Highlighted by in-state prospects, NC State’s 2023 recruiting class continues to grow
N.C. State football’s 2023 recruiting class only had five players in early June.
Less than one month later, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren has more than doubled the size of his 2023 class with a surge of verbal commitments in late June and early July.
Benefiting from on-campus camps in June and the official visits that followed, N.C. State got two verbal commitments — wide receiver Tamarcus Cooley and safety Daemon Fagan — on July 4.
Fagan was in Raleigh for his official visit on June 3, while Cooley took his official visit on June 23. With a mass exodus of talent expected following the 2022 season, the 2023 recruiting class will be important for Doeren.
Top of the class
Fagan, a four-star prospect based on 247Sports.com’s rankings, is the highest-rated recruit in the Wolfpack’s 2023 class. As a junior at Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s American Heritage High, Fagan (6-2, 180) had 28 tackles and two interceptions.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety joins Havelock High tight end Javonte Vareen (6-4, 209) and Christ School athlete Zack Myers (6-1, 190) as the four-star prospects in the class.
N.C. State targets
N.C. State still has plenty of spots to fill in its Class of 2023. Two targets the Wolfpack would love to lock in before the early signing period are wide receivers Kevin Concepcion (Julius L. Chambers High) and Nathan Leacock (Millbrook Magnet High).
Ranked as the No. 18 and No. 19 players in the state, respectively, Concepcion (5-11, 173) and Leacock (6-3, 200) are considered must-haves after N.C. State missed out on wideout Noah Rogers, the No. 1 player in the state.
Last season Leacock caught 37 passes for 734 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 24 times for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Concepcion caught 36 passes for 458 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He also returned three punts for touchdowns.
N.C. State will lose wideouts Thayer Thomas and Devin Carter after the 2022 season. The opportunity to contribute right away will be there for Leacock and Concepcion. That could be enough to entice them to come to Raleigh.
In-state recruits
Doeren has put an emphasis on recruiting in-state players. His 2023 class has seven players from North Carolina so far. It’s still early in the process, but currently that tops UNC (5), Duke (4), ECU (3) and Wake Forest (0).
In his past six recruiting classes, Doeren has averaged 10 in-state players per class. Myers, Cooley, Heritage High quarterback Lex Thomas, Havelock High tight end Javonte Vereen, West Charlotte High offensive tackle Darion Rivers, Wilkes Central High offensive tackle Kamen Smith and Watauga High defensive lineman Isaiah Shirley are the seven in-state prospects in his 2023 class.
Do stars, rankings matter?
Again, this class only has three players with four-star rankings. Over time, Doeren has built his roster with mainly players with three-star rankings, who have developed into multi-year starters and NFL draft picks.
Of N.C. State’s past three first-round draft picks, none of them were highly-touted recruits. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu was a three-star prospect in 2019 out of Providence Day School. With the Pack, he developed into a three-year starter and was selected No. 6 overall by the Carolina Panthers in April’s NFL draft.
Bradley Chubb (No. 5 overall to the Denver Broncos in 2018) and Garrett Bradbury (No. 18 to Minnesota in 2019) were both three-star recruits in the class of 2014.
O-line quartet
N.C. State prides itself on developing future pros in the trenches (like Chubb, Ekwonu and Bradbury) and that’s been a focus for Doeren early with his 2023 class.
Four of the Pack’s commitments — Charlie Symonds, Obadiah Obasuyi, Darion Rivers and Kamen Smith — play offensive line. Each is 6-5 or taller and weighs an average of 271 pounds.
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 6:40 AM.
