The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/846301
156 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State is looking to make an impact with its in-state recruiting in the 2018 class. Here is a look at The Wolfpacker's top 30 players in North Carolina. 1. ZAMIR WHITE, RB Laurinburg Scotland High White has been a prodigy since his freshman season, when he rushed for 1,231 yards and 18 touchdowns. He burst onto the national scene while racking up 2,159 yards and 41 touchdowns as a sophomore, and followed that up by running for 1,693 yards and 26 scores a year ago despite missing games with a leg bruise. White has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in 24 of the 36 games he has played. At 6-0, 205 pounds, White has track speed to go with his size. He has been clocked as fast as 10.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash and was sixth in the 4-A state finals during his junior season. Rivals.com ranks White as the No. 1 run- ning back and No. 6 overall player in the class. The five-star prospect verbally com- mitted to Georgia over Alabama June 27. 2. PAYTON WILSON, LB Hillsborough Orange Wilson was a machine for Orange High last season, piling up 127 tackles, a staggering 39 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 13 sacks. He doubled as a running back, and ran 84 times for 756 yards and six scores. At the Nike Opening Regional in Char- lotte, he checked in at 6-4½ and 226 pounds and was laser-timed at 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash (the fastest time at the camp was 4.51 seconds) and 4.31 seconds in the shuttle. The combination of size, athleticism and production made Wilson one of the most heavily recruited linebackers in the state. He verbally committed to UNC over Vir- ginia Tech in the spring. Rivals.com rates Wilson as the No. 8 player in the state, and the No. 6 outside linebacker and No. 130 overall player in the country. 3. RICK SANDIDGE, DT Concord High At 6-5 and 290 pounds, Sandidge is a prototype defensive tackle. He has the athleticism to match the size, running the 40-yard dash in 5.26 sec- onds and the shuttle in 4.94 seconds at the Nike Open- ing Regional. Sandidge also registered a 30.4-inch vertical leap — an impressive number for a 290-pounder. On the field, Sandidge has flashed his potential. As a junior, he had 41 tackles, four sacks and three additional tackles for loss. In the spring, at both the Rivals 3-Stripe Challenge and the Nike Opening Regional, he began to dominate one-on-ones, indi- cating he is getting closer to reaching his potential. Rivals.com rates him the No. 3 player in the state, and the No. 4 defensive tackle and No. 48 overall recruit in the land. He has a top 11 of Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. 4. ALIM MCNEILL, DL Raleigh Sanderson High McNeill shows freakish abilities on the field. Despite being 6-2 and 280 pounds, he plays line- backer for Sanderson and had 84 total stops, 18 tackles for loss and six sacks. He also had two defensive touch- downs, returning an intercep- tion and a fumble for scores. His reported 4.65-second 40-yard dash time might explain why he can be a pro- ductive linebacker in high school, but his future is on the line in college. In addition to football, McNeill is also a good baseball player and would like to play both sports in college. He has a top six of Duke, Florida State, NC State, North Caro- lina, Penn State and Virginia Tech, and has visited NCSU more than any other school. Rivals.com rates McNeill as a three-star prospect, the No. 18 player in the state and the No. 28 defensive tackle nationally. 5. JOVAUGHN GWYN, OG/C Charlotte Harding Few players enjoyed a better spring that Gwyn, who took home offensive line MVP honors at both the Rivals 3-Stripe Chal- ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING Cream Of The In-State Crop Four-star offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn from Charlotte Harding High has NC State among his favorites. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM PLAYERS 21-30 No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School College 21. Gabriel Gonzalez OT 6-5 275 Mebane/E. Alamance NC State 22. Nate Thompson S 6-2 185 Sanford/Southern Lee 23. Gunnar Holmberg QB 6-3 175 Wake Forest/Heritage Duke 24. Devon Lawrence RB 5-11 195 Wake Forest/Wake Forest 25. Jahmir Smith RB 6-0 200 Sanford/Lee County 26. Marcus Caldwell ATH 6-1 175 Clemmons/West Forsyth 27. Bryce Wheaton ATH 6-3 205 Holly Springs/Holly Springs West Virginia 28. Tyler Baker-Williams ATH 6-1 200 Raleigh/SE Raleigh NC State 29. Malik Dunlap S 6-4 190 Charlotte/Harding NC State 30. Justus Woods RB 6-0 185 Charlotte/Charlotte Christian Stanford