The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
MARCH 2017 ■ 63 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ■ BY MATT CARTER N C State has started strong with its 2018 class, landing four- star athlete Ricky Person from Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High, three-star cornerback De'Von Graves from Appomattox (Va.) County High and kicker Chris Dunn from Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson High. Person is rated as the No. 69 junior in the country by Rivals.com. Graves is ranked as the No. 14 prospect in Virginia's 2018 class and has emerged as a high priority recruit for Virginia Tech. Dunn has been listed the No. 2 kicker in the country in 2018 by Chris Sailer, a renowned high school kicking guru. The Pack is expected to take a full re- cruiting class of 25 players in 2018. Here is a breakdown of some of the early names on the board. ■ Quarterbacks 2017 QB On Roster: 4 Projected Take: 1 Three names have emerged on NC State's recruiting board at quarterback: four-star Da- kereon Joyner from North Charleston (S.C.) Fort Forchester, four-star Jalen Mayden from Sachse (Texas) High and three-star Quincy Patterson from Chicago Solario Academy. Rivals.com ranks the 6-2, 200-pound Joyner as the No. 4 prospect in South Caro- lina, and the No. 10 athlete and No. 165 senior regardless of position nationally. As a junior, Joyner completed 178 of 277 passes for 3,389 yards with 42 touch- downs and six interceptions. He also ran 141 times for 915 yards and 11 scores, and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state. Joyner led Fort Dorchester to a state title as a sophomore. He has a top five of Georgia, Louisville, NC State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Joyner visited the Pack Feb. 18 for what he estimated was his fifth or sixth trip to Raleigh. He is set to announce his choice June 18. The 6-3, 220-pound Patterson also visited NCSU Feb. 18. That was the last of four stops that also included trips to UNC, Vir- ginia and Virginia Tech, all of which have offered. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Penn State, Syracuse and Vanderbilt have also offered. Patterson is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 9 prospect in Illinois and the No. 20 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Rivals.com lists Mayden (6-2, 200) as the No. 30 player in Texas, and the No. 10 dual-threat quarterback and No. 243 overall prospect in the nation. He was scheduled to visit NC State Feb. 25. Georgia, Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Louisville, Minne- sota, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon State, Syracuse, Tennessee and Utah have also offered. Mayden, a lefty, completed 169 of 260 passes for 2,440 yards with 24 touchdowns and four picks as a junior. He also rushed 108 times for 578 yards and nine scores. ■ Running Backs 2017 RB On Roster: 5 Projected Take: 2 Person could fill one of the spots. Three- star Christian Turner from Buford (Ga.) High is another prospect that is high on the wish list. The 5-10, 180-pounder is listed by Rivals.com as the No. 31 prospect in Geor- gia and the No. 21 running back nationally. He also has offers from Iowa State, Louis- ville, Miami, Missouri, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wisconsin. From the in-state options, five-star Zamir White from Laurinburg's Scotland High and four-star Jamal Currie-Elliott from Durham's Hillside High headline the list. Currie-Elliott played five games for Hill- side after returning from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., running 83 times for 683 yards and nine touchdowns. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 9 player in North Car- olina, and the No. 5 all-purpose back and No. 190 overall prospect in the country. Boston College, Duke, LSU, Maryland, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin have also offered. Currie-Elliott visited most of NC State's home games last season. White is considered one of the premier players in the country after rushing 175 times for 1,693 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior. Clemson and Georgia are con- sidered the frontrunners for Rivals.com's No. 6 overall player in the 2018 class. ■ Wide Receivers 2017 WR On Roster: 12 Projected Take: 2 The Pack offered prolific junior Brian Cobbs from Hayfield High in Alexandria, Va., while he was on a visit for junior day Feb. 18. The 6-3, 200-pounder caught 82 North Charleston (S.C.) Fort Forchester four-star quarterback Dakereon Joyner was tabbed as the 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year in the Palmetto State after accounting for 4,304 yards of total offense and 53 touchdowns last fall. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM SHIFTING FOCUS NC State Moves Ahead To The 2018 Class