North Carolina high school football players to watch before they play at UNC, NC State or Duke

High school football kicks off on Aug. 22 for teams in the N.C. High School Athletic Association and N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association.

Myers Park and Independence, along with Weddington and Providence Day, will open the 2024 season at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as part of the Keep Pounding High School Football Classic.

As a new season gets underway, let’s highlight the North Carolina, Duke and NC State recruits set to take the field under the Friday night lights for the 2024 season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: USA TODAY Network's top 50 high school football prospects in North Carolina

The Wolfpack currently has five in-state players in its 2025 class, followed by the Tar Heels (2) and Blue Devils (2). According to 247Sports, here’s a look at the nine players committed to play college football at UNC, NC State or Duke.

NC State football

Here are the in-state recruits in the 2025 class currently committed to the Wolfpack.

Jerel Bolder, Forest Hills

A four-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite, Bolder committed to the Wolfpack in late June. A two-way player at Forest Hills, Bolder caught 43 passes for 881 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Defensively, he recorded 16 tackles, four pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

Gus Ritchey, Cary

A three-star tight end now at Cary High, Ritchey originally committed to UNC in August 2023 before flipping to the Wolfpack a week later. Last season at Northwood, the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder had 39 catches for 845 yards and nine TDs.

Arrion Concepcion, Chambers

The brother of N.C. State star KC Concepcion, Arrion is paving his own path as a standout wide receiver at Chambers. A three-star prospect from Charlotte, Arrion had 51 catches for 640 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior.

Michael Gibbs, Hoggard

A three-star offensive lineman who committed to the Wolfpack in June, Gibbs was the starting left tackle for a Hoggard squad that advanced to the 2023 NCHSAA 4A state championship. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman also had offers from Appalachian State, Duke and Virginia Tech, among others.

Cristian Harthan, Cuthbertson

A 6-foot-5 punter from Waxhaw, Harthan committed to the Wolfpack in early July. He has 80 punts totaling 2,862 yards through three seasons, including seven punts that landed inside the 20-yard line.

UNC football

Here are the in-state recruits in the 2025 class currently committed to the Tar Heels.

Bryce Baker, East Forsyth

A four-star quarterback, Baker committed to the Tar Heels in June 2023. As a junior at East Forsyth, Baker completed 66.6% of his passes for 3,082 yards, 39 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also had three rushing TDs.

Trey Blue, Cary

A three-star offensive lineman, Blue committed to UNC in September 2023. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder primarily plays at left tackle for the Imps.

Duke football

Here are the in-state recruits in the 2025 class currently committed to the Blue Devils.

Dan Mahan, Williams

A three-star quarterback from Burlington, Mahan committed to Duke in April. As a junior, Mahan had 1,776 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also logged 323 rushing yards and seven rushing TDs.

Kavon Simmons, Wake Forest

A three-star prospect, Simmons committed to Duke in June. Listed as an athlete on his recruiting page, Simmons accounted for 34 touchdowns last season, including 19 passing TDs. The Blue Devils recruited Simmons as a wide receiver.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: North Carolina high school football players to watch before they play at UNC, NC State or Duke