The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/85079
2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Stars Of Tomorrow North Carolina's Top Juniors for NC State, here are some of the note- worthy juniors in the state already receiv- ing attention from the Wolfpack and other major colleges. I Quarterback Riley Ferguson Butler High in Matthews The 6-2, 195-pounder became a starter as a sophomore when former blue-chip recruit Christian LeMay was ruled ineligi- ble. Ferguson immediately impressed, and reportedly already has verbal offers from Clemson, Louisville, LSU and Michigan. Quarterback Connor Mitch Wakefield High in Raleigh Mitch (6-3, 215 pounds) posted prolific numbers as a junior, completing 254 of 425 passes for 3,832 yards with 48 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He also rushed 67 times for 218 yards and three scores. Rivals.com lists him as the No. 236 player in the 2013 class. East Carolina, NC State, North Carolina, South Florida, Vanderbilt and West Virginia have offered Mitch a scholarship. Quarterback Carlis Parker Statesville High Parker (6-3, 185 pounds) emerged on the scene as a sophomore when he rushed for 1,180 yards and 13 scores while throw- ing for 1,792 yards and 11 touchdowns. A gifted athlete, he claims offers from East Carolina, NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. A knee injury ended his junior season early. Running back Marquez Grayson Lexington High As a junior, the 6-1, 190-pounder ran 157 times for 1,093 yards and 17 touch- downs while adding 16 catches for 215 yards and a score. He also returned a kick- off for a touchdown. Grayson holds offers from Clemson, NC State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Running back T.J. Logan Northern Guilford High in Greensboro Logan is not the biggest running back 40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Quarterback Riley Ferguson, who is a 6-2, 195-pounder from Butler High in Matthews, N.C., already holds verbal offers from Clemson and Michigan, among other schools. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM at 5-10, 170 pounds, but he is a speedy playmaker. He rushed 293 times for 2,468 yards and 38 touchdowns for the 3-A state champ, and added 27 receptions for 378 yards and three scores. He is listed as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, and Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee have offered. Wide receiver Keeon Johnson A.L. Brown High in Kannapolis The 6-3, 195-pound Johnson caught 39 passes for 795 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. He claims offers from Duke, East Carolina, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia and Wake Forest. Wide receiver Uriah LeMay Butler High in Matthews The younger brother of Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Lemay fig- ures to be a national recruit like his older sibling. Lemay (6-2, 190 pounds) caught 43 passes for 842 yards and 14 touch- downs, while running 38 times for 397 yards and five scores last year. He already boasts an impressive offer list — which includes Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Auburn — that reads like the who's who of college foot- ball. Rivals.com lists Lemay as the No. 212 player in the country. BY MATT CARTER t's never too early to start looking ahead in the yearlong cycle that has become football recruiting. With the state of North Carolina being the base Wide receiver Jalen McDaniel Jack Britt High in Fayetteville McDaniel (6-2, 195 pounds) nearly committed to NC State last summer. The Pack remain his one offer after he caught 33 passes for 529 yards and three touch- downs as a junior while battling a nagging ankle injury for most of the year. Wide receiver Marquez North Mallard Creek High in Charlotte The 6-3, 210-pound North may be the best prospect in the state. Rivals.com cur- rently has him at the top and also ranks him as the No. 24 player in the 2013 class. He had an explosive first year as a receiver, catching 39 passes for 1,022 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also ran 18 times for 410 yards and four scores, and returned four kickoffs for touchdowns (from distances of 89, 90, 92 and 97 yards). Before arriving at Mallard Creek last year, North had been a quarterback at Lumberton (N.C.) High. Tight end Josh McNeil Hillside High in Durham McNeil verbally committed to East Carolina, but that did not last long. Mc- Neil has picked up offers from Minnesota, NC State, South Carolina, South Florida and Vanderbilt, and he is now open to all schools. The 6-5, 235-pounder caught 65 passes for 650 yards and seven touch- downs last year. Tight end Lucas Wilson Mt. Tabor High in Winston-Salem The 6-5, 215-pounder picked up his first offer in February, and it came from NC State. Wilson, who caught 21 passes for more than 400 yards and two touchdowns as a junior, is also hearing from Clemson, Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest. His mother is a former basketball players for the Deacons. Offensive lineman Tyrone Crowder Richmond County High in Rockingham Crowder is the early favorite to be the top in-state interior offensive line prospect. The 6-2, 315-pounder is listed as a four- star recruit by Rivals.com, and has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, among others.