New RPM picks: NC State surges for elite in-state recruit

NC State wants to end its 2025 recruiting class on a strong note as it focuses its efforts on a trio of four-star prospects. One of those prospects, safety Jordan Young , is trending strongly towards the Wolfpack.

TheWolfpacker.com submitted an RPM pick in the NC State’s favor after checking in with sources this week. Clemson and the Pack are considered the main contenders for the four-star prospect. NC State began to build serious momentum here over the past couple of months and now appears to be the clear leader for the nation’s No. 119 overall recruit. Young does not plan on announcing his decision until Oct. 12— his birthday.

Four-star wide receiver Shamarius Peterkin and four-star cornerback Jontae Gilbert are scheduled to make their commitments over the next week. TheWolfpacker.com recently filed an RPM pick for Peterkin and continues to feel good about that prediction. After continuing to gather intel on Gilbert, TheWolfpacker.com flipped its forecast to Georgia.

Four-star safety Jordan Young

Multiple sources remain very optimistic about where NC State stands with Young. This momentum started to build on his official visit. Coming out of that trip to Raleigh, for the first time, it looked like the Pack started to overtake Clemson in his recruitment.

His last visit with the Tigers was a May 31-June 2 official. NC State hosted him twice since then. Every time he visited Raleigh, the trip went really well and seemed to re-established the program as a contender every time he started to trend away from the Pack.

The pivot point in the elite two-way athlete’s recruitment was when he chose to visit Raleigh for the Alpha Wolf Showcase instead of Clemson.

“It was between them and Clemson, so I just felt like giving them another chance, hearing them out,” Young said before the visit. “Clemson did a great job. I just want to compare the two right now.”

NC State is not pitching Young on being “the  Pack’s Travis Hunter .” He would have the opportunity to play both sides of the ball in Raleigh but not in a role that would require him to never leave the field. Young would be a safety first while also taking the field as a receiver in a certain set of packages where he’d be the primary option. The rising senior really likes that plan. NC State is the only school presenting him with that opportunity— a significant draw for the Pack throughout this process.

Wolfpack wide receivers coach Joker Phillips has been his primary recruiter for years at this point. The NC State assistant is very well-regarded at Monroe (N.C.) High. Phillips did a great job prioritizing Young, and that effort definitely mattered here. NC State was Young’s first offer. That long time loyalty continues to work in the program’s favor.

For most of his recruitment, the safety seemed like a long shot for the Pack as Clemson surged ahead in his recruitment. Florida State and Alabama loomed as out-of-state competition, but this turned into a battle between NC State and the Tigers. The Pack has pulled ahead behind the scenes, leading to TheWolfpacker.com joining On3 vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong with an RPM pick for the program.

Four-star cornerback Jontae Gilbert

Gilbert is trending strongly towards Georgia with his Aug. 10 commitment date quickly approaching. His late-July trip to Athens completely swung the momentum in the defensive back’s recruitment. The nation’s No. 135 prospect is down to the Bulldogs and the Pack, but NC State is running in second place here. Once the SEC program started prioritizing the Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass High star, things shifted here. He was expected to join the Pack’s class at one point, but the late effort from the Bulldogs overcame NC State’s consistency.

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