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FOOTBALL
RECRUITING 2007-08

Coach: Tom O’Brien

2008 N.C. State Signees:

Recent Recruiting Rankings (By Rivals.com): No. 34, No. 7, No. 28, No. 27, No. 54 under Chuck Amato from 2002-06; No. 49 under O’Brien in 2007.

Consensus 2008 Prep All-Americans: VA QB Mike Glennon, NC LB Terrell Manning, NC OL R.J. Mattes.

Interesting Story: Elite in-state offensive tackle R.J. Mattes shocked many recruiting pundits when he chose the Wolfpack. NCSU widely was considered a distant third or fourth for Mattes before he made his stunning announcement in January, spurning his father’s alma mater, Virginia, and fellow ACC rivals Clemson and North Carolina. Mattes’ father Ron played at UVa under George Welsh (whose offensive line coach at the time was Tom O’Brien) in the 1980s, earning All-ACC honors and helping the Cavaliers post their first-ever bowl win, a 27-24 triumph over Purdue in the 1984 Peach Bowl. The elder Mattes went on to play seven seasons in the NFL, with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears.

Top 2008 Recruiters: Tight ends coach Jim Bridge had a huge year recruiting in the Carolinas, attracting Tar Heel State standouts Terrell Manning, R.J. Mattes, Andrew Wallace, Mario Carter and Earl Wolff to Raleigh. Manning and Mattes are both national Top 250 prospects. Bridge also led NCSU’s efforts to secure South Carolina linebacker Sterling Lucas, the defensive MVP of the Shrine Bowl.

States Represented (9): California (junior college), Florida, Georgia, New York (junior college), North Carolina, Ontario (Canadian province), Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia.

Academic Worries: some, including offensive tackle Sam Jones, who had to attend Hargrave Military Academy after failing to qualify in 2007.

Key Misses: NC OL Nick Becton (Virginia Tech), VA DE Quinton Coples (North Carolina), SC ATH J.T. Floyd (Michigan), VA DE Leon Mackey (Virginia Tech), SC DE Devin Taylor (South Carolina), KS JC OL Wade Weibert (Kansas State).

Quotable Quote: "About this time a year ago, we had already started working on this class. I think it’s significant that about half the class hails from the state of North Carolina, which is one thing we set out to prioritize. We wanted to recruit this state, recruit it hard. As the chancellor says, we are the people’s university. It’s important to us."
— N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien

NCSU Football Recruiting Articles (Links):

NCSU wins in-state recruiting battle — The Sporting News

N.C. State thrilled with recruiting class — WRAL.com

Brandon Barnes stays in-state — ESPN.com

"Meet the Shrine Bowlers: Brandon Barnes" — Spartanburg Herald-Journal

LeRoy Burgess feature — Winston-Salem Journal

N.C. State recruiting rundown — Raleigh News and Observer

Mario Carter commitment story — Charlotte Observer

Mike Glennon feature — Roanoke Times

Mike Glennon feature — Roanoke Times

Mike Glennon commitment story — Washington Post)

T.J. Graham feature — Raleigh News and Observer

Colby Jackson feature — Fayetteville Observer

Ahmad Jaradat feature — Winston-Salem Journal

Clement Johnson feature — PennLive.com

Clement Johnson/Thomas Locust feature — Winston-Salem Journal

NCSU January enrollee feature — Raleigh News and Observer

Sterling Lucas story — State Fans Nation

Sterling Lucas story — Spartanburg Herald-Journal

Sterling Lucas feature — The State

Dwayne Maddox — State Fans Nation

Roy Mangram scouting report — ESPN.com

Roy Mangram commitment feature — Fayetteville Observer

Terrell Manning story — State Fans Nation

Terrell Manning injury story — WRAL.com

N.C. State Recruiting Breakdown — NBC 17

R.J. Mattes Shrine Bowl feature — Spartanburg Herald-Journal

Shea McKeen "suspension from USC" story — Greenville News

R.J. Mattes/Shea McKeen commitment features — Winston-Salem Journal

Tobais Palmer game story — Chatham Journal

C.J. Wilson/Sterling Lucas commitment feature — WRAL.com

C.J. Wilson — Lincoln County Times-News