NC State 1998 Football Recruits
Saab Siddiqui
RALEIGH, N.C. -- NC State head football coach Mike O'Cain and his
staff announced the signing of 18 student-athletes to national letters
of intent. This is O'Cain's fifth Wolfpack recruiting class. "I
believe we've signed an outstanding class that is going to be a great
benefit to NC State," O'Cain said. "Every year our recruiting has
improved and we hope this will prove to be our best class. But that
won't be known until several years down the road. They are a good
group of student-athletes and I'm very pleased and excited to
introduce these quality young men to our team, campus and community."
LINEMEN
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Derek Green 6-4 245 Charlotte, N.C. / West Charlotte / H.S. Coach: Tom
Knotts Ranked the state's No. 31 prospect by SuperPrep * Member of The
Charlotte Observer's all-offensive team for parts of North Carolina
and South Carolina * Three-year starter on the offensive line for West
Charlotte, which is one of the state's top 4-A programs * The younger
brother of former Duke quarterback David Green * His other brother,
Darren, plays basketball at George Washington * Interested in studying
engineering * Chose the Pack over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest * Rated
one of the top linemen in the Atlantic Coast Conference region by The
G&W Recruiting Report. PrepStar Honorable Mention. AP post season All-
State.
Joe Lardino 6-5 300 Parlin, N.J. / Sayreville War Memorial / H.S.
Coach: George Najjar Two-way starter for Sayreville War Memorial *
Earned first-team all-state honors as a junior after helping
Sayreville to the state group III title with a 9-1 record * Was rated
the No. 10 prospect in New Jersey in the postseason by the Newark
Star-Ledger *Also was rated one of the top three offensive line
prospects in New Jersey in the preseason by The G&W Scouting Report *
Missed six games as a senior due to a broken foot suffered in practice
* Came back and played in the last four games to help lead his team to
a state championship * Benches more than 300 pounds and has been timed
at 5.2 in the 40 * NC State was his first official visit, but he was
also talking to coaches from Michigan State, Rutgers, South Carolina,
Temple, Ohio State, Purdue and Minnesota, among others. PrepStar says
"this youngster exudes toughness and he should get even tougher this
season as he concentrates on his football skills and setting more
weight room records. While he is tenacious on defense, the feeling is
that he will end up as an OL because of will to overpower and dominate
his opponent from his OL spot. He had over 40 pancake blocks last
season."
Mel Quitman 6-3 320 Asheville, N.C. / A.C. Reynolds / H.S. Coach:
Bobby Poss Member of the 1997 North Carolina Shrine Bowl team * Ranked
the state's No. 27 prospect by SuperPrep Magazine * Ranked the state's
No. 27 prospect by the Fayetteville Observer-Times * Has a 305-pound
bench press and can squat 425 pounds * Started at offensive tackle
both years he was on the varsity. PrepStar says "Mel has the kind of
size you cant teach, and moves with the quickness of a smaller player.
He hasnt scratched his potential strength-wise. Should have no problem
qualifying. Mel's stock has risen dramatically in his short two-year
football career. His high school coach raves about his quick feet
saying he could eventually play defense. Coach Poss should know, he's
coached some big time talent over the years. PrepStar Honorable
Mention.
Shane Riggs 6-4 250 Huntersville, N.C. / North Mecklenburg / H.S.
Coach: Chris Rust Has good size and speed * Served as a co-captain his
junior year and captain his senior year * Ranked the state's No. 17
prospect by SuperPrep magazine * Three time all-conference MEGA 7
selection * Listed as one of the top 25 players in North Carolina by
The Charlotte Observer * Had six sacks and was in on 82 tackles in
1997, despite often facing double-teaming blockers * Had 31 career
sacks at North Meck, including 15 his junior year * North Carolina's
No. 16 prospect according to the Fayetteville Observer-Times * Two
time Charlotte Observer All-Mecklenburg Team selection * Member of the
1997 North Carolina Shrine Bowl Team * Runs the 40 in 4.65 seconds *
Picked NC State over East Carolina, North Carolina, Clemson and South
Carolina * Benches 325 pounds * High school teammate of redshirt
freshman offensive lineman Matt Broel * A three-year starter after
transferring from Charlotte (N.C.) Harding, where he started as a
freshman. PrepStar Honorable Mention.
C.J. Taybron 6-3 290 Bailey, N.C. / Southern Nash / H.S. Coach: Ray
Davis Was ranked No. 37 in the state by SuperPrep magazine * Ranked
the state*s No. 41 prospect by the Fayetteville Observer-Times *
Clocked at 5.0 in the 40-yard dash * Received scholarship offers from
South Carolina and Virginia and was being recruited by East Carolina
and Clemson * Earned All-Big Eight 3-A conference honors after his
sophomore and junior seasons * Benches 290 and has run the 40 in 5.0
seconds* Named his team's Most Valuable Defensive Lineman as a
sophomore and a junior * Made 52 tackles this season, including four
sacks, and recovered two fumbles. Moves well for his size and has good
lateral speed.
BACKS
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Carlos Doggett 5-11 200 Greensboro, N.C. / Greensboro Page / H.S.
Coach: Bill King Ranked the No. 23 senior in North Carolina in the
preseason by SuperPrep Magazine * Rated one of the state's top 25
prospects by The Charlotte Observer and was voted first-team all-state
as a senior * He was rated the state's No. 26 prospect by the
Fayetteville Observer-Times * Named to the Associated Press' all-state
team * Selected as an honorable mention All-American by USA Today *
Rushed for 2,470 yards on 293 carries with 30 touchdowns as a senior *
Was the Greensboro News & Record Player of the Year * Had a
school-record 6,404 rushing yards and 72 touchdowns during his
sterling career at Page * Average 8.4 yards a carry and rumbled for a
single-game school-record 389 yards in a victory over Grimsley in 1997
* Has been timed at 4.4 in the 40 and has a 270-pound bench press *
Joining high school teammate Willie Wright at NC State * Earned
all-state honors and a trip to the 1997 Shrine Bowl *Doggett picked
the Pack over Virginia Tech and Florida. PrepStar All-American.
Roderick Johnson 5-10 175 LaMarque, Texas / LaMarque / H.S. Coach:
Alan Weddell Ranked among Texas' top 100 prospects by the Dallas
Morning News *Ranked the No. 51 prospect by SuperPrep Magazine *
Quarterbacked his team to three consecutive state 3-A titles * Has
been clocked at 4.5 in the 40 * Also visited Texas Tech and Arizona *
Threw for 1,300 yards as a senior and 1,072 yards as a junior.
Corey Lyons 6-1 190 Garner, N.C. / Garner / H.S. Coach: Hal Stewart
Member of the 1997 North Carolina Shrine Bowl Team * An excellent
student* Posted a 4.6 second speed in the 40-yard dash * His brother
Shawn plays at North Carolina * A three-year starter for coach Hal
Stewart * Had 72 solo tackles, 27 assists, 15 tackles-for-loss and two
fumble recoveries as a senior * Bench presses 300 pounds * Scored more
than 1000 on the SAT * Picked the Wolfpack over Wake Forest, Richmond,
William & Mary and Liberty. PrepStar Honorable Mention.
Koren Robinson 6-2 190 Belmont, N.C. / South Point / H.S. Coach: Phil
Tate Named the Gaston Gazette's Offensive Player of the Year * Ranked
the state*s No. 41 prospect by the Fayetteville Observer-Times *
Rushed for 1,550 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior * His biggest
performance was a 305-yard, three-TD effort against Lincolnton * As a
junior, he ran for 893 yards and a dozen TDs and was an All-Southwest
3-A Conference selection at defensive back * Was clocked at 4.413 and
4.433 in the 40 in the spring * Bench presses 235 pounds * Chose the
Pack over Clemson and Wake Forest. PrepStar Honorable Mention.
Raymond Robinson 5-11 180 Hilton Head, S.C. / Hilton Head / H.S.
Coach: Dan Utley Four-year varsity letterwinner and a three-year
starter * Ranked on South Carolina's top 25 prospect list by The
Charlotte Observer * Named to the S.C. Sports Report 3-A All-State
team* Ranked the No. 12 senior in South Carolina by SuperPrep Magazine
* Ranked the No. 13 prospect in South Carolina by the Charleston Post
and Courier * Named the WTOC Channel 11 Offensive Player of the Year
for an 11-county area that includes Hilton Head and Savannah, Ga. *
Selected as a honorable metion All-American by USA Today * First team
all-region selection for the last three seasons * Rushed for 1,645
yards and 24 touchdowns in his senior campaign * Amassed 1,670 yards
and 17 touchdowns as a junior * Recorded 56 touchdowns in his career
at Hilton Head * Runs the 40 in 4.45 seconds * Also saw action in the
defensive secondary in his prep career * All-state selection his
senior year * Two-time team Most Valuable Player * Participated on the
track team at Hilton Head H.S. and ran a 10.6-second 100-meter dash at
the 1996 South Carolina state 3-A track meet * Played basketball his
sophomore season * Clemson and South Carolina were other finalists on
his list.
K.J Stone 6-0 190 Graham, N.C. / Graham H.S / H.S. Coach: Pat Moser
Three-year starter * One of the fastest prep running backs in North
Carolina * Finished the 1997 season with a school record 1,927 yards
rushing on 226 carries and scored 22 rushing touchdowns, helping
Graham to a 6-5 record and a berth in the state 1-A playoffs *
Averaged 174.7 yards a game and 8.5 yards per carry* Also returned
punts and kicks and saw limited duty at free safety *Set a school
record with 4,067 career rushing yards and became the fourth player to
have his jersey (No. 12) retired * Averaged 8.2 yards per carry for
his career * Set a school record when he rushed for 303 yards, and
scored six touchdowns, against North Moore in 1997 (he came out in the
third quarter) * Named 1997 Central Tar Heel 1-A Player of the Year
and was a three-time first-team all-conference selection * Was a first
alternate for the 1997 North Carolina Shrine Bowl team * Clocked at
4.27 in the 40, has a 36-inch vertical leap, can bench press nearly
285 pounds and squat 575 pounds * Was also being sought after by Notre
Dame, Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia, Wake Forest and Duke * Starred in
basketball and track for Graham * Made the state finals in the
100-meter dash as a junior.
Brian Williams 6-1 192 High Point, N.C. / Southwest Guilford / H.S.
Coach: Richard Kemp An excellent football player who is fast and quick
* Has great vision and instincts * Rushed for 1,955 yards on 250
carries (7.82 yards per carry) and scored 23 touchdowns as a senior*
Averaged 195.5 yards a game and twice ran for more than 300 yards in a
contest * Ranked the state*s No. 18 prospect by SuperPrep * Also had
three interceptions in limited time at defensive back * Selected as
the Piedmont Triad 3-A 1997 Offensive Player of the Year * A Raleigh
News & Observer's Carolinas Top 25 prospect * Member of the 1997
Shrine Bowl team * Was rated the No. 17 prospect in the state of North
Carolina in the postseason by the Fayetteville Observer-Times * Rushed
for 4,010 yards on 533 carries and had 40 touchdowns in his final two
seasons for the Cowboys * Clocked with a 4.38 in the 40 * High school
coach, Dick Kemp, was a former Wolfpack assistant coach * Visited Wake
Forest and canceled visits to Clemson and Tennessee * Was also an
outstanding basketball player, averaging 20 points as a junior.
Adrian Wilson 6-2 180 High Point, N.C./ T.W. Andrew / H.S. Coach: Dave
Mizell Ranked the No. 28 player in North Carolina by SuperPrep
Magazine * Rated one of the state's top 25 prospects by The Charlotte
Observer * Rated the state*s No. 28 prospect by the Fayetteville
Observer-Times * Caught two TD passes and made 13 tackles and broke up
three passes against Winston-Salem Reynolds * Bench presses 270 pounds
* Has been timed at 4.48 in the 40 * Also starts in basketball * Was
also recruited by East Carolina, Clemson, Virginia, Wake Forest,
Georgia Tech and Duke.
LINEBACKERS
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George Anderson 6-2 225 LaPorte, Texas / LaPorte / H.S. Coach: Forrest
Weigand Played at the 5-A level in Texas, the highest classification
in the state* Three-year starter at LaPorte * Excellent student * Had
a team-high 106 tackles, including 66 solos and two sacks, three PBUs
and one interception during his senior season * Ranked the No. 32
prospect in talent-rich Texas in the postseason by First Down
Recruiting magazine, a recruiting service that covers the state of
Texas * He was rated one of the top linebackers in the Southwest in
the preseason by The National Recruiting Advisor, which accorded him
all-region honors *Among one of Texas' top 100 prospects by the Dallas
Morning News *Ranked the No. 60 prospect in Texas by SuperPrep
Magazine * Was also wooed by Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Iowa, UCLA and
Texas. PrepStar All-American. Dave Campbell Super 2nd Team All-State
best in position in Texas. Anderson doubles as a track star with
personal bests of 14.58 in the HH and 40 flat in the 300m hurdles.
Levar Fisher 6-2 217 Beaufort, N.C. / East Carteret / H.S. Coach: Tom
Frazier Ranked the state's No. 16 prospect by SuperPrep magazine * One
of the top 25 players in the state of North Carolina by The Charlotte
Observer* Ranked the state's No. 15 prospect by the Fayetteville
Observer-Times* A three-year varsity starter * Finished his senior
season with 1,043 yards and 147 tackles, including 34 behind the line
of scrimmage * Also made seven sacks and three interceptions * Ran for
201 yards on 18 carries (an average of over 11 yards) and two
touchdowns against Pamlico * Against Wallace-Rose Hill, he made an
astounding 23 tackles * Bench pressed 435 pounds over the summer and
is consistently over 400 * Runs a 4.6 40 * As a junior, Fisher rushed
for over 1,200 yards and scored 10 touchdowns to help East Carteret
finish 7-4 * Also made over 90 tackles and intercepted four passes *
Considered North Carolina, South Carolina (offered) and East Carolina.
PrepStar Honorable Mention.
Brian Jamison 6-2 215 Swedesboro, N.J./ Kingsway / H.S. Coach: Tony
Barchuk Has a nose for the ball and a feel for the game * Preseason
All-American selection by SuperPrep magazine, which rated him the No.
26 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 4 player in New
Jersey * Was voted the first-team Tri-County Conference for the last
three seasons * Made the Philadelphia Inquirer's All-Delaware Valley
team, which includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware * Ranked
the No. 11 prospect in the state of New Jersey by SuperPrep * Also was
the No. 26 ranked linebacker in the nation in the preseason * Played
for former Wolfpack tailback Tony Barchuk (1965-67) at Kingsway High
School * Three-year starter * Had a team-high 106 tackles, with 19
sacks and two interceptions, including taking one interception all the
way back as a high school senior * Also made 15 catches, including two
touchdowns * Was an all-state selection, All-South Jersey selection
and was named to the All-Group II team * Runs the 40 in 4.6 seconds *
Was Kingsway*s long snapper for punts and extra points and kicked off
* Helped Kingsway finish 8-2 and reach the first round of the Group II
state playoffs * Participated on the wrestling team his first three
years at Kingsway, but ran track his senior year to work on his
quickness * He chose the Wolfpack over Iowa, Boston College,
Northwestern and Pittsburgh. He is an all-around athlete who
participates in wrestling and track. He was Gloucester county Javelin
champion, and was 2nd team All-Conference in wrestling.
Edrick Smith 6-2 225 Northport, Ala. / Tuscaloosa County Ranked the
No. 113 player in the Dixie region by SuperPrep Magazine *Rated one of
the top linebackers in the Southeast region by The National Recruiting
Advisor * Led his team to the state 6-A championship *Had 184 tackles
and four fumbles caused as a senior * Had some of his best
performances in the playoffs, recording 28 stops against Oxford in the
quarterfinals and had 18 against Mountain Brook in the second round *
Runs 40 yards in 4.7 seconds and bench presses 340 pounds * An
excellent student * Picked NC State over Southern Miss, Duke and
Mississippi State.
TIGHT ENDS
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Kevin McKenzie 6-4 270 Whiteville, N.C. / Whiteville / Arizona Western
J.C. Has spent the last two seasons at Arizona Western College in
Yuma, Ariz., but is originally from Whiteville, N.C. * Played
defensive end in his first season, making five sacks and about 40
tackles and then moved to tight end as a sophomore because of lack of
players at the position *Clocked at 4.7 in the 40 * Turned down offers
to Arizona and Utah State * Also participated on the basketball team
at Arizona Western.
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