The Wolfpacker

May 2018

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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70 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER T he months of June and July can often times be the busiest of the recruiting cycle in terms of commitments. Last year, for instance, NC State landed 11 verbal commitments during that time span (al- though two ended up signing elsewhere). That is not the most pledges in June and July under head coach Dave Doeren. Dur- ing his first full recruiting class (2014), he landed 16 verbal commitments from June 1 to July 1 — a group that included star de- fensive end Bradley Chubb, among others. With the busy season approaching, here are 10 names to watch. Cornerback Shyheim Battle, Rocky Mount (N.C.) High Last fall, Battle was at almost every Wolfpack home game. At the time, Duke and NC State were his two major offers. Those two programs proved to be ahead of the curve. Entering the summer, Battle has emerged as one of the top corner prospects in the Southeast, belying his ranking of No. 32 in the state by Rivals.com. Clemson, LSU, Ohio State and Tennes- see are just a few of the many Power Five programs that have made Battle a priority. Prior to that, NC State was Battle's ad- mitted leader, but he has also proclaimed Clemson is his dream school. During April, Battle oscillated between the Tigers and Wolfpack being his favorite. The 6-2, 170-pound Battle made 31 tack- les and broke up three passes as a junior, after compiling 36 stops, two picks and five passes defended during his sophomore season. Offensively, he hauled in 17 recep- tions for 361 yards and four scores in 2017. Offensive lineman Donavan Beaver, Spotsylvania (Va.) Massaponax High The 6-6, 275-pound Beaver visited NC State twice in the winter and early spring, which es- tablished the Wolfpack as a team to watch in his recruitment. He was at a junior day in February and came back for a spring practice in April. "They are pretty high on my list," Beaver acknowledged. This offseason, Beaver has also been to Florida, and he noted that he had been to in-state schools Virginia and Virginia Tech "a lot." All three of those schools have of- fered, as have Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. Rivals.com ranks Beaver as the No. 18 prospect in Virginia in the class of 2019. Quarterback Zach Calzada, Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier High NC State offensive coordinator Eli Drink- witz did not need long to decide to offer Cal- zada a scholarship. After watching him work out during the spring evalua- tion period, he contacted Dave Doeren, and in a matter of hours the head coach was informing Calzada he had an offer from NCSU. It was Calzada's first offer from a Power Five program. "It's a very successful football program that finished in the top 25 last year," Cal- zada said. "It's one of the top teams in the ACC, and it's definitely a great academic institution. Their offense is something I have talked to Coach Drinkwitz about and could see myself thriving in." Calzada completed 116 of 227 passes for 1,706 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a junior, his first year as the starting quarterback. He also rushed 34 times for 117 yards and three scores. Rivals.com ranks the 6-3, 195-pound Calzada as a three-star prospect. He was named the MVP of the Nike Elite 11 Re- gional April 22 in Nashville, Tenn. Defensive end/linebacker Traveon Freshwater, Elizabeth City (N.C.) Northeastern High It's hard to find a bet- ter football player in the state of North Carolina than Freshwater. In 14 games last season, he rushed 118 times for 2,015 yards and 22 touchdowns, while eclipsing 100 yards in 11 games. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,441 yards and 23 scores. Yet colleges are much more excited about his potential on defense. He recorded 157 tackles, 27 sacks and one forced fumble as a junior, and he has 61 career sacks entering his senior season. However, the 6-2, 230-pounder is con- sidered somewhat of a tweener by college evaluators, who have to decide whether to use him at linebacker or defensive end. Freshwater has consistently named NC State as his leader over South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 6 player in the state, and the No. 8 weakside defensive end and No. 157 over- all prospect nationally. Running back Jamious Griffin, Rome (Ga.) High Griffin (5-10, 205 pounds) has been a p r o d u c t iv e r u n n i n g back since his sopho- more season. In 2016, he rushed 201 times for 1,443 yards and 25 touchdowns, and then followed that up by carrying 178 times for 1,276 yards and 28 scores last fall. Rome High has won back-to-back Class 5A state titles and went 15-0 last season. Griffin has offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, NC State, Ole Miss, Purdue, South Carolina, Wake Forest and West Virginia at the Power Five level. He was at NC State's spring game in April. His older brother Ja'Quon Griffin will be a true freshman defensive tackle at Geor- gia Tech this fall. Another brother, Jaylen Griffin, is a redshirt freshman linebacker at Virginia Tech, but the Hokies have not offered him yet. Rivals.com ranks Griffin as a three-star recruit, the No. 55 rising senior in Georgia and the No. 42 running back nationally. Defensive tackle Joshua Harris, Roxboro (N.C.) Person High Like Battle, Harris was a regular for Wolfpack football home games last fall, and at the time Duke and NC State were at the forefront of his recruit- ment. And like Battle, Harris saw his stock ex- ploded after the season — only to an even larger degree. Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee and Wiscon- sin are some of the more notable offers for Harris since his junior season ended. The 6-4, 295-pounder was at NC State's spring game, but overall his recruitment has played out quietly with him shying away from interviews. Rivals.com ranks Harris as a four-star re- ■ FOOTBALL RECRUITING The Wish List

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