Recruiting update: Signing Day Battle Nearing an End
College football’s traditional February signing day has become something of an afterthought with the addition two years ago of a new early signing period.
But with at least five scholarships if not more still available to go along with the 17 given out in December, things could still get interesting at NC State on Wednesday when players are once again allowed to submit their NCAA National Letters of Intent to the schools of their choice.
“We still have the ability to go get more,” coach Dave Doeren said at his early signing day press conference. “So whether we’re looking at graduates, whether we’re looking at junior college players, whether we’re looking at high school players that didn’t sign, but yeah, you start with your needs.”
Of the four commitments Doeren has secured since then, all are three-star prospects and three of them are in those areas of need.
After loading up on wide receivers and defensive backs during the early period, the additions of tackle Nick Booker-Brown and end Claude Larkins Jr. will bolster a defensive line depleted by graduation and transfers while Anthony Carter. Jr. provided help on the offensive line.
The fourth committed player, wide receiver Joshua Crabtree, was originally expected to blueshirt (not be put on scholarship until the start of freshman practice), but might also sign judging from a recent social media post.
The question now is how many more players the Wolfpack will sign on Wednesday and if there are any surprises in the offing.
Doeren’s primary remaining target is four-star cornerback Rashad Battle, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of Fairburn, Ga., who decommitted from Maryland in early November.
Battle took an official visit to State on Jan. 24 and was at Pittsburgh last weekend. Another ACC rival, Virginia Tech, rounds out what appears to be his top three, according to a post on his Twitter account Monday morning.
While there’s still work to ahead of Wednesday’s signing day, Doeren and his staff are well on toward building their 2021 recruiting class.
Jabril McNeill, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound three-star linebacker from Raleigh's Sanderson High and the brother of current Wolfpack defensive lineman Alim McNeill, announced on social media that he has received an offer to play for State.
Meanwhile, another three-star junior linebacker, Raneiria Dillworth of Glenn High School in Kernersville, has narrowed his college choices down to five finalists and has indicated that he'll make his decision between State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama on Tuesday.
