The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Offensive lineman R.J. Prince Albemarle High While Crowder is the top interior line prospect, few doubt that Prince (6-6, 285 pounds) is the top tackle prospect and one of the best players in the state. Rivals.com listed him as the No. 172 overall recruit in the class of 2013. Despite some early im- pressive offers, Prince made a quick verbal commitment to Clemson only to flip it to UNC in February. Defensive end/tackle Greg Gilmore South View High in Hope Mills The 6-4, 285-pound Gilmore is a physi- cally imposing specimen, but he's also a good lineman. Gilmore made 68 tackles as a junior, including one safety. He forced four fumbles and recovered two, and was credited with a blocked kick. Offensively, he made three receptions for 43 yards. Gilmore, who has said NC State is his top in-state school, is expected to be one of the more heavily recruited prospects in the 2013 class. He is ranked No. 112 nation- ally in the Rivals.com ratings. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis, Tarboro High Lewis is a tall, lean defensive end at 6-4 with the frame to add weight and bulk up from his current 210 pounds while likely maintaining his quickness. Lewis had 63 tackles, including 12 sacks, and helped to lead Tarboro to a second-straight 2-A state title. Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Mary- land, NC State, North Carolina, South Car- olina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have verbally offered Lewis. Defensive end Lewis Neal Hunt High in Wilson Neal (6-3, 230 pounds) burst onto the scene when he made 96 tackles and was named all-conference as a sophomore. He followed that up with a strong junior sea- son, posting 79 tackles, five sacks and six more hits for losses. He recovered three fumbles, forced one and blocked a kick. NC State was the first to offer Neal, but since then ECU, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee have joined the list. Defensive end Dane Rogers Crest High in Shelby The 6-3, 230-pounder is the potential next big prospect from Crest High. Rog- ers is receiving plenty of interest after a breakout junior season. He was named all-conference after posting five sacks in 2011. NC State and Tennessee have of- fered. 42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER two more throws and blocked a pair of field goals. Smith reports offers from East Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest. Defensive back Anthony Covington Mallard Creek High in Charlotte The physical 6-0, 200-pound Covington is claiming a solid offer list. East Caro- lina, Mississippi State, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wake Forest have all apparently extended early offers to Covington, who moved into the area from Georgia. He favors UNC and Wake. Defensive back Desmond Lawrence Charlotte Christian The 5-11, 175-pounder is a two-way Dane Rogers, a 6-3, 230-pound defensive end from Crest High in Shelby, N.C., has already picked up early offers from both NC State and Tennessee. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Linebacker Larenz Bryant Vance High in Charlotte The 6-1, 215-pound Bryant was named the top player in the 2013 class by the Charlotte Observer after he recorded 144 tackles, seven sacks and two interceptions. He could also project as a running back after running for 1,435 yards and account- ing for 24 touchdowns last season. Bryant is already approaching double-digit offers. The list includes Clemson, Georgia, Geor- gia Tech, Illinois, NC State, North Caro- lina, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. Rivals.com lists him as the No. 95 player in the 2013 class. Linebacker Peter Kalambayi Butler High in Matthews The 6-3, 230-pound Kalambayi has been heralded as the next big thing to come out of Butler High since he was a sophomore. He already sports an impressive offer list that includes Clemson, Florida, Michigan, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Or- egon, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among others. He figures to be one of the most heavily recruited players in the 2013 class. Rivals.com ranks him No. 62 in the coun- try. Linebacker LaChaston Smith South Iredell High in Statesville Smith (6-1, 215 pounds) proved to be a hard-hitter in 2011 with five forced fum- bles. He also had 82 tackles, including a sack, picked off two passes, broke up player that most schools appear to like at defensive back. He did a little bit of ev- erything for Charlotte Christian, including returning kicks. Lawrence had 754 yards rushing and 149 yards receiving, and ac- counted for 11 total scores on the year. NC State was one of Lawrence's earliest offers. He has also been verbally offered by Duke, Kentucky, UNC, South Carolina and Virginia. Defensive back Brian Walker Mallard Creek High in Charlotte Walker is yet another prospect from the talent-laden Mallard Creek roster. He burst onto the scene last summer when he ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash at the VTO Combine. The 5-11, 170-pounder is being heavily recruited with offers from Auburn, Minnesota, NC State, North Carolina and South Carolina. He favors UNC slightly over NC State. Rivals.com ranks him No. 148 in the country. Athlete Johnathan Alston, Bunn High Alston (6-3, 200 pounds) could play receiver or linebacker in college. Offen- sively, he caught 27 passes for 523 yards and seven touchdowns while running eight times for 118 yards and two scores. De- fensively, he compiled 67 tackles, 12 stops for loss and six sacks. NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame and South Carolina have offered Alston. Athlete Tristan Mumford, Statesville High A big, bruising back, the 6-0, 225-pounder rushed for 1,164 yard as a sophomore. Because of quarterback Carlis Parker's injury, Mumford played quarter- back last year and accounted for 28 total touchdowns en route to being named his conference's MVP. He will play defense in 2012. Duke, ECU, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest have offered Mumford. ■