NC State Wolfpack SI All-American Candidate Spotlight: WR Micah Crowell
Eleven of the 15 high school seniors that have committed to play their college football careers at NC State are among the 1,000 players nationwide identified by Sports Illustrated as candidates for the publication's 2020 High School All-American team.
Each day over a two-week stretch, SI's All Wolfpack will take a closer look at each of those players and how they project to help the program once they arrive on campus.
Today it's wide receiver Micah Crowell.
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Crowell missed his entire junior season at East Forsyth High School while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered during a workout the previous spring.
But that didn't scare college recruiters away from the highly-touted wide receiver.
Despite the injury and the lost season, the solidly built 6-foot-2, 205-pound Sports Illustrated All-American candidate held scholarship offers from virtually every Power Five school in the country. Including Alabama.
The fact that he chose NC State, only two weeks after top quarterback prospect Aaron McLaughlin flipped from Auburn to the Wolfpack, was a major victory for coach Dave Doeren and his staff.
Crowell showed his potential as a sophomore, when he caught 25 passes for 511 yards and seven touchdowns while also rushing for 206 yards and two more scores while helping his team to the first of its two straight 4A state championships.
Now fully recovered, Crowell will have an entire 2020 season -- assuming it's played -- to regain his timing and confidence before teaming up with McLaughlin as both a possession receiver and deep threat for the Wolfpack.
"There's no doubt one of the key things is that NC State really stuck by him, even through the injury," East Forsyth coach Todd Willert said of his star receiver. "There were some schools that wanted to see him run this sping and things like that. But NC State didn't waver. They knew what he could do. If you can do what he did as a sophomore, and now he's about 20 pounds heavier. He looks great.
"It wasn't like he got injured and sat out and didn't do stuff. He continued to work on his body, on football stuff. He was at our practices and all that. So the sky's the limit for this guy. Micah is a big kid. I think his size is really a key factor for him suceeding at that next level."
Here's how SI All-American evaluates Crowell:
"Crowell has the frame and build of a running back, yet he makes his impact on the perimeter. He possesses strong hands, solid instincts after the catch and fairly deceptive long speed. While he’s coming off an ACL injury and needs to continue improving his separation quickness, Crowell could fit well in a college offense that emphasizes a 3-step and 5-step passing game as a Z or big slot."
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