Who’s Got Next? Here are the top 25 high school football recruits in North Carolina
Greensboro Grimsley defensive lineman Travis Shaw is the No. 1 recruit in the state of North Carolina for the class of 2022.
Shaw is a 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior who is ranked as high as the nation’s No. 5 overall player, regardless of position, by several national scouting services.
Each year, the Charlotte Observer ranks the top 25 players in the N.C. senior class. Here are all 25, led by Shaw, who has narrowed his college choices to Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina and N.C. A&T.
Shaw announced his commitment to play for Mack Brown’s Tar Heels Saturday, Aug. 21, at a ceremony on his school’s football field. Shaw is the eighth member of the N.C. top 25 to commit to North Carolina or N.C. State.
Sixteen are either from the Charlotte or Triangle areas.
▪ East Surry tight end Benji Gosnell, who recently de-committed from Ohio State, has moved from Pilot Mountain to Virginia. He’s now at Carroll County. Now playing out of state, Gosnell is not included in this ranking. He would’ve been a top 10 in-state recruit.
| Rk. | Name (School) | Pos. | Ht/Wt | College |
| 1. | Travis Shaw (Greensboro Grismley) | DL | 6-5, 310 | UNC |
| 2. | Jalon Walker (Salisbury) | LB | 6-2, 220 | Georgia |
| 3. | Shaleak Knotts (Monroe) | WR | 6-1, 184 | Undecided |
| 4. | Michael Allen (Greenville Rose) | RB | 5-9, 203 | NC State |
| 5. | Malaki Hamrick (Shelby) | DL/LB | 6-4, 205 | North Carolina |
| 6. | Omarion Hampton (Cleveland) | RB | 6-0, 215 | North Carolina |
| 7. | Torren Wright (AL Brown) | LB | 6-3, 215 | NC State |
| 8. | Xavier Simmons (Northwest Guilford) | LB | 6-3, 235 | Virginia Tech |
| 9. | Dakota Twitty (Thomas Jefferson) | WR | 6-5, 215 | Virginia |
| 10. | Curtis Neal (Hough) | DL | 6-1, 290 | Wisconsin* |
| 11. | Beau Atkinson (Leesville Road) | DL/LB | 6-6, 240 | North Carolina |
| 12. | Santana Hopper (Shelby) | DL | 6-1, 280 | Undecided |
| 13. | Eli Hall (Crest) | DL | 6-3, 250 | Wake Forest |
| 14. | Mehki Wall (Dudley) | WR | 5-10, 165 | Undecided |
| 15. | Jackson Vick (Southern Nash) | DB | 5-11, 174 | N.C. State |
| 16. | James Pearce (Chambers) | DL/LB | 6-5, 220 | Undecided |
| 17. | Wesley Grimes (Millbrook) | WR | 6-2, 180 | Undecided |
| 18. | Isaiah Crowell (East Forsyth) | DB | 5-10, 180 | N.C. State |
| 19. | Cam Thornton (Myers Park) | WR | 6-0, 175 | Undecided |
| 20. | Chance Morrow (West Charlotte) | WR | 6-6, 185 | Louisville |
| 21. | Kaevon Freshwater (Northeastern) | DL | 6-3, 240 | Undecided |
| 22. | Cade Goldman (Hickory Ridge) | OT | 6-4, 260 | Charlotte |
| 23. | Donovan Spellman (Clayton) | DL/LB | 6-3, 210 | App. State |
| 24. | Osiris Ross (Eastern Randolph) | ATH | 5-10, 180 | Undecided |
| 25. | Jaden Watkins (Asheville School) | WR | 6-3, 175 | Duke |
*-won’t play this year (ACL)
This story was originally published August 14, 2021 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Who’s Got Next? Here are the top 25 high school football recruits in North Carolina."
