NC State FB Commitments and Targets on SI All-American Watch List
Coach Dave Doeren had a slow start to the 2021 recruiting cycle, the product of a 4-8 season that finished with six straight losses and a staff shakeup that saw five new assistants brought in to the program. The sense of urgency was heightened by the success of Mack Brown at North Carolina.
But the Wolfpack’s fortunes began to turn on May 14 when former Auburn pledge Aaron McLaughlin committed to State. The strong-armed 6-foot-5, 219-pound quarterback is the program’s highest-rated QB since Mike Glennon in 2008. Once McLaughlin got the ball rolling, the momentum picked up with four-star WR Micah Crowell and a pair of three-star linemen coming on board.
Six of the first seven 2021 recruits to come on board play on the offensive side of the ball. Since then, Doeren and his staff have loaded up on defense with a concentration on the secondary. The Wolfpack has added three defensive backs in all, including Tennessee flip Nate Evans.
McLaughlin, Crowell and Evans are all among among the 1,000 top recruits nationwide named Wednesday to the inaugural Sports Illustrated All-American watch list. And they're not alone. Eleven of the 15 players committed to State in the Class of 2021 are included on the list.
So are several of the Wolfpack's top targets, with about half the class still remaining to be filled.
The emphasis will continue to be on defense moving forward. At least one more end, a tackle, one or two linebackers and as many defensive backs as possible are on the priority list. Offensively, most of the remaining targets are on the line since all of Doeren’s skill position goals have been met. That’s not to say he won’t take another running back or tight end if they become available.
Listed below is a breakdown of the Wolfpack’s verbals and prime targets on the SI All-American watch list:
Verbal Commits
Offense
QB Aaron McLaughlin/6-5, 215/Alpharetta, Ga. (Denmark HS)
WR Micah Crowell/6-2, 215/Kernersville, NC (East Forsyth HS)
WR Julian Gray/5-11, 175/Huntersville, NC (Hopewell HS)
WR Jakolbe Baldwin/5-11, 173/Rockingham, NC (Richmond HS)
TE Cedric Seabrough/6-4, 220/Swainsboro, Ga. (Swainsboro HS)
TE Fredrick Seabrough/6-4, 215/Swainsboro, Ga. (Swainsboro HS)
OT Jaleel Davis/6-6, 300/Rockingham, NC (Richmond HS)
Defense
DE Travali Price/6-4, 265/Lincolnton, NC (North Lincoln HS)
LB Caden Fordham/6-2, 220/Jacksonville, Fla. (The Bolles School)
CB Mario Love/5-10, 170/Cornelius, NC (Hough HS)
CB Nate Evans/6-1, 175/Virginia Beach, Va. (Cox HS)
Offensive Targets
OT Andrew Canelas/6-8, 300/Raleigh, NC (Leesville Road HS)
RB Eric McDaniels/6-0, 210/Hopewell, Va. (Hopewell HS)
OG Yousef Mugharbil - 6-5, 300 /Murphy, NC (Murphy HS)
TE Bryson Nesbit/6-6. 220/Charlotte, NC (South Mecklenburg HS)
WR Breon Pass/6-0, 160/Reidsville, NC (Reidsville HS)
WR Quincy Skinner Jr./6-1, 175/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Defensive Targets
CB Javon Bullard/5-11, 165/Milledgeville, Ga. (Baldwin HS)
ATH Jack Hollifield/6-3, 225/ Shelby, NC (Shelby HS)
OLB Jabril McNeill/6-4, 225/Raleigh, NC (Sanderson HS)
ILB Jordan Poole/6-0, 225/Oakboro, NC (West Stanly HS)
DE Zyun Reeves/6-7, 245/Kernersville, NC (East Forsyth HS)
DE James Smith/6-3, 220/Virginia Beach, Va. (Princess Anne HS)
More than 1,000 student-athletes, representing every state in the country, are SI All-American candidates. Video highlights, scouting analyses and a breakdown of each player’s college verbal commitment and/or top college contenders can be found on their bio pages, broken down by state, at SIAllAmerican.com.
Over the coming weeks, SI will unveil its preseason top 10 for each of 14 position groups (kicking off with quarterbacks this week). SI will unveil its initial top 99 ranking, the SI99, on August 24.The evaluation process will continue throughout the season “until the list of 1,000 contenders coalesces around just 25 young men who can say proudly they are the best of the best -- they are Sports Illustrated All-Americans,” said SI Director of Football Recruiting John Garcia, Jr.
The candidates will be narrowed to 250 in October and 99 in November and will culminate with 25 first-team Sports Illustrated All-Americans saluted at SI’s annual Sportsperson of the Year banquet in New York in December.
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