Cary’s Gus Ritchey (0) celebrates his touchdown run against Athens Drive late in the first half with Adan Knight (1). The Cary Imps and the Athens Drive Jaguars met in a football game in Cary, N.C. on September 6, 2024. Athens Drive wins 28-13.
Steven Worthy
RALEIGH
N.C. State football still has some questions about roster management to answer for the 2025 season — notably about roster size — but the Wolfpack is in a better place now that several recruits put pen to paper Wednesday during National Signing Day.
“We went into this really wanting to get some guys that fit exactly who we are, that love not just playing football, but the process of becoming really good at the sport. They want to compete,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said. “Obviously, all young people want to play early, and you hope that you find guys with that kind of ability, but you also want guys that love the hard work behind the scenes and understand that it is a process; that there’s development that goes into it.”
Doeren feels like his staff recruited players who fit that mold; players with natural talent and work ethic that can elevate their game to the FBS level.
The Wolfpack added 17 players to its 2025 roster on Wednesday. The group appears to be a geographically balanced recruiting class, with four players coming from Florida and three from North Carolina. It also had two players from Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina. Eleven of the players will be mid-year additions.
Gus Ritchey is a highly-anticipated recruit who stayed local. Ritchey, from Cary, was originally committed to North Carolina but switched his commitment last summer to N.C. State.
“I always felt when I first got to know Gus that this was the right school for him,” Doeren said. “You could tell he’s a tough, blue collar guy. He loves contact, he’s physical. I mean, he’s been at every game we’ve played for two years. And getting around his family, it’s a great fit.”
Ritchey and quarterback Will Wilson, a mobile QB, were two of the earliest commits from the 2025 class.
CJ Bailey is the projected starter at quarterback in 2025, with Lex Thomas and now Wilson behind him in the rotation. Doeren said he feels good about the quarterback situation, especially compared to the past couple of years. The staff will still evaluate other potential guys, but they’re not desperately searching for a starter out of the portal.
“I love going into the off season knowing who my starter is,” Doeren said. “It’s a great feeling. Had it with Jacoby Brissett. Had it with Ryan Finley. Had it with Devin Leary. Your off season is different when you know going into that next phase, who that guy is that you’re looking at. CJ is ready to run the show.”
Doeren said he’s excited about the new additions and feels confident they fit into the program environment and expectations.
Wednesday was the first of two signing days, with the second coming in February, and N.C. State expects to add a handful of additional players at that time.
Here are some of the Pack’s new additions:
Forest Hills High School wide receiver Je’rel Bolder catches a punt during special team’s practice on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Bolder has committed to play at North Carolina State. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Top-rated recruit
Je’rel Bolder is a speedy two-way player and a consensus four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, On3, ESPN and Rivals. He ranks No. 24 at the wide receiver position and No. 6 in the state. Bolder picked N.C. State over a long list of Power Four programs, including Georgia, Michigan, Indiana, UNC, Duke and Ole Miss.
This season, Bolder has 1,318 yards on 78 catches for nine touchdowns as a receiver. He recorded a 7-yard reception last Friday to secure No. 13 Forest Hills’ 38-31 upset win over No. 5 Salisbury and advance to the North Carolina 2A state quarterfinals. He added 27 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups and fumble recovery at cornerback.
Bolder’s track and field experience has led the Yellow Jackets to utilize the incoming freshman as a punt and kickoff returner in his varsity career.
Doeren was impressed with Bolder on both sides of the ball and his character. He thinks the young player could be involved in different areas.
“Je’rel is a guy that we had high on our board from the beginning. It was a good fit. Really felt great about him,” Doeren said. “His high school coach just raved about him. Once we got his family here, you could tell that they were a good fit with us, as well.”
Isaac “Spike” Sowells, from Louisville, committed to N.C. State despite receiving interest from schools like Miami, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville. He is listed as the sixth-best player in Kentucky, according to 247Sports, while On3 lists him as the fifth-best and a four-star prospect. Sowells has played multiple positions on the front line, including center. The Louisville Courier-Journal named Sowells to its All-State team in 2023.
Doeren called Sowells one of the best centers the program has recruited in his tenure and already has playing time at the position. Sowells balances mobility and sheer physicality, which plays well with N.C. State’s scheme.
“A lot of the centers we’ve recruited over the years, we’ve had to train how to play that position,” Doeren said. “To get Spike, really excited for him. I wish he was here today, to get here and start working with him. I always believe you build a football team inside out and with your center.”
Rylan Vann was listed on N.C. State’s early depth charts behind Zeke Correll at center. Sowells, whose father played in the NFL, could compete for the middle spot next fall. The Wolfpack has found success at the center spot, with Dylan McMahon and Garrett Bradbury earning spots on NFL rosters in the last decade.
Most intriguing recruit
AJ Prim is a community college transfer who gained attention from schools across the country. Prim finished his sophomore year at Pearl River Community College with 49 tackles, more than doubling the total from his freshman year, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery touchdown and interception.
With Davin Vann exhausting his eligibility, the Wolfpack sought players who can provide similar production. Based on his JUCO career, Prim might be one of them.
Doeren said he thought it was important to find an older player to the defensive front and is glad Prim signed with the Pack after earning additional interest later in the recruiting cycle.
“There’s going to be a transition from junior college to Power Four for him, and I’m excited to get him in our weight program, excited to get him in our nutrition program,” Doeren said. “He’s got a frame; we’re going to be able to do some really good things with his body and get him even more confident. ... And, he loves football, and so it’ll be good to get him in that room. It’s a good room. I really like the returning defensive linemen that we have, their attitudes and all that.”
Top local recruit
Aside from Bolder, inside offensive lineman Michael Gibbs is the highest-ranked recruit from North Carolina, coming in at No. 18 in the state. Gibbs, listed at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, has helped Hoggard (12-1) earn a spot in the 4A quarterfinals against Cardinal Gibbons this week. His size could benefit the Wolfpack rotation as it loses some offensive linemen this offseason.
Gibbs took visits to Duke (June 14) and N.C. State (June 21) this summer and committed to the Pack nine days after his trip to Raleigh. The interior offensive lineman is ranked in the state’s Top 20 players.
His father Michael Gibbs Sr. played basketball at UNC-Wilmington from 1995-99.
