Getting to Know the #Pack16 Targets - Part 2

Tight Ends

Commits

None

Targets

Bryce Dixon 3 Star / 6’4 226 / Green Hope, Cary, North Carolina

Dixon committed to Old Dominion back in May, but that no longer looks as if it will hold. NC State more than likely slid into the lead for Dixon when they extended an offer during camp last week. The Green Hope High standout played receiver in high school, but is now being recruited by the Pack at tight end. The biggest competition here will be the blue school up the road, but only if they decide to offer. Dixon camped in Chapel Hill and enjoyed his stay, but has not been offered a scholarship yet by North Carolina. Dixon caught 62 passes during his junior year for 870 yards and 10 touchdowns. His only other offers at the moment are ODU and Boston College.

Garrett Walston 3 Star / 6’4 223 / New Hanover, Wilmington, North Carolina

New Hanover’s Garrett Walston looks to be the Pack’s top target at tight end. He is working towards a decision sometime soon, and has a top 3 of NC State, UNC, and Georgia. His initial plan was to decide on May 22^nd between the same 3 schools, but opted to postpone the announcement the night before. Many were expecting Walston to commit to State, so his postponement may have been a minor setback, but the Pack is still in a good position here. Walston has been quiet about his recruitment since he moved his decision, so we’re in wait and see as far as an announcement date goes.  The Wilmington product looks to be more of a pass catching tight end next year. He had 847 yards receiving last year and a runs the 40 yard dash in the 4.7 second range.

Dylan Autenrieth 3 Star / 6’4 214 / North Paulding, Dallas, Georgia

NC State is one of two power 5 offers right now for 3 start tight end Dylan Autenrieth. He holds offers from Pittsburgh, as well as 10 non-power 5 schools, which include Southern Miss, Marshall, Georgia Southern, and more. Dylan was very excited about receiving an offer from State and has already taken a visit to campus. Some other power 5 schools have shown interest, which could shake up the recruitment if they were to offer. As it stands now though, NC State is the favorite and it would be hard to see him wanting to go somewhere else if the Pack continues to pursue. The North Paulding tight end had 468 yards and 5 touchdowns on 32 catches last year.

Update: Committed to NC State

Peyton Aucoin 3 Star / 6’5 255 / Brother Martin, New Orleans, Louisiana

While NC State is in great position with the other 3 tight ends on this list, some work needs to be done here if they want to have a shot at Aucoin. The massive tight end has expressed interest in visiting, which would need to happen for the Pack to have a chance, but no plans have been made yet. Aucoin really like Texas, and they may be the leader right now

Offensive Line

Commits

Justin Witt 3 Star / 6’6 275 / Lincoln-Way West, New Lenox, Illinois

Witt became the third offensive linemen to join #Pack16, committing over offers from Syracuse, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, California, and others. The 3 star prospect expressed his love of the NC State coaching staff after his visit, and knew that State was the school for him. The staff’s connections to the Midwest paid off again with this recruitment.

Joe Sculthorpe 3 Star / 6’2 280 / Topsail Senior, Hampstead, North Carolina

Sculthorpe, who is also a state champion wrestler, chose the Pack over ECU back in September. The future interior lineman described the choice as an easy one and is also very fond of the academics at NC State. He wants to continuing wrestling during his senior year of high school, which means he will not be enrolling early

Harrison Gee 3 Star / 6’3 275 / Walter M Williams, Burlington, North Carolina

Gee, who has always wanted to play for the Wolfpack, became the first commit of 2016. The underrated 3 star prospect also had a West Virginia offer and was garnering Clemson interest. He would’ve had earned more offers if he had stayed on the market longer, but this one was over as soon as the Pack got involved. Harrison is the son of former Wolfpack All-ACC lineman Mike Gee.

Targets

Ashton Julious Unrated / 6’6 341 / Lackawanna C.C. (Junior College), Florence, South Carolina

The Pack is trying to land a Junior College offensive lineman for the second straight year, after nabbing Daris Workman last year. Julious, who currently goes to school in Scranton, Pennsylvania, has caught the eye of some major powers, like Oklahoma and Baylor, and it’s easy to see why. He certainly has the size, as he is currently larger than every offensive lineman on the Wolfpack’s roster. NC State is the closest school to his hometown in South Carolina, but it is unclear how much that will affect his decision. State is right in the middle of this recruitment, but will need to beat some high level competition to finish the job.  He was on campus on June 4^th.

Patrick Kearns 2 Star / 6’5 273 / Darlington, Rome, Georgia

Kearns’ 2 star rating is criminal when you compare it to his offer list, which is 18 strong and contains the likes of Florida, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. The Pack recently earned a visit from Kearns, who was extremely impressed by the facilities and the campus. The unofficial visit should put them squarely in the middle of this one, despite the tough competition. The academic minded Kearns says he wants to end the recruiting process before his senior season starts

Bryce Folsom 2 Star / 6’5 270 / Chattahoochee, Alpharetta, Georgia

Folsom has an NC State offer to go along with his Syracuse offer and a bunch of non-power five schools. Majoring in engineering is extremely important to Folsom, and that obviously helps NC State. The Georgia product is another player that hopes to make his decision before the end of the summer.

Kurt Gavin 3 Star / 6’5 260 / Lincoln Way East, Frankfort, Illinois

Gavin is a rising senior for what I can only assume is the archrival of commit Justin Witt’s school. Gavin has earned scholarship offers from Syracuse, Cincinnati, and Illinois as well as some others. He recently visited the Illini, and is planning on visiting Raleigh in the near future as well. This could wind up being a NC State Illinois battle, if all goes well with the unofficial visit to State.

Part 1:QB/RB/WR

Next up: defensive line and linebackers