The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
44 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2 Number of junior college signees under head coach Dave Doeren following the addition of strongside defensive end Larrell Murchison of Louisburg (N.C.) College. During the transition class of 2013, he inked offensive lineman Ali Kassem from ASA College in Brooklyn, N.Y. 2 Committed players that picked NCSU before their junior seasons in high school and remained firm through the entire process. They were three-star cornerback Chris Ingram from Mooresville (N.C.) High and three-star tight end Damien Darden from Pikeville (N.C.) C.B. Aycock High. 4 Players that were once committed to NC State, but did not sign in the 2017 class: three-star defensive end Deslin Alexandre from Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High ended up at Pittsburgh; three-star linebacker Darius Hodge from Wake Forest (N.C.) High switched to Marshall for academic reasons; three-star linebacker Nick Smith from Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips signed with Florida; and three-star defensive back Jacobe Clement from Charlotte Mallard Creek remains unsigned. 4 Players signed from Charlotte's Mallard Creek High in Doeren's first four recruiting classes. He has signed one each year, the most recent being four-star defensive tackle Grant Gibson. 4 Early enrollees in the class: Darden, three- star defensive end Xavier Lyas from Plant City (Fla.) Durant High, three-star quarterback Matt McKay from Raleigh Wakefield and four-star wide receiver Antoine Thompson from Plant City (Fla.) High. 12 Four-star recruits signed during Doeren's first four full recruiting classes, including a pair in 2017 — Gibson and Thompson. From 2009-13, those five classes included a combined seven four-star prospects. 2.85 Average star rating of the 2017 signees, which is about the middle of the pack for NCSU in the Rivals.com team rankings' archives that date back to 2003. In those 15 classes, this year's average rating is seventh highest. Under Doeren, it's slightly ahead of last year's 2.83, but below the 2.94 and 2.91 from his first two classes. 6 Home states represented in the class: Florida (eight players), North Carolina (seven), New York (two), New Jersey (one), Virginia (one) and Maryland (one). 6-2 3/5 Average height of the players in this class, with only three-star run- ning back Nakia Robinson (5-11) from Miami Jackson under 6-0. The tallest is 6-6 two-star defensive end Kevince Brown from Winter Park (Fla.) High. 8 Players signed from the state of Florida, the most from the Sunshine State since the Pack inked 11 in 2006. This was the first full class under Doeren that a state other than North Carolina had the most signees in the class. Seven in the 2017 class were homebred prospects. 32 North Carolina high school products among the top 45 this year by Rivals.com signed with a Power Five school. Last year, 44 in the top 50 inked with a Power Five pro- gram. In 2014, 32 of the top 40 did. Among the ACC's Tobacco Road rivals, NC State had the most in-state signees overall with seven, followed by UNC and Wake Forest with five. Duke did not have any. 227.8 Average weight of the 20 signees. Three-star offensive lineman Joshua Fedd-Jackson (336) from Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph Regional is the heavi- est. Thompson and Ingram, both 180 pounds, are the lightest. 270 Combined total tackles during the senior seasons of NC State's three linebacker recruits: three-star Louis Ac- ceus from Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph Regional (101 tackles), three-star Isaiah Moore from Chesterfield (Va.) L.C. Bird High (106) and three-star Raven Saunders from Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Dwyer High (63). 1,909 Career rushing yards for McKay, a dual-threat quarter- back who also threw for 5,932 yards as a three-year starter at Wakefield High in Raleigh. 3,584 Career receiving yards for wide receiver EMEKA EMEZIE from Waxhaw (N.C.) Marvin Ridge High, a new Union County record. Emezie had three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM ■ By The Numbers