Talented 2027 Running Back Schedules NC State Official Visit
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Throughout the college football offseason, NC State head coach Dave Doeren and his staff have been focused on the 2027 recruiting trail as they continue to compete for several of the nation’s top prospects.
Over the past few weeks, the Wolfpack has made significant progress with some of their top 2027 targets, including a three-star running back who is scheduled to take an official visit (OV) to NC State in May.
NC State to Host 3-Star 2027 Running Back For Official Visit
Last week, Tai Phillips, a three-star running back from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who attends Irmo High School in South Carolina, announced on X that he has scheduled an OV with NC State from May 1 to May 3, writing, “Locked in an Official Visit to The North Carolina State University.”
Locked in an Official Visit to The North Carolina State University! 🐺@CoachGoebbel @StateCoachD @CoachKurtRoper @CoachAlexFaulk pic.twitter.com/cvP8N5DW0H
— 3 🌟 Tai “Boom” Phillips (@taiphillips_1) February 13, 2026
NC State has been pursuing Phillips throughout his recruitment, first offering him in June 2025. This offseason, the Wolfpack have continued to make a push for him and hosted him on campus for a junior day visit last month.
Phillips is a talented running back and is coming off a strong junior season where, according to his X, he recorded 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on 104 carries across seven games.
Although NC State has already landed Christian Freeman, a three-star 2027 running back from Southeast Raleigh High School, Phillips would still be a welcome addition to the Wolfpack’s class. Rivals’ industry rankings list him as the No. 836 overall player nationally, the No. 61 running back, and the No. 16 prospect in South Carolina.
As of now, NC State is the only program that Phillips has scheduled an OV with, putting the Wolfpack in a strong position to compete for the young running back.
While Phillips hasn’t set a commitment date and there’s no timeline for his decision, Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) currently gives NC State the best chance to land him at 49.1%, with Ohio State and Alabama also firmly in the mix.
With a strong OV, Doeren and company should be able to strengthen their relationship with the three-star running back and further improve their overall standing in his recruitment.
Although NC State will undoubtedly face competition from several schools for Phillips, if the Wolfpack can continue to make progress with him in the coming months and impress him during his OV in May, they should have a strong chance of landing one of the top running back prospects in the 2027 class.
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Max Dorsey serves as the Western United States College Recruiting Beat Writer On SI. He graduated from the prestigious Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Before that, he worked for the Pro Football Network and was part of the recruiting department for Syracuse University's football program.