extra points (all three misses were blocked). Of his 61 kickoffs, 48 went for touchbacks. Gill also plays soccer and ten- nis, and in an interesting factoid was certi- fied as the first baby born in Alamance County in 1999. Running back Damontay Rhem will sit out this season after transferring in from UNC Pembroke. The former Wendell (N.C.) East Wake High standout enrolled in January. The 5-11, 215-pounder ran for 90 yards on 28 carries as a freshman at his previous school. When he was at East Wake, Rhem ran for more than 1,000 yards his last three years after gaining 853 yards as a freshman. Linebacker Danny Blakeman (6-2, 227 pounds) posted 117 stops, 24 tackles for loss, five sacks and five forced fumbles as a senior at Raleigh's Leesville Road High School. He was an all-conference pick last year and as a junior, when he posted 112 tackles, 17 stops for loss, eight sacks, five blocked kicks and an interception. Linebacker Cayman Czesak (6-2, 200 pounds) was a tackling machine last sea- son for Laney High in Wilmington, N.C., amassing 171 hits, including three sacks. He also forced seven fumbles and made an interception. He had 104 tackles during his junior season and is a two-time all- conference pick. Offensive lineman Charles Fletcher was a two-time all-county and all-conference selection for Greenville (N.C.) Rose High, and the 6-2, 273-pounder could play center or guard for the Pack. Linebacker Jessie Malit (6-3, 215 pounds) is a cousin of recent four-year starting cornerback Jack Tocho, who ex- hausted his eligibility after this past season. Malit's family is originally from Kenya. He had 170 career tackles at Cox Mill High in Concord, N.C., and was a two-time all- conference pick. Offensive lineman Liam Ryan (6-3, 290 pounds) is originally from Cary (N.C.) High and spent last fall at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy before enrolling at NC State in January. Talent Upgrade Continues One of the most striking differences be- tween Doeren and his predecessor Tom O'Brien's recruiting efforts has been the ponds the two respective staffs have fished in thus far. During Doeren's first four full recruit- ing classes — the fourth being completed in 2017 — he has signed 96 players compared to 86 for O'Brien's first four classes. Deciphering true offers lists is an inexact science, but going roughly on what has been reported Doeren has landed a much higher rate of players reporting at least one other power conference offer. Using the unofficial lists of claimed offers and official vis- its, 74 of Doeren's 95 signees (77.9 percent) had at least one other offer from a power conference school. That compares much more favorably than O'Brien's 56 of 86 (65.1 percent). Of the 74 with at least one power conference offer signed by Doeren, 48 of them had at least four power conference offers on the table, or 64.8 percent. For O'Brien, 30 of the 56, or 53.6 percent, claimed at least four offers to play college football on its highest level. On the opposite end of the spectrum, O'Brien signed 17 non-specialist players who did not report another offer of any kind, including mid-majors, but NC State at the time of their commitment. For Do- eren, that number is just four. The one area where the two staffs were similar is the number of players signed that were ranked at their respective positions by Rivals.com. O'Brien inked 38 players that were ranked, and Doeren has signed 35. And Then There Were Three As of National Signing Day 2017, the spring roster reveals that only three players that were originally committed to O'Brien remain on the roster, all of them set to be fifth-year seniors next fall: • Running back Dakwa Nichols • Tight end Pharoah McKever • Linebacker Jerod Fernandez There are a few more fifth-year seniors: wide receiver JuMichael Ramos, and cor- nerbacks Jonathan Alston and Sean Paul. The latter three, however, gave their re- spective verbal commitments to NC State after Doeren was hired. Only Alston from that trio was even recruited by O'Brien's staff. ■ ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING Eight Preferred Walk-Ons Added Wilmington (N.C.) Laney linebacker Cayman Czesak posted an impressive 171 tackles as a senior. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN For regular reports on NC State fooball recruiting plus videos of Wolfpack commitments and targets visit TheWolfpacker.com. Rivals.com ACC Rankings Rk. School Commits 1. Florida State (No. 5 nationally) 2. Miami (11) 3. Clemson (22) 4. Virginia Tech (28) 5. Louisville (29) 6. North Carolina (30) 7. Pittsburgh (37) 8. Georgia Tech (41) 9. Duke (46) 10. NC State (53) 11. Virginia (56) 12. Syracuse (62) 13. Boston College (66) 14. Wake Forest (73)