Updates

2009 Football Scholarship Offers:
Bold = Commit

QB
*** Everett Proctor (Jack Britt) Fayetteville, NC 6-2/200

RB
*** James Washington (Boone HS) Orlando, FL 6-0/180/4.40
*** Greg Pratt (Naples HS) Naples, FL 5-9/165/4.40
*** Rolandan Finch (St. Xavier HS) Louisville, KY 5-10/200/4.50
*** Travis Small (Cheraw HS) Cheraw, SC 5-10.5/184/4.50
*** Morgan Alexander (Cartersville HS) Cartersville, GA 5-10.5/160/4.47
** William Pratcher (Cedar Grove HS) Ellenwood, GA 5-10/180

FB
No offers

WR
*** Quintin Payton (T L Hanna HS) Anderson, SC 6-4/190
*** Bryan Underwood (Cleveland Heights HS) University Hts, OH 5-8.5/162/4.62
**** Justin Brown (Concord HS) Wilmington, DE 6-3.5/210/4.48
*** Kinsman Thomas (Marlboro County HS) Bennettsville, SC 6-3/210/4.59
*** Carvin Powell (Great Bridge HS) Chesapeake, VA 6-2.5/198/4.50
**** Jheranie Boyd (Ashbrook HS) Gastonia, NC 6-3/185/4.45 UNC

TE
** Anthony Talbert (Winton Woods HS) Cincinnati, OH 6-4/225
*** Asa Watson (Rock Hill HS) Rock Hill, SC 6-4/200
* Darryl Cato-Bishop (Lawrence Academy) Groton, MA 6-4/230

OT
***** Xavier Nixon (Jack Britt) Fayetteville, NC 6-6/285
***** Marcus Hall (Glenville HS) Cleveland, OH 6-5/293/5.35
**** Travis Bond (Bertie HS) Windsor, NC 6-6/330
*** Kadeem Custis (St. John Neumann HS) Philadelphia, PA 6-5/270/5.00
*** Andrew Tiller (Nassau) Garden City, NY 6-6/320/5.00
*** Duran Christophe (Woodstock HS) Woodstock, GA 6-5.5/257/5.59

OG
*** Denzelle Good (Gaffney Senior HS) Gaffney, SC 6-4/295
**** Quinton Washington (Timberland HS) Saint Stephen, SC 6-4/322
* Gus Handler (Barrington HS) Barrington, IL 6-3/265

C
No Offers

DT
*** Brian Slay (Stone Bridge HS) Ashburn, VA 6-3/275
**** Edwin Herbert (CC of San Francisco) San Francisco, CA 6-3.5/295
*** Frankie Davis (East Ridge HS) Clermont, FL 6-3/270
*** Deion Roberson (Tucker HS) Tucker, GA 6-2/275
*** Tyson Chandler (North Plainfield HS) North Plainfield, NJ 6-6/315
*** Raynard Randolph (Gwynn Park HS) Brandywine, MD 6-3/295
*** Akeem Spence (Ft. Walton Beach HS) Fort Walton Beach, FL 6-1/290
*** Nathan Mageo (New Mexico Military) Roswell, NM 6-4/280/4.96
* Conor O'Neal (Newsome HS) Lithia, FL 6-3/300

DE
*** Ricky Dowdy (High Point Central HS) High Point, NC 6-3/225
*** Sylvester Crawford (Victory Christian Center Sch.) Charlotte, NC 6-5/215
**** Duane Chisolm (Beaufort HS) Beaufort, SC 6-2/250
**** Jason Ankrah (Quince Orchard HS) Gaithersburg, MD 6-4/240/4.79
**** Leon Mackey (Hargrave Military Academy) Chatham, VA 6-5/260
*** Julius Forte (Boca Ciega HS) Gulfport, FL 6-2/221/4.66
*** Izaan Cross (Flowery Branch HS) Flowery Branch, GA 6-4/250
*** Clinton Simpkins (Chancellor HS) Fredericksburg, VA 6-3/215/4.60
*** Bernardo Nunez (Hoboken HS) Hoboken, NJ 6-2/220/4.70
** Brian Jordan (Great Bridge HS) Chesapeake, VA 6-4/207
** Luke Sager (Niceville Senior HS) Niceville, FL 6-4/240
* Josh Jackson (Gainesville HS) Gainesville, GA 6-1/242/5.00

MLB
*** Ryan Cheek (Lancaster HS) Lancaster, OH 6-0.5/232/4.51
** Julian Burnett (Westside HS) Macon, GA 5-9.5/222/4.66
**** Hawatha Bell (David W Butler HS) Matthews, NC 6-0/225 UNC

SLB
*** Luke Kuechly (St. Xavier HS) Cincinnati, OH 6-3/205
*** LeRon Furr (Carver HS) Columbus, GA 6-3/213
*** Antwon Higgs (Pompano Beach HS Institute) Pompano Beach, FL 6-2/243/4.94

WLB
**** Jamil Merrell (Paul M. Hodgson Vocational Tec) Newark, DE 6-4/210/4.60
*** Robert Nelson (Stone Mountain HS) Stone Mountain, GA 6-0/205

S
**** Jonathan Meeks (Hargrave Military Academy) Chatham, VA 6-2/185
*** Hans Rice (Eufaula HS) Eufaula, AL 6-3/195/4.5
* Boogie McCray (Lake Taylor HS) Norfolk, VA 6-2/210
* Jarrell Harrison (CC of San Francisco) San Francisco, CA 6-2/210/4.55
* Brandan Bishop (Boca Raton HS) Boca Raton, FL 6-1/197/4.66
* Donald Coleman (The Hun School) Princeton, NJ 6-0/207/4.46
**** David Batts (El Camino) Torrance, CA 6-2/200/4.50 Nevada

CB
*** Dean Haynes (Northwest Whitfield County HS) Tunnel Hill, GA 6-0/200
*** Jarvis Byrd (Pahokee HS) Pahokee, FL 5-10/170/4.65
*** Josh Evans (Irvington HS) Irvington, NJ 6-2/185/4.43
*** Dale Peterman (Ursuline HS) Youngstown, OH 5-11/176/4.67
*** Jairus Jones (Wharton HS) Tampa, FL 6-1/205/4.60
** Keith Reaser (Miami Killian HS) Miami, FL 5-10/-/4.44
** Rashard Smith (Dublin HS) Dublin, GA 5-10/175
**** Terry Shankle (South Stanly HS) Norwood, NC 6-0/180 UNC
**** Travis Hawkins (Quince Orchard HS) Gaithersburg, MD 5-11/185/4.42 Maryland

K,P
** Chris Ward (Starrs Mill HS) Fayetteville, GA 6-1/170


------------------------------------------STATISTICS------------------------------------------


Scholarships Count
16 Available for 2009
-13 2009 Commits
+3 Class of 2008 who didn't qualify (Palmer, Everett, Mangram)
+6 Transfer or Left Team (Jaradat, Locust, Golder, Burke, T. Barnes, Linney)
-------------------------------------
12 Scholarships Remaining

Recruiting Breakdown
OFFENSE
QB - 1
Backfield - 1
Receivers - 3
Linemen - 1
------------------
Total Offense - 6

DEFENSE
Linemen - 3
Linebackers - 1
Secondary - 2
------------------
Total Defense - 6

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kickers - 1

Geographical Diversity
Florida - 2
Georgia - 2
North Carolina - 3
South Carolina - 2
Ohio - 3
Virginia - 1

Star Count (highest of the two sites)
5* - 0
4* - 0
3* - 11
2* - 2
1* - 0
--------------------
Average Stars - 2.85

11/28/2008 2:05:49 PM

hopefully we'll see some commits after this week's visits

11/28/2008 2:09:28 PM

damn, look at all the kids lined up to visit this weekend.

http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/a.z?s=178&p=9&c=6&yr=2009

11/28/2008 6:04:57 PM

^ Yeah, too bad it's supposed to rain.

11/28/2008 6:23:50 PM

Brandan Bishop was brought to the coaches attention by Jimmie Sutton who is now the defensive backs coach at Boca Raton HS.

11/29/2008 5:23:56 PM

I'm sure I should just be more patient, but any word on what the recruits' impressions of the Miami game were?

[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 11:25 AM. Reason : words]

[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 11:25 AM. Reason : can't spell]

11/30/2008 11:24:44 AM

will hear more after they return from their visits... all those OV guys leave around noon today

11/30/2008 11:40:44 AM

Gotcha, sounds good.

11/30/2008 11:41:46 AM

We're in Raynard Randolph's top three along with Penn State and West Virginia. He doesn't have a leader though.

11/30/2008 1:02:35 PM

Tyson Chandler commits. There's another one that committed that hasn't been released yet.

http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/a.z?s=178&p=8&c=1&nid=3569899

11/30/2008 2:15:52 PM

^ That joker is huge! Glad to have him aboard.

11/30/2008 2:42:03 PM

The other commit that they aren't sharing could be interesting. Just wonder if they aren't sharing because they want the player to get home and share it with everyone or because it's a silent verbal or if it's just huge news and they want a full write-up or something?

I'd love to get another OL from this class, like a Travis Bond surprise picking us would be awesome, but I don't see it.

My guess is it's a 2010 guy like a Crisp or Creecey. A player we had high hopes for but weren't really expecting them to pull the trigger yet. And a OL and WR would have to love what he's seeing out of us right now.

11/30/2008 3:47:30 PM

My wish list for the not mentioned recruit:

1. Bond
2. Crisp
3. Creecy

Already mentioned that Harrison or Herbert did not commit, so I'm not counting them. If they are in the mix, then I put Herbert at 1a.

11/30/2008 4:10:50 PM

Over/under on when we snag our first 4 star of this recruiting year? I have big expectations but we need at least one big name on the board.

11/30/2008 5:49:26 PM

It really sucks seeing those 4 star players go to UNC.

11/30/2008 6:12:27 PM

Russell Wilson was a **
Cam Sexton was a ****

Jamelle Eugene was a **
Ryan Houston was a ****

I'm not overly concerned with getting the 4* players as much as I am concerned with getting players that Coach O'Brien likes.

11/30/2008 6:19:56 PM

I use to be really into the whole "stars" and stuff, but after seeing us beat their team of 4 and 5 star recruits with our 1-2-3 star recruits, I don't really have a problem with 3-star recruits.

The way I look at it, if TOB wants a guy and we get them, they will be solid.

That being said. I don't really know if we'll get any 4 star recruits this year, perhaps a 4-star Juco, but I don't see a chance with any others unless we get some recruits flip-flopping.

11/30/2008 6:22:45 PM

Quote :

"Who do you guys really want to land?"

Quote :

"I would like to see us get Tyson Chandler. Not for any particular reason other than the fact that he's huge."

I called it... not really, though. The question wasn't who will be next but I'd still like to think my post influenced his decision.

11/30/2008 7:23:18 PM

Quote :

"Russell Wilson was a ** Cam Sexton was a **** Jamelle Eugene was a ** Ryan Houston was a ****"

you can say that shit all you want, but stars are never a bad thing.

11/30/2008 7:30:54 PM

I remember hearing that other coaches pay attention to who O'Brien recruits because his staff is so good at getting the 2-3 starts that out perform 4-5 stars.

<3 Obrien

11/30/2008 7:32:52 PM

The Billy Beane of Football?

11/30/2008 8:36:18 PM

Go with the TOB for diamonds in rough logic all you want....just think what he could do with 4-5 stars.

11/30/2008 9:26:34 PM

We'll get there. However, I do trust O'Brien with recruiting much more than Scout.com

11/30/2008 9:30:58 PM

^^ I agree, but a lot of 4-stars and 5-stars come in with the mentality that because they are so good, they don't have to work hard. That just wouldn't fly with TOB. It may be part of the reason we're missing on a lot of the 4-stars we offered. Think about Boyd and Shankle. Which coach do you think is gonna tell them they shit gold, Butch or TOB? It may be that they sense how hard TOB is gonna make them work, and it's just not something they're interested in doing. Obviously I'm over-simplifying, but I think you get my point.



[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 9:32 PM. Reason : extra ^]

11/30/2008 9:31:57 PM

^ that's such bullshit it's hard to even read.

11/30/2008 9:34:02 PM

^

Exhibit A: T.A. McClendon

Exhibit B: Richard Washington

Exhibit C: the majority of Amato's high-star recruits

I'm not saying it's impossible to get a 4 or 5 star recruit with a good work ethic, but we don't really have a ton of them beating down our door. Guys like that can go anywhere. Do we want them to come here? Hell yeah. But so does every other school.

[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 9:41 PM. Reason : simonn is pms'ing]

11/30/2008 9:38:00 PM

^my favorite example of a highly touted bust:

JC Neal

11/30/2008 9:40:04 PM

REBUTTAL A: i'm not going to bother and name all of the highly touted recruits throughout the country every year who work their assess off, b/c it'd be too many to name.

REBUTTAL B: that argument makes you look like an idiot, and thus makes me, as a state football fan, look like an idiot, so please don't repeat it, ever.

11/30/2008 9:40:51 PM

^his argument was dumb however, i think the point trying to be made was that just because you are a 4 or 5 star doesnt mean you are shit in football.... basketball is a totally different animal, but football, u just never know until someone gets here

11/30/2008 9:44:25 PM

My point was:

Yes, TOB and every other person affiliated with State football wants 4-star and 5-star caliber players; however, his idea of what makes a player 4 or 5 star caliber is likely a little different than the recruiting sites making those ratings. Often the sites are correct in their assessment and TOB goes after those players. But like I said, who doesn't want a talented, hard-working player to come to their school? A kid with 40+ scholarship offers can pick and choose where he wants to go. I was just trying to account for those who chose to go to UNC (or other schools similar to State in prestige, location, etc.) rather than coming to State.

And again, there are many other factors at play, and I realize it could be any one of them driving the kid's decision, but coaching style is probably right up there with the rest of them.

[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 9:56 PM. Reason : adsf]

11/30/2008 9:52:54 PM

All I'm saying is that yes, the 4* players that Coach O'Brien wants would be great. However, I'm not going to be concerned with the kids he does offer that are not 4* because we've shown that we can play great with 2* players.

11/30/2008 11:50:28 PM

Quote :

"we've shown that we can play great with 2* players."

statements like this make me embarrassed for our fanbase.

11/30/2008 11:55:20 PM

Please, elaborate.

12/1/2008 12:07:30 AM

we won six games and you're ready to declare that we don't need talent b/c tom o'brien is such a good coach. it's ridiculous.

12/1/2008 12:28:54 AM

I think the implication is that O'Brien has a history of finding players who have talent but not 4 stars, not that we should only recruit players with no talent

There was that one guy, something Wilson, he turned out ok

[Edited on December 1, 2008 at 12:39 AM. Reason : .]

12/1/2008 12:37:16 AM

^something wilson was an Amato/Trestman recruit

12/1/2008 12:43:19 AM

^^ no, they're trying to write off how well carolina is recruiting right now by saying we don't need good players anyway, and it's nothing but sour grapes.

12/1/2008 12:52:41 AM

simonn is right....You have to land several big recruits 4* and 5* if you really want to compete at the top level.

Most 4* and 5* are not busts......

12/1/2008 12:58:58 AM

Quote :

"^^ no, they're trying to write off how well carolina is recruiting right now by saying we don't need good players anyway, and it's nothing but sour grapes."

I'm assuming I'm one of the people you're referring to. And yes, Carolina is getting recruits we wanted and it sucks, but at the end of the day there isn't anything you or I or anyone else on here can do about where a recruit goes. You seem to think that those of us trying to look on the bright side of things don't know what we're talking about. I'm well aware that to win the games of importance (conference championships, bcs games, etc.) you need the best talent you can get aka 4 and 5 star players. Only problem is we don't have that many of them committing here. So, until we start recruiting better, we've got to make do with what we've got. If not for some key injuries throughout the year, we could have very easily played in the ACC Championship. Big woop I know. But this staff has proven they can get the most out of the talent they were left by Amato. One would think they could translate this into getting a lot out of the recruits they land as well. If those recruits are primarily 2 and 3 stars right now, we'll just have to hope the staff can coach them up and land more 4 and 5 stars in future classes.

With that said, you being a bitch doesn't mean you're bringing reality down to us poor unrealistic homers. It just means you're being a bitch.

12/1/2008 1:18:52 AM

Quote :

"simonn is right....You have to land several big recruits 4* and 5* if you really want to compete at the top level. Most 4* and 5* are not busts......"

12/1/2008 1:46:30 AM

Quote :

"With that said, you being a bitch doesn't mean you're bringing reality down to us poor unrealistic homers. It just means you're being a bitch."

you being blindly optimistic and making asinine statements doesn't mean you're bringing success to the program due to "believing", it means you're making asinine statements.

12/1/2008 8:33:23 AM

Quote :

"we won six games and you're ready to declare that we don't need talent b/c tom o'brien is such a good coach. it's ridiculous."

Assumptions.

What I'm saying is that we are landing the quality of athletes that we CAN right now. UNC is a name school, we are not. O'Brien is beating people with the 2* athletes he can get now and building a foundation so that when we have 7, 8, 9 win seasons, the 4 and 5* athletes will come flocking.

It's not like O'Brien isn't trying to land the 4* kids. What I'm saying is that he's going to take the best players he can get, whether or not they're a 2*. And we're going to win some games.

12/1/2008 8:50:27 AM

i'm not at all worried about what o'brien is doing, i'm just trying to keep you guys from saying ridiculous things that make us all look dumb.

12/1/2008 8:59:25 AM

^ Do you have an inferiority complex or something? Why are you so worried about what others think of our fanbase? If someone wants a reason to dislike/talk shit about our fan base badly enough, I doubt they'll have to come this far to find it. Do you really think I would waste my breath trying to convince a Carolina fan of anything, much less how lower-rated recruits often turn out to be better than higher ones? The last time I checked this is a State message board. As little success we've had over the past 20 years, if we weren't all eternal optimists, we would have no reason to be State fans. And maybe I have made some asinine statements. Nobody's perfect. But please show me where I've said anything about how being optimistic will bring "success" to the program as you put it. I don't kid myself into thinking what I think makes one difference to the "success" of the program.

And you tell me I'm being "blindly optimistic." Well, I think you're being blindly pessimistic. You did watch the last third of the season, right? That part where we went 4-0 after finally getting everyone back and them being healthy. I would say that's cause for optimism, as have a lot of people in the sports media.

This will be my last post regarding the subject. For those of you coming here for recruiting info, I'm sorry I've contributed to taking us off that track. As for simonn, get the sand out of your vagina dude.

[Edited on December 1, 2008 at 9:19 AM. Reason : asdf]

12/1/2008 9:18:36 AM

recruiting rankings in football don't mean much in comparison to rankings in basketball... there is numerous examples of these highly touted guys panning out or not panning out, as well as lower star guys panning out or not panning out.... do you want the best high school players??? definitely.... but does it ensure success? Definitely NOT... just ask Notre Dame, Miami, or Florida State.... and can you win without highly touted recruits? Most Definitely....just ask Boise State, Utah, Boston College, Wake Forest, Navy, Tulsa, etc.

[Edited on December 1, 2008 at 9:33 AM. Reason : ]

12/1/2008 9:32:11 AM

So has anyone figured out who the other commitment is?

12/1/2008 9:48:08 AM

wow...just b/c UNC is landing the in-staters this year doesnt mean jack.

IIRC we beat them out last year for the cream of NC.

12/1/2008 9:59:19 AM

And we could very well beat them out next year for the cream of the crop.

12/1/2008 10:30:38 AM

Yeah everyone is forgetting about the class we had last year.

12/1/2008 10:38:28 AM

Do we have anyone to step in at DT for Antoine Holmes/Keith Willis Jr. next year? That DT spot and CB are my only worries for our defense next year.

12/1/2008 10:47:18 AM