NC State’s got a stew goin’

Savion Jackson is the highest-rated football prospect to pick NC State in well over a decade, and this fact has earned a lot of attention, but Jackson is really just a nice signal boost for a staff that’s been recruiting well for a while now.

And this is probably going to be a breakthrough class for Dave Doeren and company—this is something they’ve always been capable of doing, but they’ve needed the results on the field to help make it a reality.

After winning six league games for the first time in a quarter century, there’s rarely been a better time to sell the program, and State also has the right people in place to do just that. Winning is one thing, but also establishing scouting bonafides and having the staff necessary to bring that home is crucial.

It’s taken a while, but Doeren’s staff has a well-established reputation at this point for both evaluating kids and also knowing what to do with them when they get on campus. This past NFL Draft just solidified it. You can see how that’s paying off. NC State is the best football school in North Carolina—actually, NC State is the only football school in North Carolina.

The results are finally beginning to come in line with that fact. State has a lot to sell to in-state kids to prevent them from leaving for the SEC or whatever. High school prospects are a lot more willing to listen now than they have been in the past.

Jackson’s addition pushed NC State’s 2019 recruiting class into the top 25 of the rankings. It is currently the fourth-best class in the ACC. You don’t need elite recruiting classes to win the ACC—you simply need to establish a level of quality that will consistently give you a chance. We’re gettin’ there.