The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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98 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER H ere is a look at how NC State's 21 se- nior verbal commitments, all of which were expected to sign on Dec. 20, did this past season on the gridiron. DEFENSIVE END JOE BABROS Mission Viejo (Calif.) Saddleback College Three-star Babros (6-5, 250 pounds) played in 10 of 11 games for Saddleback in his hometown this season, compiling 28 total stops (10 solo), 7.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six quarterback hurries, one pass broken up and one fumble recov - ery that he returned 46 yards for a score. Saddleback was 8-3 and made it to the SoCal Regional Playoffs, where it lost in the first round. ESPN.com ranked Babros as the No. 48 junior college prospect in the country. DEFENSIVE BACK TYLER BAKER-WILLIAMS Southeast Raleigh High The 6-1, 200-pounder lined up at multiple spots on defense, but he also took an active role on offense. Baker-Williams finished the season with 32 receptions for 632 yards and eight touchdowns, plus 43 rushes for 276 yards and a score for a Bulldogs squad that finished 4-7. He is expected to play safety or nickel at NC State. Rivals.com ranks him as a three-star prospect and the No. 37 player in North Carolina. DEFENSIVE END JOSEPH BOLETEPELI Wake Forest (N.C.) Heritage High In 14 games this season, Bolete- peli piled up 62 tackles (20 solo), 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one pass broken up while helping the Huskies go 12-2 overall and reach the quarterfinals of the 4-A state playoffs. Rivals.com's updated rankings in December elevated the three-star Boletepeli to the No. 27 prospect in the state and the No. 45 strongside defensive end nationally. WIDE RECEIVER DEVIN CARTER Clayton (N.C.) High The Comets won their first 13 games before falling in the quarterfi- nals of the 3-AA state playoff despite a huge effort from Carter (11 catches for 251 yards and three scores). At one point during the season, Carter (6-4, 205 pounds) went 10 straight games with a touchdown catch. He finished the year with 57 receptions for 1,148 yards and 19 scores, plus ran for two more touchdowns, and earned a selection to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game Dec. 16 in Spartanburg, S.C., and the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl Jan. 6 in Tampa, Fla. Rivals.com lists him as a three-star talent and the No. 33 recruit in North Carolina. SAFETY MALIK DUNLAP Charlotte Harding High Dunlap helped Harding go 14-1 and win the 4-A state title this fall. The 6-4, 190-pounder was tabbed as an all-conference performer and picked for the Shrine Bowl, but did not play in the contest due to a mi - nor injury. Rivals.com has Dunlap rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 35 player in the state. KICKER CHRISTOPHER DUNN Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson High Dunn's season was highlighted by a successful 57-yard field goal, the fourth longest in state history, while helping North Davidson go 13-2 and reach the semifinals of the 2-AA state playoffs. He finished the year 68 of 71 on extra points and 8 of 17 on field goals while breaking in a new long snapper and holder. He also had 89 touchbacks on kickoffs. Dunn (5-9, 170 pounds) was picked for the Shrine Bowl and the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl Dec. 30 in New Orleans. DEFENSIVE LINEMAN DERRICK EASON Norfolk (Va.) Norview High The 6-4, 245-pound Eason was promoted from two stars to three and elevated to the No. 26 prospect in Virginia by Rivals.com. It was a tough season for Norview, which finished the year with a 4-7 record. OFFENSIVE TACKLE GABRIEL GONZALEZ Mebane (N.C.) Eastern Alamance High Gonzalez started at right tackle and helped Eastern Alamance go 10-3 this season, reaching the sec- ond round of the 3-A state playoffs. The Eagles averaged 394.0 yards per game, including 232.1 on the ground and 6.7 yards a carry. The 6-5, 275-pounder earned a spot in the Shrine Bowl and was also invited to the Blue- Grey All-American Bowl Jan. 6 in Tampa, Fla. Rivals.com ranks him as a three-star prospect and the No. 45 player in North Carolina. CORNERBACK DE'VON GRAVES Appomattox (Va.) County High Graves caught a 48-yard touchdown pass in the Group 2A state title game to help Appomattox win its third straight championship. Appomattox finished the year 15-1. The 6-1, 180-pounder was re- cruited by the Wolfpack to play cornerback. Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia con- tinued to recruit him, but he was expected to enroll early at NC State. Rivals.com elevated Graves to a four-star prospect and made him the No. 18 athlete nationally. He is also listed as the No. 8 recruit in Virginia. LINEBACKER CALVIN HART JR. Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage High The 6-0, 205-pound Hart helped American Heritage (14-0) win the Class 5A state title, capping back- to-back undefeated seasons. Enter- ing that state title contest, Hart had played in 12 of the first 13 games and had 84 tackles (35 solo), in- cluding 10 for loss and four sacks. American Heritage was ranked as the No. 4 team in the country by USA Today. He is rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. DEFENSIVE BACK TANNER INGLE Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips High Dr. Phillips won Florida's 8-A (larg- est classification) state title and fin- ished the season 13-2. Ingle (5-10, 180 pounds) played in 13 games and piled up 101 tackles, one sack, five passes broken up and one fumble recovery. He also averaged 24.6 yards on eight kickoff returns. Rivals.com ranks Ingle as a three-star prospect and the No. 47 athlete in the country. QUARTERBACK DEVIN LEARY Sicklerville (N.J.) Timber Creek High Leary was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year in New Jersey after completing 152 of 246 passes (61.8 percent) for 2,863 yards with 31 touchdowns and just seven interceptions for a 10-1 Tim - ber Creek squad that was upset in the semifinals of the South Group 3 state playoffs. He also rushed 36 times for 344 yards and four scores, and caught a six-yard touchdown pass. Leary became the state of New Jersey's all-time leader in prep football for passing yards and scores. He was se- lected to play in the Polynesian Bowl Jan. 20 in Hawai'i. Rivals.com rates him as a four-star talent, the No. 6 re- cruit in New Jersey, and the No. 8 pro-style quarterback and No. 230 overall player in the country. DEFENSIVE TACKLE DAVONTAE MCCRAE Miami Northwestern High McCrae helped Northwestern win its first state title in 10 years, claiming the championship at the Sunshine State's Class 6A level. Northwestern finished the year ranked No. 10 nationally by MaxPreps.com. ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING Banner Years