The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1306549
8 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER N C State's football recruiting class added a pair of intriguing in-state talents with the commitments of three-star defensive end Zyun Reeves from East Forsyth High in Kernersville and three-star safety Chase Hattley from Pan- ther Creek High in Cary. The 6-7, 265-pound Reeves decided af- ter his freshman year in high school, when he was 6-3 and 160 pounds, that he would focus just on basketball. Then, before his junior year, the itch to play on the gridiron brought him back to football. "Sometimes, something has to go away before you decide how much you really love it," East Forsyth head coach Todd Wil- lert said. "He's kind of blessed that he took that year off to focus on basketball. He found that he missed the game of football." Reeves finished his junior season with a flourish, helping East Forsyth win a second straight 4-A state title. He had 7.5 of his 13.5 tackles for loss on the year and six of his 7.5 sacks over the final five games. Rivals.com ranks Reeves as the No. 52 strongside defensive end nationally in the 2021 class and the No. 28 player in the state. His potential spurred offers from major colleges, and Reeves eventually narrowed his choices to scholarships from Florida State, Michigan State, South Carolina and Virginia, in addition to the Wolfpack. Willert believes that had the COVID-19 pandemic not forced an extended dead period in re- cruiting and prevented more col- leges from seeing Reeves work out in person, his stock would have been even higher. "His recruiting would have been out of the roof. … The thing that really slowed him down was not having spring ball and all the COVID stuff," the coach noted. "I think if he had went through spring ball, he would have been one of those guys with 40 or 50 offers." When announcing his decision on Sept. 4, Reeves said that the reasons he picked the Wolfpack were simple. "Just the feeling of home; it's home," Reeves explained. "Also the fans. Before I even committed, the fans were going crazy. "There were a few things to it. It's also close to home, so my family can get to every game." NC State feeling like home was also a major reason for Hattley's decision to pick the Pack on Oct. 6. He chose NCSU over offers from, among others, Florida State, Oklahoma and South Carolina. "College sports is basically a business, but I feel like it still has that family feel," Hattley said of NC State. "From the begin- ning, when State offered me, that's what I felt. They really stood out for that feeling among the offers that I had." The 6-3, 205-pounder made 29 tackles (19 solo), including two for loss, while also intercepting nine passes and break- ing up five more in 2019. He forced one fumble and recovered another. He also caught seven passes for 161 yards, an average of 23.0 yards per catch, and three touchdowns. He additionally ran for a score and returned five punts for an average of 22.0 yards. Some schools, like South Carolina and Oklahoma, recruited Hattley for line- backer, while NC State has him initially penciled in at safety. "I think it just all comes down to Chase's mentality, and he and I talked about it," Panther Creek head coach Sean Crocker explained. "At his size, in a year after getting into a college weight room and training table, he could be 225-230 [pounds] from 205. I think everybody had been look- ing at that and saying, 'Okay, if that happens, can he play a line- backer spot?' He absolutely can. "I think right now more of his comfort zone is at safety, but at his size and with the potential to get bigger, stronger and faster, he knows he may end up at line- backer or in the hybrid spot." Rivals.com ranks Hattley as the No. 34 prospect in the state of North Carolina. He also com- petes in track and field, and has a personal best of 6-4 in the high jump, 43-1 in the triple jump and 21-3.5 in the long jump. ■ T R A C K I N G THE PACK Two More Football Players Commit To NC State New NC State commit Zyun Reeves tallied 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as a junior, and helped East Forsyth High School win a second straight 4-A state title. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ■ Class Of 2021 Commitments Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Last School) Jakolbe Baldwin WR 6-1 175 Rockingham, N.C. (Richmond Senior) Sean Brown S 6-1 190 Charlotte, N.C. (Hough) Lyndon Cooper OL 6-3 315 Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton) Micah Crowell WR 6-2 205 Kernersville, N.C. (East Forsyth) Jaleel Davis OL 6-5 300 Rockingham, N.C. (Richmond Senior) Nate Evans CB 6-1 175 Virginia Beach, Va. (Cox) Caden Fordham LB 6-1 205 Jacksonville, Fla. (Bolles) Thornton Gentry OL 6-5 290 Chapin, S.C. (Chapin) Julian Gray WR 5-11 175 Huntersville, N.C. (Hopewell) Chase Hattley S 6-3 205 Cary, N.C. (Panther Creek) Mario Love Jr. CB 5-9 170 Cornelius, N.C. (Hough) Aaron McLaughlin QB 6-5 220 Alpharetta, Ga. (Denmark) Jordan Poole LB 6-0 215 Oakboro, N.C. (West Stanly) Travali Price DL 6-4 260 Lincolnton, N.C. (North Lincoln) Zyun Reeves DE 6-7 265 Kernersville, N.C. (East Forsyth) Cedric Seabrough TE 6-4 215 Swainsboro, Ga. (Swainsboro) Fredrick Seabrough TE 6-4 215 Swainsboro, Ga. (Swainsboro) Demie Sumo RB 6-0 200 Willingboro, N.J. (Willingboro) Jayden Tate DT 5-11 250 Lincolnton, N.C. (North Lincoln)