The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1087622
MARCH 2019 ■ 37 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE vals.com listing the four-star prospect as the No. 30 cornerback in the country. "Shyheim is a guy we really liked as a hy- brid cornerback/safety," Friedman said. "He has really good feet for a big guy at corner." If defensive line was the marquee recruiting position on defense, running back took center stage on offense. Due to current numbers, the recruits have a chance to get on the field early. Speedsters Zonovan Knight of Bailey (N.C.) Southern Nash and Jordan Houston of Oakton (Va.) Flint Hill School will provide home-run speed. Bruising blueshirt recruit Delbert Mimms III of Indianapolis Ben Da- vis joined the class on National Signing Day Feb. 6. All three originally committed to other colleges with Knight picking Duke, Houston selecting Maryland and Mimms choosing Vanderbilt. "[Zonovan] Knight and [Jordan] Houston are both slashers who can make people miss," Farrell said. "They have good vision and ex- cellent speed. Houston isn't your every-down back — he'll be more of a guy you use in the slot or on third downs. He can do inside handoffs, and they'll find creative ways to get him the football. "Knight will bulk up to about 190 and be- come an every-down back." NC State searched high and low for a quar- terback, first landing Hockman, then eventu- ally adding three-star prospect Ty Evans of Monument (Colo.) Palmer Ridge, who was previously committed to Colorado until the Buffaloes went through a coaching change. Evans was selected to the Elite 11 for prep quarterbacks, and passed for 2,665 yards, 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and he also rushed for 355 yards and 11 scores as a senior. "He's a little skinny and has to fill out," Far- rell said. "He's not that bad though at 6-foot-2 and about 185 pounds. He'll probably play around 200 pounds and get a little stronger. "The thing I like about him is that he's a quick decision-maker. He's not going to hold on to the ball and get into trouble with stripped sacks, taking bad sacks and putting you in bad field decision. He'll get it out or throw it away." Evans and the rest of the NCSU quarter- backs will have three new wide receivers (if Hines is included) and a tight end to target in the passing game. Hines, a South Carolina native, and Keyon Lesane of Matthews (N.C.) Butler High will add punch to the slot receiver position. Wilmington (N.C.) Hoggard High wide receiver Chris Toudle and Canton (N.C.) Pisgah tight end Kam Walker are both devel- opmental players, with the latter a blueshirt. Lesane could also be a factor in the return game for the Wolfpack down the road. "Lesane is electric in the open field," Fried- man said. "He'll need to improve his route running, but he has longer arms [than some slot receivers]. He is a really strong guy, too." NCSU also landed four offensive line- men, who most likely will all redshirt this upcoming season. Charlotte Providence Day tackle Ikem Ekwonu, Fayetteville (N.C.) Trin- ity Christian tackle Zovon Lindsay, Raleigh Wakefield interior lineman Timothy McKay and Savannah (Ga.) Christian center Dylan McMahon represent the next wave of offen- sive players in the trenches. All were rated as three-star recruits by Rivals. "Ekwonu is a guy who can maybe play in a year and can also be a guard," Friedman said. "He has very strong hands once he locks up a defensive lineman. You can pretty much count that rep or that play over for the defensive lineman." Blueshirt long snapper Joe Shimko of Wall (N.J.) Township High will try and step into the lineup following the graduation of four-year starter Tyler Griffiths. Farrell and Friedman know recruiting the state of North Carolina in 2020 will be differ- ent due to the coaching change at UNC, but they believe the Wolfpack are still positioned well to back up a year of in-state success. "I think NC State has the edge," Farrell said. "They have done a better job than North Carolina over the last few years with the in- state kids and building relationships with pro- grams. "If I'm an NC State fan, I'm happy with the position I'm in for the state. I think they'll do fine in keeping a lot of the locals home." The class of 2020 has 10 players from the state of North Carolina ranked in the Ri- vals250, including NCSU wide receiver com- mit Porter Rooks of Charlotte Myers Park High, who is listed as the country's No. 52 overall prospect. NC State also has a verbal commitment from Ryan Finley's younger brother, Phoenix Paradise Valley quarterback Ben Finley, who Rivals.com rates as a three-star prospect and the No. 21-ranked pro-style quarterback in the class of 2020. "Going forward, the road will be tougher," Friedman said. "There is more recruiting pres- sure, but as things play out on the field, that will be the be-all, end-all. "They aren't going to give this away. They are in a position to do well." ■ ■ 2019 NC State Signees Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Last School) Shyheim Battle^ DB 6-2 175 Rocky Mount, N.C. (Rocky Mount) C.J. Clark^ DL 6-3 280 New London, N.C. (North Stanly) Terrell Dawkins^ DL 6-4 240 Concord, N.C. (Cox Mill) Ikem Ekwonu OL 6-4 298 Charlotte (Providence Day) Ty Evans^ QB 6-2 192 Colorado Springs, Colo. (Palmer Ridge) Jalen Frazier^ DB 5-10 175 Cornelius, N.C. (Hough) Jakeen Harris DB 5-11 185 Savannah, Ga. (Benedictine Military School) Joshua Harris^ DL 6-2 320 Roxboro, N.C. (Person) Tabari Hines# WR 5-10 175 Florence, S.C. (Marlboro County/Oregon) Bailey Hockman#^ QB 6-2 210 Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern/Florida State) Jordan Houston RB 5-10 190 Waldorf, Md. (Flint Hill) Savion Jackson^ DL 6-3 260 Clayton, N.C. (Clayton) Levi Jones#^ LB 6-4 220 Austin, Texas (Westlake/USC) Zonovan Knight^ RB 6-0 190 Bailey, N.C. (Southern Nash) Keyon Lesane^ WR 6-0 185 Lumberton, N.C. (Matthews Butler) Zovon Lindsay^ OL 6-4 270 Fayetteville, N.C. (Trinity Christian) Khalid Martin^ DB 6-2 200 Tobaccoville, N.C. (East Forsyth) Timothy McKay^ OL 6-3 295 Raleigh (Wakefield) Dylan McMahon OL 6-3 290 Savannah, Ga. (Christian Prep) Delbert Mimms III* RB 5-10 205 Indianapolis (Ben Davis) Cecil Powell DB 6-1 191 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Piper) Jaylon Scott^ LB 6-1 230 Shelby, N.C. (Shelby) Joe Shimko* LS 6-0 215 Wall, N.J. (Wall) Drake Thomas^ LB 6-1 225 Wake Forest, N.C. (Heritage) Chris Toudle^ WR 6-3 215 Wilmington, N.C. (Hoggard) Kam Walker* TE 6-5 240 Canton, N.C. (Pisgah) * Blueshirt; # transfer; ^ early enrollee "In 2019, NC State did a fantastic job of getting the best play- ers in the state, and they had to. They were set up perfectly. The competition was down and they had to capitalize on that, and they did that." ■ Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman