RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren and his staff aggressively worked to recruit instate talent. It resulted in the program signing its highest-rated recruiting haul in nine years.
Doeren unveiled a 33-player class with 18 players from North Carolina on his second national signing day with the Wolfpack.
The class was ranked No. 26 nationally by Scout.com and No. 30 by Rivals.com, both marking N.C. State’s highest-rated haul since 2005. The list included nine players from Rivals’ list of top-30 in-state recruits.
Doeren’s Wolfpack struggled to three wins in his first season, including the program’s first 0-8 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Doeren said he ”didn’t feel like we had enough depth or competition in our program – and we needed to accomplish both.”
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N.C. STATE
National rankings: Rivals 30; Scout 26.
Best in class: Kentavius Street (Greenville) is rated as a four-star prospect by both Rivals and Scout. Rivals ranked the defensive end as the No. 2 recruit in North Carolina.
Best of the rest: N.C. State loaded up with instate talent, including safety Germaine Pratt (No. 9 in state by Rivals) and quarterback Jalan McClendon (No. 9 in state by Scout).
Late addition: Cornerback Troy Vincent Jr., son of the former NFL Pro Bowl defensive back, was originally committed to Penn State. But when coach Bill O’Brien left to coach the NFL’s Houston Texans, Vincent switched his commitment to the Wolfpack. ”Troy’s very technical,” Doeren said. ”He’s been backpedaling since he was 3 years old.”
One that got away: N.C. State couldn’t quite reel in instate receiver Trevion Thompson of Durham. Thompson, Scout’s No. 3-ranked recruit in the state, signed with Clemson.
NOTES: Early enrollee Ty Linton originally signed with rival North Carolina in 2010 before signing to play baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He recently decided to play college football and Doeren – who had recruited him while an assistant at Wisconsin – got him to sign with N.C. State instead of UNC. ”It’s great to have a freshman that’s 23 years old that’s … going to offer some unique experiences and life lessons to our team,” Doeren said. … The Wolfpack added five offensive linemen and six defensive linemen. … N.C. State signed six from Georgia. … Nine players in the class enrolled for the spring semester.
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Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap
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