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NC State Lines Up Visit For Georgia’s No. 5 Recruit

A Top 5 Juco player in Georgia has a visit lined up with NC State.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren talks to a referee against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren talks to a referee against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

One of the most slept on aspects of recruiting comes from Junior College players. Juco, as it's called, could feature hidden gems who aren't your average High School graduate. For NC State, they've set their eyes on one of Georgia's top players.

Alijah Lacey attends Georgia Military Juco in Bloomingdale, GA. He's a Class of 2026 recruit, the No. 5 player in the state. In the Juco rankings, he's the No. 10 EDGE rusher and is a Top 80 nationally ranked player. For Dave Doeren, he's hoping to find a hidden gem in Lacey.

Alijah Lacey Announces November 1 Visit With NC State

Lacey took to social media to announce, "Going to be at the NC State game day November 1st!!" According to 247Sports, this is one of three visits he has lined up in November. After receiving seven offers in October, Lacey has visits lined up with a pair of schools that have yet to throw an offer his way.

Kennesaw State, Georgia State, Southern Miss, Jacksonville State, Valdosta State, Arkansas State, and Troy all threw offers Lacey's way. With most of those teams being in lower conferences, it comes as no surprise that Lacey would line up visits with NC State, Oklahoma State, and Troy.

Out of his three upcoming visits, the Trojans are the only one to extend an offer. He'll be visiting Troy on November 21, one week after he comes back from his official visit with the Cowboys. All things considered, Doeren has a slight edge as he's holding Lacey's first visit.

Breaking Down Lacey's Career

Despite committing to Georgia Southern in 2022, Lacey's career took a different path. He didn't record a single statistic during his time with the Eagles. After turning to Juco, Lacey officially entered the transfer portal on April 24, 2025.

Lacey's pinned post on X states, "Division 1 bounceback. Dec grad, 3 years of eligibility left." Should the Wolfpack sign Lacey, they at least know they'll be getting him for the long haul. That's not always the case with Juco players, but Lacey still has substantial eligibility remaining.

Seeing as the Wolfpack's sack leaders Travali Price and Sabastian Harsh are both seniors, Doeren knows he's going to need someone to take their place. At 6'4'' 230 pounds, Lacey could be that guy. NC State has its work cut out for it against No. 7 Georgia Tech on November 1, but Lacey will be a key visitor at Carter-Finley Stadium.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.