The Red and White Recruiting Roundup: Offers, offers, and more offers

A lot of offers went out over the past week, with two notable names (due to strong football genes) among the recipients. Michael Irvin Jr. and Asante Samuel Jr. (we are officially old), 2016 and 2018 respectively, each received offers. Members of powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, they were two of many teammates to get official invites to become members of the Pack. As one Ohio State fan tweeted,

Literally 90% of the St. Thomas Aquinas HS football team received an offer from NC State tonight #Powerhouse pic.twitter.com/ksfibuD9tU

— BuckeyesNews (@BuckeyesNews) May 14, 2015

Other players from the Florida school to receive offers were Trevon Grimes (’17), Jake Allen (’17), Mike Harley Jr. (’17), and Benjamin Sapp (’18). We know the most about Allen, primarily because he is a quarterback. Most of these are obviously a longshot, but it is a good sign to see the staff attacking a school of this magnitude with aggression. 2016 wide receiver James Robinson of Lakeland, FL, 2016 WR Trey Fullwood from Tampa Sickles High, 2016 DT Aaron Thompson and LB Kenneth Ruff of Dillard in Florida, and 2017 OL Kai-Leon Herbert from American Heritage in, stop me if you’ve heard this before, Florida, also received offers in the past days. Several other Florida prospects have received offers in the past few weeks, but time will tell how serious the recruitments become.

As far as recruitments previously initiated, one prospect who seems to be liking the Wolfpack over most is tight end Dylan Autenreith of Dallas, GA. He has referred to the Pack as his "biggest offer" and a "huge one" in a few interviews. Meanwhile, three star linebacker Laronde Liverpool (all-name team) from Virginia has mentioned committing soon, with the Pack looking good over Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and a few others. Junior college offensive lineman Ashton Julious recently received an NC State offer, but Arizona State, Southern Miss, and West Virginia also recently tendered.

In terms of players that the Wolfpack was doing well with but have faced recent competition, tight end Garrett Walston of New Hanover High in Wilmington is at the top of that list. UNC and Georgia are serious competitors, with Walston growing up a Tar Heel fan and the Bulldogs providing the SEC option. He should still be deciding relatively soon, and the Pack will be there until the end. Defensive end Jimmie Taylor from Jacksonville, NC has been looking like an NC State/Tennessee battle, but Michigan recently complicated matters with an offer. He, too, has been looking at a decision sometime soon. Mark Gilbert has long listed the Wolfpack at the top, but UNC and Michigan could provide stern tests.

One commitment that has gained attention from other schools of late is defensive tackle Kobe Smith, who added offers from both Kentucky and Nebraska on the same day. Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are the likely biggest threats to the status of Smith’s commitment to the Pack. At The Opening Combine in Charlotte, offensive line commitment Harrison Gee reportedly had a decent showing, while safety commitment Tim Glass also participated but there were not many reports of his results.