NC State Wolfpack Commit McLaughlin Earns High Ranking from SI All-American
NC State already knew it was getting an elite quarterback when Aaron McLaughlin committed to play for the Wolfpack on May 14.
His status was confirmed Friday when he was ranked among a group of players vying for a spot among the 10 high school quarterbacks in nationally in the Class of 2021, as chosen by Sports Illustrated All-American.
Narrowing the list down to just 10 quarterbacks was a difficult one because of the strength of the position, nationally, this cycle, according to SI's Director of Football Recruiting John Garcia Jr.
A strong-armed 6-foot-5, 219-pound pro style passer from Denmark High School in Alpharetta, Ga., McLaughlin completed just over 60 percent of his attempts for 2,018 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a junior last season.
Here is SI All-American's evaluation of the future Wolfpack quarterback:
"Simply put, McLaughlin is a big, right-armed passer with high-end traits. He will need some seasoning in Raleigh, but he’s among the most talented passers in this class. Despite possessing a big frame, McLaughlin has solid mobility and trunk athleticism to pressure defenses with run traits. His arm strength is among the elite, and allows him to push the ball vertically up the seams with a good stroke. As he continues to sew his physical tools with proper position mechanics, McLaughlin should be a good pilot of an offense with an emphasis on downfield, vertical passing concepts and a blend of zone-read action in the running game."
The top 10 quarterbacks, according to SI All-American are Caleb Williams of Washington D.C., the No. 1-ranked player in the country according to SIAA and an Oklahoma commit, Georgia commit Brock Vandagriff, Michigan commit J.J. McCarthy, Oregon commit Ty Thompson, UNC commit Drake Maye, Washington commit Sam Huard, Notre Dame commit Tyler Buchner, Ohio State commit Kyle McCord, Southern Cal commit Kyle McCord and SMU commit Preston Stone.
Joining McLaughlin just outside the top 10 are Texas A&M commit Eli Stowers, Southern Cal commit Jacob Garcia, LSU commit Garrett Nussmeier and Kansas State commit Jake Rubley.
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