Tag: NC State Wolfpack

What’s the likelihood of UNC finishing undefeated? Let’s see what ESPN has to say

A 5-0 start has UNC in the conversation for an ACC title. ESPN predicts the likelihood of Carolina winning its remaining matchups.

UNC is just a basketball school, right?

If you’ve been watching college football this year, you’ll realize the Tar Heels are making the case to also be considered as a football school.

Carolina’s 5-0 start, its best since 1997, is fueled by a resurgent Drake Maye, a suddenly-deep and talented wide receiver room, Omarion Hampton’s breakout Sophomore campaign, plus the defense.

The defense? Yes, you read that right. Nine sacks against South Carolina Week 1, 13 second half points between Weeks 1, 3, 4 and 5, much-improved pressure against opposing quarterbacks and a slew of transfers, highlighted by Alijah Huzzie and Amari Gainer.

UNC downed the Gamecocks, App State (close call), Minnesota, Pitt and Syracuse en route to being one of the ACC’s three undefeated teams (Florida State, Louisville). The Tar Heels are in the thick of contending for the conference crown, with their next task Miami on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

UNC will host UVA for its third straight home game next weekend, then hit the road for a date with its kryptonite, Georgia Tech, on Saturday, Oct. 28. Carolina will host Campbell (Nov. 4) and archrival Duke (Nov. 11) to close out its home slate, then travel to Clemson (Nov. 18) and rival N.C. State (Nov. 25) to end its regular season.

It’s always fun predicting the final scores of each matchup. We’re not going to do that today, but let’s take a look instead at UNC’s likelihood of winning each game, according to ESPN:

Know your foe: Which NC State players could give Notre Dame problems

Which members of the Pack do the Irish need to stop?

The first real test of the 2023 season for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] comes this Saturday, when they travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the [autotag]NC State Wolfpack[/autotag].

Both teams are undefeated, with the Irish having an extra win due to playing in week zero. The difference for Notre Dame is that they aren’t playing teams that have significantly less talented rosters. (It makes it a bit easier for me to identify who to watch as well)

This isn’t going to be like the first two weeks for the Irish, the Wolfpack have a very good team and here are five players who could give Notre Dame problems on the road this Saturday.

Week 2 Preview: Miami vs Texas A&M is among the best ACC Games to watch

College Sports Wire looks at four ACC games to watch in week two

After an eventful first week of the 2023 college football season for the Atlantic Coast Conference, week two is just around the corner.

Entering week two, 10 of the ACC’s 14 teams will be 1-0, including the Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, and North Carolina Tar Heels. Starting the season 0-1, however, includes the Clemson Tigers, who fell to Duke 24-7 in one of the more surprising results of the opening weekend. Boston College, Virginia, and Georgia Tech will also enter week two at 0-1 on the season.

All four of those teams will have the opportunity to get into the win column this weekend while the others look to improve to 2-0, creating multiple intriguing matchups this weekend. Here are the top four games to pay attention to this weekend in the ACC.

The best conference fit for each of the ACC’s ‘Magnificent 7’

We take a look at the ideal fit for each of the ‘Magnificent 7’ out of the Atlantic Coast Conference if they opt to leave.

The landscape of college athletics is changing in terms of teas moving conferences. With money being the big motive, we have already seen USC and UCLA announce a move to the Big Ten as well as Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC soon.

And now it appears as if the Atlantic Coast Conference is next up for changes.

Earlier in the week it was reported that seven ACC programs had explored the option of leaving the conference. The ‘Magnificent 7’ featured UNC, NC State, Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

While things aren’t official, there’s momentum for changes in the conference with teams pursuing other options. The Big Ten and SEC come to mind right away for a lot of these programs. However, which conference is the ideal fit for the seven?

We took a look at each program and the ideal fit they would have with a conference.

Sooners circle back to Tampa Catholic to offer four-star athlete Jameer Grimsley

Oklahoma returned to Tampa Catholic to offer four-star athlete in Jameer Grimsley.

An underrated aspect of recruiting is building relationships with high schools and leveraging those relationships to help you on the recruiting trail in future recruiting battles.

Oklahoma is in the thick of that process. The Sooners recently revisited Tampa Catholic, a Florida school that produced 2023 class signee Lewis Carter, a four-star linebacker.

Carter will join the Sooners in the coming weeks along with the few remaining members of the 2023 class that didn’t early enroll in January.

While at Tampa Catholic, Carter was the most talented player on the team. His departure leaves a void for another talented athlete to fill, and four-star athlete Jameer Grimsely plans to do just that.

Grimsley transferred from Bloomingdale High School after a 2022 season in which he took snaps at wide receiver and cornerback. He caught 25 passes for 356 yards and 3 TDs in 10 games. Defensively, he totaled 10 tackles, one pass broken up and an interception, according to MaxPreps.

The talented athlete stands 6 feet, 3 inches and around 185 pounds. As a junior, he posted 10.96, 11.15 and 11.37 times in the 100-meter dash.

Grimsley has seen his recruitment jump, and he has offers from Michigan, North Carolina, Alabama and Penn State among others. Official visits to the aforementioned schools have been scheduled for June.

Considering Grimsley mentioned Jay Valai, Brent Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof in the post announcing his offer, it’s safe to infer the Sooners want him on the defensive side of the ball.

Jameer Grimsley’s Recruiting Profile

HUDL

NC State guard Jarkel Joiner: ‘I try to stand out in different ways’

Rookie Wire caught up with Joiner to discuss the pre-draft process, his collegiate career, playing with Terquavion Smith and more.

Jarkel Joiner has had quite a journey to this point of his basketball career, and the 24-year-old believes that has helped prepare him for the next chapter in his life.

Joiner, who is from Oxford, Mississippi, began his collegiate career by playing two seasons at Cal State Bakersfield. After earning second-team all-conference honors as a sophomore, Joiner returned home and spent three years at Ole Miss.

The opportunity to return to Oxford proved rather meaningful to Joiner. He was able to play in front of his friends and family and put himself on the basketball radar in the process. After graduating, Joiner transferred to NC State for his final year of eligibility.

It resulted in his best season to date.

Joiner was named to the All-ACC second team after averaging 17 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals on 35.4% shooting from 3-point range. He finished fourth in the conference in scoring and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.25).

The 6-foot-1 guard produced some of his best performances against the top teams in the conference, including a 21-point, nine-assist effort on Jan. 4 in a win over No. 16 Duke. He also tied a season high of 29 points on Feb. 19 as the Wolfpack defeated North Carolina.

Now, Joiner is looking to carry that momentum into the pre-draft process.

He competed in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last month and was one of the top scorers, averaging 13.7 points, four assists and three rebounds on 38.9% shooting from 3-point range in three games. He was also tied for the third-highest vertical jump at 32.5 inches.

Joiner is training daily in preparation for the draft with other prospects. He has already worked out with the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets and has others scheduled in the coming weeks.

Rookie Wire caught up with Joiner to discuss the pre-draft process, competing at Portsmouth, his collegiate career, playing with Terquavion Smith and more.

Note: This interview was edited for clarity

Penn State in top 3 for Class of 2024 four-star QB

Penn State one of three finalists for four-star QB in 2024

With [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] set to take over as quarterback for the 2023 season, Penn State fans are hoping he can lead them to the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

As the highest rated quarterback recruit since [autotag]Christian Hackenberg[/autotag], the expectations are high.

While no one may have their eye on the incoming quarterbacks, the recruiting machine never stops. It’s also more important than ever to have good quarterbacks in the program to step in and produce at a high level.

[autotag]Jayden Bradford[/autotag], a four-star quarterback in the Class of 2024 has narrowed his list to three schools according to Ryan Wright of Rivals.

Those schools are Penn State, South Carolina and NC State.

Bradford is originally from South Carolina, but is enrolled at IMG Academy in Florida.

The 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback is listed by On3 as a top 300 player and the 16th best QB in the country.

Max Preps listed Bradford’s stats last season as throwing for 1,071 yards, 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions in nine games played.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine has projected a close race between South Carolina and Penn State to land the four-star. South Carolina is currently in the lead with a 48.9% chance to land Bradford, while Penn State sits at 36.5%.

This could prove to be an important signing for the Nittany Lions if they manage to get a commitment from Bradford. Their top quarterback target in the 2024 class is five-star [autotag]Jadyn Davis[/autotag], who is expected  to sign with rival Michigan.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=12]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvh3zemh8kdhzx8dmf playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvh3zemh8kdhzx8dmf/01gvh3zemh8kdhzx8dmf-ddaf19e6cf40f14116596d7ee462bada.jpg]

Sooners offer 2024 DL Amaris Williams out of North Carolina

Oklahoma offers 2024 EDGE Amaris Williams out of North Carolina.

Clemson’s proximity to the state of North Carolina made it a highly attractive destination for the Tigers’ coaching staff to frequent on the recruiting trail. Brent Venables and Todd Bates used this to their advantage while they were at Clemson together. They have recruited multiple four and five-star players from North Carolina.

Now in Norman, that plan of action has not changed. Todd Bates recently offered 2024 DL Amaris Williams out of Clinton, NC. Williams is being recruited by the big in-state schools like UNC and NC State.  However, the Sooners have now tossed their hat into the ring for the 2024 EDGE defender.

Williams is blossoming from a local in-state name into a national prospect, gaining offers from teams on the west coast, like USC. Could he follow the same trajectory as 2023 edge signee Adepoju Adebawore, who was starting to gain some traction this time last year?

Oklahoma’s going to have to make up ground if they want to figure into this race as UNC and NC State have both made noticeable impressions early on.

Oklahoma has no commitments in 2024 as it stands right now. Like in 2023, it could be a bit before the Sooners have their first name on the commitment sheet. The EDGE position group is wide open at the moment. With that information, Oklahoma’s board at that position is far from set in stone and is still taking shape.

Amaris Williams’ Recruiting Profile

Film

Hudl

Transfer portal helping Penn State plug roster for 2023

Penn State gets commitment form NC State transfer receiver Devin Carter.

After losing [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] a year early to the NFL draft a year ago, Penn State tapped into the transfer portal to add [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] from Western Kentucky to provide some much-needed stability and experience. Now, just as Penn State celebrated in blue and white confetti and rose petals after a Rose Bowl victory in Pasadena, the Nittany Lions have already taken advantage of the transfer portal to help boost the depth at receiver heading into 2023.

[autotag]Devin Carter[/autotag], a transfer wide receiver from NC State, announced on Twitter shortly after Penn State’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah that he had committed to Penn State. Carter will have one final year of eligibility after starting for the Wolfpack for four out of the last five years. If Penn State was looking for an experienced starter at receiver, they certainly found one in Carter.

Carter was NC State’s second-leading receiver in 2022 with 25 receptions for 406 yards with two touchdowns. Carter won’t be coming to Penn State with the same kind of offensive numbers Tinsley did when he arrived, but he should slide well into the offensive mix for an offense that will return [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and a dynamic young running back tandem with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] to go with quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag].

Don’t expect that this is the final look Penn State will take in the transfer portal for help at receiver. There is still room for another receiving target out of the portal as Penn State looks to plug the few holes it appears to have on the roster heading into the 2023 season.

Just this week, Bowling Green wide receiver Tyrone Broden announced he has received an offer from Penn State as well. Could he be the next receiver to come to Penn State out of the transfer portal? For now, we simply wait for more updates.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

[listicle id=28395]

[lawrence-related id=28415,28389,28374,28349,28266]

Former Ohio State defender transfers to NC State

Former Ohio State defender transfers to NC State #GoBucks

With the hype of the early signing period winding down, we move back to the portal hype train (the gift that keeps giving — and taking away). There are few things in sports more intriguing than the transfer portal and another former Ohio State Buckeye has made a decision on his next destination.

Noah Potter was a former four-star recruit from Mentor, Ohio, in the class of 2019. The defensive end spent three seasons in Columbus but saw action in just two games. In Potter’s defense, his third season at Ohio State was lost due to a detached retina.

Potter entered the transfer portal for the first time and landed on Cincinnati as the ideal landing spot for the 2022 season. Potter finished last season with 17 tackles, three for loss and 1.5 sacks for the Bearcats. After this past regular season was completed, Potter returned to the portal and will transfer to North Carolina State.

Potter’s portal experience was odd. He placed his name in the portal and visited North Carolina State but elected to play in the Bearcats’ bowl game. We wish this gamer good luck in the ACC.

[listicle id=102802]

[mm-video type=video id=01gmrc9e3benrdb5cwpr playlist_id=01eqbz0qtnjg5x7tc8 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gmrc9e3benrdb5cwpr/01gmrc9e3benrdb5cwpr-4f33fc46ee22f449212cc865b09d2f0d.jpg]