The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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■ 2015 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State has six verbal commit- ments in the 2016 class, and that's already a large percentage of what the Pack will ink. NCSU has room to take a small class of around 12-15 in 2016. Here's a position-by-position early rundown of the Pack's needs and targets in the next recruiting class. QUARTERBACK NC State has a commitment from three- star quarterback Dylan Parham (6-4, 180 pounds) of Southeast Raleigh High. Par- ham completed 149 of 296 passes for 1,773 yards and 15 touchdowns with 10 intercep- tions, and rushed 75 times for 394 yards and seven scores as a junior. He is rated the No. 34 player in the state's junior class by Rivals.com. With such limited numbers in the class, NC State is expected to be selective if it chooses to pursue a second signal-caller. RUNNING BACK After taking three four-star signees in 2015, NC State will also be selective at run- ning back. Two names that have emerged are Kennedy McKoy of Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson High and Jordon Brown of Durham (N.C.) Southern High. McKoy rushed for a school-record 2,061 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior and caught 23 passes for 292 yards and two more scores en route to being named the Lexington Dispatch All-Davidson County Offensive Player of the Year. McKoy, 6-0, 190 pounds, is rated the No. 30 running back in the 2016 class and the No. 23 prospect in the state by Rivals.com. UNC and West Virginia have additionally offered. Brown, 5-11, 180 pounds, is considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and the No. 4 all-purpose back in the class. He is listed as the No. 8 player in the state. Boston College, Duke, ECU, UNC, Wake Forest and West Virginia have also offered. He went to NCSU's junior day Jan. 31. Brown rushed 128 times for 919 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 34 passes for 523 yards and eight scores as a junior. WIDE RECEIVER NC State has set its sights on a pair of highly rated in-state receivers. Diondre Overton, a 6-5, 195-pound two-sport star at Greensboro Page High, has vaulted up recruiting boards across the country after catching 61 passes for 877 yards and seven touchdowns last fall. Rivals.com rates him as a three-star recruit and the No. 53 re- ceiver nationally. Overton has offers from Boston Col- lege, Clemson, Duke, East Carolina, Ken- tucky, Louisville, South Carolina, Tennes- see, UNC, Wake Forest and West Virginia among others. He would like to play both hoops and football in college. Clemson has landed a verbal commit- ment from four-star Cornell Powell of Greenville Rose High, but NC State is not expected to give up. The 6-1, 190-pound Rose is listed by Rivals as the No. 47 wide- out in the country and No. 9 prospect in the state. Powell caught 67 passes for 1,248 yards and 19 touchdowns last fall. NC State offered Eric Kumah, a 6-3, 200-pounder from Woodbridge (Va.) For- est Park High, while he was on a visit to NCSU for a junior day on Feb. 21. Kumah is rated the No. 21 prospect in Virginia by Rivals.com and reports offers from, among others, Boston College, Maryland, North- western, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech. TIGHT END The top name to watch at tight end is Garrett Waltson, a 6-4, 225-pounder from Wilmington (N.C.) New Hanover High. Walston is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 23 tight end in the class by Rivals.com. The Pack was the first major school to offer, and Boston College, North- western, UNC and Virginia Tech have since joined the chase. OFFENSIVE LINE NC State already has a pair of commit- ments from likely interior line players Har- rison Gee from Burlington (N.C.) Williams High and Joe Sculthorpe from Hampstead (N.C.) Topsail High. Both are rated three stars by Rivals.com. One offensive tackle would likely fill out the offensive line class. Three names that are on the list are four-star Josh Ball from Fredericksburg (Va.) Stafford Senior, three-star Robert Kraeling from Bogart (Ga.) Prince Avenue Christian and un- rated Parker Braun from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola High. Ball, 6-7, 300 pounds, is rated the No. 24 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 9 player in Virginia by Rivals.com. He has visited NCSU unofficially at least three times and also has offers from BC, Duke, Maryland, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, UNC, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech, among others. NC State was the first to offer Kraeling, a fast-rising 6-8, 250-pounder considered the No. 32 offensive tackle in the 2016 class by Rivals.com. Joining his growing list of tenders are Alabama, Baylor, Bos- ton College, California, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Braun, 6-4, 275 pounds, was offered by NCSU while on an unofficial visit Feb. 20. Auburn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Mis- souri, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, South Caro- lina, Tennessee, UCF, Wake Forest and West Virginia are also on his offer list. His former teammate, linebacker Riley Nichol- son, enrolled early at NC State this spring. DEFENSIVE END The Pack is likely to sign a couple of defensive ends in this class. Two in-state players with offers are Josh Brown, a four- star prospect and soft Florida State commit from Charlotte Mallard Creek, and Jimmie Taylor, a three-star pass rusher from Jack- sonville Southwest Onslow High. LOOKING AHEAD A First Peek At The 2016 Class Running back Jordon Brown of Durham (N.C.) Southern High is rated as a four-star prospect and considered the No. 4 all-pur- pose back nationally by Rivals.com. PHOTO BY RYAN TICE