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On The Prowl: State's Insanely Good Portal Class (so far)
On the Prowl 🐺An NC State Newsletter |
This might be the most consequential "off-season" in State's history. A couple of weeks back I touched on some of State’s early departures from the portal. The moral of that story was that all of those losses (save for one) weren’t big impacts to next season’s potential. Since then, State has put together the (currently) 8th best class in the portal per On3’s transfer portal rankings. I’m not someone who puts a ton of stock into your ranking this early on in the process, but the Pack is putting together a class that folks in Raleigh believe could yield the best State team since Philip Rivers’ squad. Before we jump in: none of this would be happening if it weren’t for the work that Savage Wolves collective is doing. If you like what you’re seeing here, please consider signing up for a membership or a one time donation. If you’re on the fence or want to learn more about what NIL really is, reach out to me directly. Today we’re taking a look at who State has added in the portal through 12/18 at 9 AM. There are plenty more exciting names to come, and I’ll update this as we continue to see more pledges in this class, but the bottom line so far: State is laying the foundation for a 2024 championship caliber team. Let's take a look at who's been brought into the fold so far (including JuCo transfers, not technically considered transfer portal additions) - we'll go through this in chronological order from earliest commit to most recent: Wesley Grimes - WR, Wake Forest On3 Composite Portal Ranking: 90.55 (112th overall) ⭐⭐⭐ Grimes was *the* guy at WR for the Pack in the 2022 class. After a back and forth recruitment, he ultimately opted for Wake Forest over the Pack, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and others. This is a really nice get for the Pack - he was a top 250 recruit in his class, and a top 50 national recruit per On3’s ratings. The 6-2 pass catcher had a 65.8 overall grade from PFF, which would’ve put him as the second highest graded Wide Receiver in State’s room this year. Grimes profiles as an outside receiver who can pair well with KC in the slot. His ability to naturally find open space is a definite strength, and he’s only been credited with one drop in his career. He doesn’t have the raw speed or change of direction that a KC does, and he’s definitely struggled with physical defenders who can throw him off his routes, but when you look at who has exited the program at WR, Grimes coming in is huge net positive for this position group. I’m excited to see Grimes in Raleigh, but there’s a bigger fish out there at wideout who could elevate everyone in this wide receiver room. Zeke Correll - C, Notre Dame On3 Composite Portal Ranking: 88.95 (215th overall) ⭐⭐⭐ Anytime you can lock in an O-Lineman from Notre Dame with 31 starts, you do it, and then you go find a nice bottle of champagne and pop it. Quality offensive linemen are really hard to get out of the portal. There’s so few of them willing to move, and they’re oftentimes expensive. Zeke had his fair share of options but this one seemed to come down to State and Kentucky. I thought this clip from Irish coach Marcus Freeman pointed to how great of a fit this is in Raleigh:
Among Correll’s strengths are his ability to move in space. Check out this clip against Clemson where he wraps around the line of scrimmage and moves his blocker several yards down field:
Correll is listed at 6-3 300 pounds, but he’s likely a bit smaller than that. He’s not going to physically overwhelm bigger bodies at the line of scrimmage, which was one of his big knocks this year playing at Notre Dame. Instead, his ability to move quickly and get to his spot means that he’ll be an asset in State’s zone schemes + when he’s pulling in gap plays. Valen Erickson - OL, Missouri On3 Composite Portal Ranking: 84.08 (750th overall) ⭐⭐⭐ Valen is exactly the type of upside prospect you want to take in today’s college football: multiple years left, some sort of above average attribute (size and motor) and someone who’s already used their one free transfer. Erickson is definitely not someone I’d expect to contribute next year, but he profiles as someone who could develop into a big piece of the OL room moving forward. Former NC State Offensive Lineman RJ Mattes had high praise for the addition: https://twitter.com/RJ_Mattes/status/1733830457735753958 His high school scouting report: Physical mauler of a lineman. Plays mean and finishes blocks. Drives defenders off the ball and puts the exclamation point on the end of them. Right tackle in high school and could continue playing there in college although he may be a good fit as a guard also. Has to continue to get quicker but has the kind of rugged, powerful style that will make him safely a college contributor. He won't play much (if at all) in 2024, but this is a great developmental lottery ticket for the Pack. Dante Daniels - TE, Butler Community College 247 Sports Juco Rating: 84 ⭐⭐⭐ This will likely be the most slept on addition this offseason for the Pack. Technically not a transfer portal addition because of the move from a Community College, Daniels fills a gaping hole at blocking tight end for State. Last year, walk-on Reid Mitchell did his best at that spot. He received a 46.2 PFF grade, which was the lowest on the team. Daniels instantly improves the blocking tight end spot on offense. He’s also a capable pass catcher, and I would personally put the over/under on touchdown catches for him next year at 1.5. Anae is definitely going to sneak this guy out of an in-line formation for a big play at some point. On3 Composite Portal Ranking: 91.24 (82nd overall) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Looking at State’s roster heading into the offseason, there was no bigger hole than the obvious one at quarterback. Heading into ‘24 with Lex Thomas as your starter was never an option. Given who State is competing against nationally for quarterback talent, I’m not sure there could’ve been a better pick up at the quarterback position than Grayson McCall. Hailing from Indian Mills NC, McCall had a historic run at Coastal Carolina. Under Jamey Chadwell, he won 3 straight Sun Belt Player of The Year honors, and has a truly ridiculous list of accolades. You should seriously check this list out.
Another reason this commitment is big: it sets the table for a stronger pitch to offensive weapons that State is targeting in the portal. You'll see more of those on this list (and in the coming days 🙂) but you can't understate the impact of a quality QB in recruiting. Justin Joly - TE, UConn On3 Composite Portal Ranking: 92.51 (28th overall) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The drumbeat for the Savage Wolves collective this offseason has been bringing “weapons of mass destruction” to Raleigh to bring some life back to this offense. Joly more than fits that description; I can't emphasize how big of a pick up this is for this offense. The 6-4 235 pound tight end caught 56 passes for 578 yards and two touchdowns in 2023. His combination of size, explosiveness, and great hands landed him a spot in the top 30 overall transfer rankings, which is State’s highest overall transfer prospect so far this cycle. He picked State over serious interest from Louisville, Tennessee, Arizona State, Mississippi State, and more. This is a get that’s big on its own, but also points to the legitimacy of the operation the Pack is building this offseason in Raleigh. To me, Joly profiles as someone who can step into the move tight end position on State’s offense and fill Trent Pennix’s vacated role. He’s got a great catch radius, can shed tackles, turn on an extra gear of acceleration, and win jump balls on intermediate and deeper routes. This is yet another creative tool in Robert Anae’s tool box - I can only imagine the utilization of Joly with KC running jet motion and being moved around the formation. Grayson McCall made a killing by throwing to similarly built Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely. I wouldn’t be shocked if Joly is the Pack’s second leading receiver this year behind KC. Corey Coley Jr. - CB, Maryland On3 Composite Ranking: 85.57 (803rd overall in HS) ⭐⭐⭐ Lots of programs throughout the country have multiple great players at a position - what oftentimes separate the elite programs from the great is the quality depth you have at each spot. Coley committing to the Pack on Sunday night gave State just that at Corner. The 6-2 defensive back hasn’t accumulated eye popping stats, but he did log 387 snaps this year, and has 36 total tackles and 3 pass deflections in his career. As someone entering their final year of college football, Coley brings the experience and maturity to a tough position. And having started as a freshman against Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State, he’s no stranger to big games. With the status of Aydan White and Shy Battle up in the air, getting quality depth in the secondary was important. Adding Coley into the fold definitely contributes towards that goal, but I’m expecting State to continue to look at options here. It was interesting reading Coley’s quotes on why he committed to the Pack. He (like others in this class) called out reaching the 12 team playoff next year as a major goal for them. The Pack are definitely taking the right steps towards getting involved in that conversation. Wyatt Wright - OLB, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC On3 Composite Juco Ranking: 87.57 ⭐⭐⭐ It’s going to be impossible to fill the hole that Payton Wilson is leaving behind. It figures to be a job that the entire defense will have to shoulder collectively. Getting Wyatt Wright in the fold takes a step in accomplishing that mission. A transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, Wright had 82 tackles last year, 4 TFLs, and a forced fumble. He picked the Pack this morning over UCF, Memphis, Houston, Arizona State, and others. His rating from the traditional services isn’t very high - which is often the case for underlooked JuCo guys - but if you watch the film, you’re really not worried about that. Check this obliterating hit:
Wright flashes impressive instincts and does a great job navigating through the muck to make plays. You’ll see numerous violent hits in his game, and his top end speed for a 6-2 225 pound guy is also pretty freaky:
Wright is going to be really fun to watch. I’m not sure how the linebacker room will play out this offseason (does Sean Brown drop down here full time?) but Wright looks to be a power 5 potential starter who will at worst see a few hundred snaps this season in my estimation. There’s a lot more on the way, but it’s hard to not be fired up right now at what the Pack has done so far. I'm still looking for the Pack to address the running back room, defensive line depth, some depth at safety, and potentially another pass catcher. Thank you so much for reading. If you'd like to support me, you can do two things:
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On the Prowl
Join State fans "On The Prowl" - sign up for the free newsletter bringing you everything you need for the matchup fo the week. We'll bring you pre-game analysis, critical storylines, and the data points that are deciding N.C. State's season.
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