From Recruit to Recruiter: Mario Spreading the Wolfpack Love

Three-star defensive back Mario Love was one of the first players to commit to NC State's football Class of 2021. Now that he's in the fold, he's working hard to get other top prospects to join him with the Wolfpack

Officially, coaches George McDonald and Joe DeForest were the lead recruiters that helped land NC State's newest football commitment, three-star safety Sean Brown of Hough High School in Cornelius.

Their sales pitch was greatly aided, however, by the recruiting effort an interested third party.

Brown's prep teammate Mario Love, himself a three-star defensive back, was one of the first players to commit to the Wolfpack's 2021 class. Now that he's in the fold, he's been working hard trying to convince other top prospects to joining him in Raleigh.

It's an effort that paid off Sunday.

"We talk daily, that’s my boy," Love said of Brown, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound rising senior who became the 12th 2021 recruit to commit to State. "We also hang with each other daily and I was just being honest with him. I know this a a process, so I didn’t force it on him to commit. I just told him how the coaches felt and how we would feed off each other cause we already have a good chemistry."

That chemistry could become a major factor in helping coach Dave Doeren rebuild a secondary that was one of the Wolfpack's weak links in 2019. 

A third Hough product, nickel Jalen Frazier -- a redshirt freshman who saw action on special teams in two games last season -- is already a member of State's program.

"It’s going to be dope," Love said of the Hough connection. "We bring that swag and energy to Raleigh."

Best Recruiter in 2021 ......

— Huncho ⁶ (@MarioLoveJr6) June 21, 2020

Even though several other schools, including ACC rivals Wake Forest and Louisville, made strong efforts to land Brown, Love said he's always been confident his friend and teammate would eventually join him with the Wolfpack.

"We talked daily about his decision just like we did with mine running ideas past each other," he said. "I've known for about a month he was locked in."

Now that he's succeded in helping streer Brown to State, he's ready to turn his attention to other potential recruits.

Love has maintained a high profile on social media, constantly Tweeting to others about the quality of the class Doeren, his coaches -- and some of their already committed recruits -- are in the process of putting together.

His next target is four-star linebacker Jordan Poole, who on Friday included State among his top three schools along with Virginia Tech and South Carolina.

"I'm not going to stop recruiting," Love said. "Even when I’m at school I’m trying to win a championship, getting all the players that want to play for the Pack. Me and my boy Jordan Poole talk a lot working on him and a few more, but stay tuned. When I tweet big need, we got us one."

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