With National Signing Day comes the dreams and expectations many college football programs hope to achieve with their newly found talent, and the NC State football program looks to continue its winning ways with new talent arriving in 2015.
Head coach Dave Doeren and his staff’s recruiting efforts have paid off, and in a big way. According to ESPN, after signing the 33rd best recruiting class in the country, the Wolfpack is primed for a 2015 campaign looking to improve on its resurgence last season. The Pack nabbed 22 commits from the class of 2015, including four four-star recruits and 15 three-star recruits.
A point of emphasis the Pack wanted to focus on was keeping homegrown talent from leaving the state. The Pack did just that, landing three of the top-seven recruits in the state, including running back Johnny Frasier, who ranks as the third-best recruit in the state, and the sixth-best running back recruit in the country.
Originally a Florida State commit, Frasier had a change of heart leading to his decision to join the Pack. With a year of experience sitting behind veteran backs Matt Dayes and Shadrach Thornton, Frasier should blossom into the Pack’s go-to-guy for explosive plays in short yardage and goal line situations.
Following Frasier is another running back from the Tobacco Road, Nyheim Hines, out of Garner Senior High School in Garner, North Carolina. The 5-foot-9-inch Hines committed to the Pack back in December, choosing State over offers from Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, UNC-CH, and Arkansas.
When asked about Hines, Doeren said he could play multiple positions including slot receiver, running back and kick returner. With Dayes, Thornton and Frasier in the backfield, I expect Hines to see most of his snaps in the slot and on kick return duty.
A couple other recruits who might see a lot of playing time in the fall are offensive tackle Emanuel McGirt and wide receiver Vernon Grier. McGirt’s youth and size will help bring some athleticism to an average offensive line for the Pack.
Grier, on the other hand, may see a bigger role come the start of the season. With senior Bryan Underwood graduating and freshman standout Bo Hines transferring, junior Bra’Lon Cherry and Grier will have to carry the Pack’s receiving corps through much of the season.
The final four-star recruit making his debut with the Pack in the fall is defensive tackle Darian Roseboro. The Lincolnton native is listed at 6-foot-4-inches and 285 pounds. He comes in ranked as the 22nd overall tackle in the country and seventh best prospect in the state.
Originally a Michigan commit, Roseboro comes to a defensive line losing a couple of key seniors from last season. Along with fellow defensive lineman Kentavius Street, Roseboro should help anchor a young defensive line for the near future and help ease the blow of losing those seniors.
The improvement on the recruiting front Pack has seen under the tutelage of coach Doeren is an impressive feat.
According to ESPN, the class of 2013 ranked 66th in the nation. Coach Doeren and co. had to fight an uphill battle when his first full year of recruiting came around, but they stood up to the test and their results showed.
The class of 2014 ranked 38th in the nation, jumping 28 spots from the previous year. 2015’s class performed even better, moving up five spots to 33rd in the country.
With many recruits in years past opting to go elsewhere, coach Doeren and his staff knew they needed to establish a solid foundation if they wanted any shot at landing the best talent.
If the Pack’s last couple recruiting classes are any indication, coach Doeren and co. are determined to keep the Pack relevant both now and down the road. The future looks bright for the NC State football program, and doesn’t look like it’s going to dim any time soon.
