NC State catcher Jacob Cozart entered the 2024 season as one of the nation’s top catching prospects in this month’s MLB Draft. And, well, he backed it up during his junior season, which he helped guide the Wolfpack to the Men’s College World Series.
MLB.com lists Cozart as the No. 42 prospect in the draft, which is good for the No. 4 catcher in the pool of players waiting to hear their names called later this month.
“North Carolina State has sent Andrew Knizner and Patrick Bailey to the big leagues in recent years, and Cozart is the next catcher in the Wolfpack pipeline,” MLB.com’s scouting report wrote. “There are differences of opinion as to whether his offense or defense stands out more, but the consensus is that he’s one of the top catchers in the college class. That alone should put him in the top three rounds, and he could go higher if he shows more consistency on both sides of the ball.”
Cozart earned an overall grade of 50 out of 60, which included a 55 fielding mark, 50 for power and his arm, 45 for his hit tool and 30 for his running ability.
The 6-foot-3, 222-pound catcher had a career-best .305 average, which led to a .437 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage. Cozart added a career-high 19 homers with 52 walks, the second-most in a single season in program history. He also had seven doubles and one triple at the plate as well.
In addition to MLB.com’s rave review of Cozart, Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 3 catcher in the draft.
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NC State’s running back room is loaded with talent from graduate Jordan Waters down to freshman Duke Scott. Wolfpack running backs coach Todd Goebbel is excited for what the position brings to the table this fall.
“When you have an older veteran who does it the right way, the younger guys get to see it visually, how it’s done,” Goebbel said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a competitive world. Their job is to go replace him. The competition in the room, all the way down, I’m excited about.”
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