The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER NC State has enjoyed a busy, fruitful spring and summer in foot- ball recruiting, adding 10 pledges to its class to expand the total number to 14. Here is a rundown, in alphabetical order, of the newest NC State football commitments: • Three-star safety Tyler Baker-Williams of Southeast Raleigh High picked up an offer at NC State's summer camp, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds, and committed June 26. The 6-1, 200-pound Williams played both ways with success last season and was also strong on special teams. He had 25 receptions for 480 yards and six touchdowns, registered a pick-six and returned two punts for scores. NCSU is recruiting Williams as a nickel/ safety. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 34 player in the state. Colorado State, East Caro- lina and Old Dominion had also offered. • Wide receiver Devin Carter picked NC State May 12 over offers from Michigan State, Min- nesota, Wake Forest, Colorado State, East Caro- lina and Old Dominion, among others. The 6-4, 205-pound Carter broke out as a junior, catching 78 passes for 1,167 yards and 15 touchdowns. At a recent Shrine Bowl Com- bine, he showed off his athleticism by running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 and 4.52 seconds (hand timed), registering a standing broad of 10-0 and doing 17 reps at 185 pounds on the bench press. Rivals.com rates Carter as a three-star recruit and the No. 36 player in the state. • Safety Malik Dunlap from Harding High in Charlotte, rated one spot ahead of Carter in the state rankings by Rivals.com, commit- ted to NCSU May 19. NC State was his first and lone major offer. Despite battling an injury last fall, Dunlap (6-4, 190 pounds) still compiled 45 tackles (one for loss) in seven games. He missed five contests with a broken ankle. His younger brother, Harding running back Quavaris Crouch, is a 6-3, 215-pound four-star prospect and expected to be the top recruit in the state's 2019 class. • Three-star offensive tackle Gabriel Gonzalez of Eastern Alamance High in Mebane, N.C., who is one of the most athletic prospects at his position in the region, made his decision to commit to NC State June 24. Gonzalez picked the Pack over offers from Duke, Minnesota, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others. Gonzalez's Nike rating of 80.85 at the Opening Re- gional in Charlotte was the fifth best among offensive linemen in attendance. Checking in at 6-5, 275 pounds, he was laser-timed at 5.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash and clocked 4.77 seconds in the shuttle. He also had an impressive 30.7-inch vertical leap. • Orlando (Fla.) Jones High three-star lineman Devin Hayes made the trip to Raleigh to visit NC State June 17 with his mind already made up — he was going to commit to be a Wolfpacker. That is what Hayes did, informing the coaches at the end of his unofficial visit. The 6-5, 250-pounder was also considering offers from Rutgers, Wake Forest, Central Florida and South Florida, among others. Hayes will start his career at offensive tackle, but could also play defensive end. • NC State picked up some potential immediate help at corner- back for the 2018 season by landing a verbal commitment from Kishawn Miller, a native of Gainesville, Ga., playing at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga. Miller — who recorded 21 tackles, an interception, eight passes broken up and a forced fumble during his freshman season — had a lone offer from Georgia State until NC State joined the list in June when Miller came for an unofficial visit June 24. He committed five days later. The 5-9, 170-pounder will have three years to play two for the Wolfpack after he arrives in Raleigh next year. He played high school football at Mill Creek High in Hoschton, Ga., where he piled up 49 tackles, 16 passes bro- ken up and five interceptions as a senior. He returned three picks for scores. • Three-star athlete Trent Pennix from Ra- leigh Sanderson picked NC State June 9. Pennix (6-2, 205 pounds) rushed 167 times for 1,215 yards and 12 touchdowns in 11 games last year. He also added 11 catches for 255 yards and two more scores, and tallied 21 tackles and an interception on defense. He is expected to start his career at NC State as a running back. He reported offers from Boston College, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 25 rising senior in the state and the No. 34 running back in the 2018 class. • Wide receiver Jasiah Provillon from Ir- vington (N.J.) High picked NC State June 24. The three-star prospect also claimed offers from Boston College, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syra- cuse and Wisconsin, among others. He caught 52 passes for 969 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. TRACKING THE PACK NC State Football Recruiting Rolls Along NC State pledge Tyler Baker-Williams, a three-star prospect and the No. 34 player in North Carolina according to Rivals.com, accounted for nine touchdowns (six receiv- ing, two punt returns and one interception return) during his junior campaign at South- east Raleigh. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ Class Of 2018 Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Tyler Baker-Williams S 6-1 200 Raleigh (Southeast Raleigh) Devin Carter WR 6-4 205 Clayton, N.C. (Clayton) Malik Dunlap S 6-4 190 Charlotte (Harding) Chris Dunn K 5-9 170 Lexington, N.C. (North Davidson) Gabriel Gonzalez OT 6-5 275 Mebane, N.C. (Eastern Alamance) De'Von Graves CB 6-1 180 Appomattox, Va. (Appomattox County) Devin Hayes OT 6-5 250 Orlando, Fla. (Jones) Devin Leary QB 6-2 195 Sicklerville, N.J. (Timber Creek) Kishawn Miller CB 5-9 170 Gainesville, Ga. (Georgia Military College) Trent Pennix RB 6-2 205 Raleigh (Sanderson) Ricky Person RB 6-2 205 Wake Forest, N.C. (Heritage) Jasiah Provillon WR 6-3 190 Irvington, N.J. (Irvington) Daevon Robinson TE 6-4 210 Medford, N.J. (Shawnee) Teshaun Smith CB 6-3 170 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Western)