The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
MARCH 2017 ■ 17 TRACKING THE PACK NC State Football Picks Up Two Commitments Wake Forest (N.C.) Heri- tage High junior athlete Ricky Person has long had NC State his leader, but he surprised his family and the Wolfpack coaches with a verbal commit- ment Jan. 18. Rivals.com ranks the 6-2, 205-pounder as the No. 3 re- cruit in North Carolina, and the No. 3 all-purpose back and No. 69 overall player in the nation. The four-star prospect was recruited by NC State run- ning backs coach and recruit- ing coordinator Des Kitchings. "I just went with my gut," Person said. "I had a talk with my family and everyone else. I gave Coach Kitchings a call and told him I had a surprise for him. I did a verbal commit. "Coach Kitchings was very surprised. Then I talked to coach Dave Doeren, and he loved it." The Wolfpack began the recruiting relationship early in Person's sophomore year at Franklinton (N.C.) High and continued to strengthen it when he made the move to Heritage, which is coached by former NC State star cornerback Dewayne Washington. "They've been recruiting me for like two whole years," Person said. "It's close to home so it feels like home already." Person picked NCSU over Duke, and offers from Louisville, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others. "I knew from the start [with NC State]. I still have a close relationship with [Duke running backs] Coach [Re'quan] Boyette and all them, but I wanted to verbally com - mit," Person said. "Anything can still happen and I like the other schools, but NC State is home to me." Person suffered a broken hand and a high ankle sprain this past fall for the 11-3 Huskies. He rushed 145 times for 774 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games played, and caught 12 passes for 37 yards. His versatility has long been his calling card on the football field. "They plan on moving me around in the slot and using me in a whole lot of ways," said Person, who is also an accomplished baseball player. "I'm going to be a good package for them. "As long as we win the game, that is all that matters to me. Nobody likes to lose. I just want to be a key asset to the team to win." Former All-Big Ten selection Aaron Henry was announced as NC State's new safeties coach Jan. 19. His presence immediately began paying dividends, evidenced by the commitment of 2019 athlete Seneca Milledge (5-6, 155 pounds) of Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar. He announced his commitment Jan. 31. Henry, a native of Immokalee, Fla., played at Wisconsin under Doeren. After being announced as the newest Pack assistant, he penned a letter to his safeties, explaining his background. That letter moved Milledge to the point he began exploring playing for the Wolfpack. Milledge who reportedly runs a 4.41-second 40-yard dash, also had offers from Mi - ami, Maryland and others. According to News-Press.com, the sophomore defended an area-high 14 passes, made 71 tackles, forced a fumble and snared an interception this past season. He's also a standout on the track, winning district and region titles in the 100-meter dash as a freshman before an injury hampered his performance at the state championship. Last March, he won the 55- and 200-meter indoor sprints in the 15-16-year-old age division at the USATF Hershey's National Youth Indoor Track and Field Championships in Staten Island, N.Y. His times in the 55 of 6.34 seconds and in the 200 of 21.72 sec- onds were both national records for his age group. According to Dyestat.com, his outdoor 100-meter time of 10.47 last spring was the fastest in the nation for a high school freshmen. — Matt Carter Rivals.com lists athlete Ricky Person as a four-star prospect and the No. 69 junior in the country. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM New NC State Men's Soccer Coach Aims To Energize Program George Kiefer knew he was ready for a change after 15 years at the University of South Florida. Kiefer compiled an impressive 162-86-51 record at USF and guided the pro- gram to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, which included two trips to the Elite Eight and one Sweet 16 showing. He also led the upstart Bulls to the Big East regular season titles in 2005 and 2011, plus the league tournament title in 2008, and won the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship in 2013. Kiefer, who was hired to be NC State's men's soccer head coach in late No- vember, wants to bring that underdog's edge to Raleigh. The Wolfpack finished 5-12 overall and 1-7 in the ACC last year under former head coach Kelly Findley. "Everywhere I've been, even when we were one of the better teams in the country [at USF], I like feeling that we have less and needing to feel like every- body is against us," Kiefer said. Part of the allure to the NC State job was being in the ACC and not worry about being left behind if not in a Power Five conference. He also half-joked that ACC coaches have to play his teams now, since few wanted to schedule road games to South Florida over the years. "You have to establish your culture, and I know that is a buzz word with coaches," said Kiefer, who is from Bay Shore, N.Y., and played collegiately at Southern Connecticut State (1990-93). "We have to make sure that the players we bring in can compete and win in the ACC, but also develop the culture." Kiefer recalled past NC State men's soccer legends Tab Ra - mos and Pablo Mastroeni, and the need to find the next wave of Wolfpack stars. NC State last won the ACC Tournament title in 1990, which was the prelude to reaching the national semifi - nals in the NCAA Tournament. "The first thing I'm trying to do is tap into all the local guys that played here when it was very successful," Kiefer said. "I don't know if the young players today that graduate high school knows who has played at NC State. We have to promote that. "When the program was humming, it was one of the best programs in the country." Kiefer said that when he was at USF he had numerous good international play - ers, but he also found it harder to beat out ACC programs for top prep players in his country. He prefers to find a good blend between recruiting players overseas and in the U.S. Recruiting to what he believes is the best conference in the country, the ACC, will help open doors. "I am not trying to beat Chapel Hill at what they do [in recruiting style]," Kiefer said. "I'm going to be in different pockets looking under different rocks. I'll be looking at a top American player and a top international player. "It's simple — if you do very well in the ACC and you have the desire to be a pro, well, you'll be a pro. That is it, there is no confusion." Kiefer said that stylistically the squad would be realistic with the schemes they can play. "When we get everything in here that we want, we much prefer taking an alpha approach to the game," Kiefer said. "If we don't have the ball, get the ball. We want to take the spirit away from the teams." Kiefer hopes the NC State students can evolve into becoming an intimidating crowd for future opponents. One tactic to help motivate the players is having bright light shown on the 1990 Final Four trophy, and another light for the open spot where the future trophy will be placed. Kiefer noted that NC State lacks the amount of trophies the top teams in the league own. "Where I'm from, you didn't get everything handed to us," Kiefer said. "I think you'll see that edge in our program." — Jacey Zembal George Kiefer posted a 162-86-51 re- cord in 15 seasons at the University of South Florida. PHOTO COURTESY USF