NC State Wolfpack SI All-American Candidate Spotlight: CB Mario Love Jr.
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 for the next two weeks, 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 cornerback Mario Love Jr..
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The Wolfpack has finished 11th or lower in the 14-team ACC in pass defense each of the past four seasons.and have addressed secondary help as a priority in the Class of 2021. The addition of Love, who committed on April 10, was the first step in that direction.
Respect my decision....#WPN pic.twitter.com/SEG4Cg3EF6
— Huncho ⁶ (@MarioLoveJr6) April 10, 2020
A compact, athletic corner, the Charlotte area native possesses solid ball skills and a high football IQ, but still has some work to do both physically in adding to his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame and in his technique and footwork.
Love has been credited with 62 tackles and two interceptions in his high school career at Hough High School, which advanced to the second round of the state 4A playoffs while finishing the 2019 season at 8-5.
State was one of the first schools to show interest in Love and he made several visits to Raleigh, including an impressive performance at Doeren's summer camp in June 2018. He was most recently attended the Wolfpack's Junior Day in February. Wide receivers coach George McDonald has been his lead recruiter.
As much of an asset as Love figures to be on the field once he arrives in the program, he's already proven to be an important addition because of his ability as a recruiter. He's been active on social media, constantly Tweeting to others about the quality of the class coach Dave Doeren and his coaches are in the process of putting together.
Among those he's helped land is his high school teammate and fellow defensive back Sean Brown.
Love's next target is highly-rated linebacker Jordan Poole from West Stanly High School in Oakboro, who has included the Wolfpack in 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."
Here's what SI All American has to say about him:
"He has the ability to be a complete cornerback but needs to improve his technique in tackling, which should come as he adds mass to his frame. He needs to eliminate negative steps in coverage to become more efficient.
"Mario Love, Jr. is a compact, well-defined cornerback with decent length, and high upsides. He has the ability to become a complete cornerback at the college level, as he adds mass to his frame and refines his technique. He projects as a Power 5 contributor over the course of his career."
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