Alright, for the most diehard of Wake recruiting followers here is an update to my 2017 Big Board for the defensive side of the ball. I'll put all of this in the OP as well.
For players that were already included my August update I basically left the writeup intact, however I bolded a “January Update” for any info collected over the last 4+ months. It’s been tough to find info. I also tried to highlight new additions to the Board. As a reminder, this list focuses more on who appears to be most likely out of the players that have been offered by the staff – based on offer sheets, articles, interviews and who has visited Wake. 4-star players generally get included only if they mention Wake in interviews. I didn’t spend a lot of time researching 4 star recruits for this update, instead I’ll invest more time after we see who attends Elite Junior Day next month.
One thing that struck me in preparing this update is the attention being paid to Georgia, especially the suburbs northeast of Atlanta. This seems to continue to trend from last year. First ID targets in North Carolina and Virginia. Then cover Georgia. Eventually I think we will see more targets emerge in North Florida, MD/DC, Cincinnati and the NYC suburbs. At least that is how is went last year.
It will be interesting to see how we fare in Georgia with the 2017 class. There appeared to be a lot of time and effort put into the state last year. There was very good attendance at Elite Junior Day, but ultimately Wake was not able to convert any recruits with P5 offers into commits (note: Tyler Watson has picked up 2 P5 offers since his commitment).
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Sincere David (Sandalwood HS / Jacksonville, FL)
Rating: Unrated
Other P5 Offers: UNC
Offer Date: June 6 (following camp)
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: June 6
Notes: Attends the same high school that Kahlil Welsh did.
Twitter ID: @stay_bored
Links: 247 profile /
HUDL
January Update: David named Wake Forest his early leader. Received a Crystal Ball prediction for Wake Forest. N.C. State offered in November. He did not make any visits this fall. Told Scout he is currently 6’3/310. Wants to attend college outside of Florida.
Brad Johnson (Pendleton HS / Pendleton, SC)
Rating: 3-star (5.7) on Rivals. 4-star on Scout (#208 player in the country)
Other P5 Offers: none
Offer Date: June 23
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: Johnson has visited, but it’s not clear when.
Notes: Teammate of 2016-commit Malik Grate at Class 2A Pendleton HS (10 minutes from Clemson, SC). 6’3 and 210 pounds. Will need to continue to add weight to stay at DE. Just turned 16 this month. Highlights are very impressive. Was initially a 4-star on 247, but it looks like they have since backed off that rating. Already one Crystal Ball for Clemson even though they haven’t offered. Very athletic (he has triple jumped over 48 feet).
Twitter ID: @_johnson864
Links: 247 profile /
HUDL
January Update: Offered by Duke on 11/6 after Johnson visited there 10/31. Now rated by Rivals as the #15 weakside defensive end in the country. Scout now lists Johnson as an OLB. Told Scout he is up to 6’3/215.
Other DL Notes:
I removed 4-star DE
Jake Lawler (Charlotte, NC) and 3-star DE
Michael Allen (Buford, GA) because they are both likely out of reach. I was hopeful about Allen, who may have been a multiple times visitor to Wake, however he has very recently received offers from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
Wake is also courting some 4-star DEs like
Tyjuan Garbutt (Fredericksburg, VA / Rivals #190 overall recruit) and
Jordan Williams (Virginia Beach, VA / Rivals #11 strongside defensive end). Both visited Wake in the fall. Garbutt is reportedly favoring Michigan State, Penn State, Pitt and West Virginia. Clemson, Penn State and N.C. State appear to be the main competition for Williams.
LINEBACKERS
Ellis Brooks (Benedictine School / Richmond, VA)
Rating: 4-star, Rivals 250
Other P5 Offers: Duke, N.C. State, Maryland, UNC and Virginia Tech
Offer Date: April 15
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: n/a
Notes: He has had some good things to say about Wake Forest, including his primary recruiter Nick Tabacca. He has taken unofficial visits to Penn State, Duke, Virginia Tech and N.C. State this summer. He was planning on visit Wake, but I can’t tell if it happened. Seems wide open.
Twitter ID: @EllisBrooks35
Links: 247 profile
January Update: Added an offer from Vanderbilt.
Chase Monroe (Davidson Day HS / Davidson, NC)
Rating: 2-star
Other P5 Offers: None
Offer Date: June 8
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: July 23
Notes: Teammate of 2016-commit Cade Carney. He appears to be very high on Wake. Has also taken unofficial visits to UNC and Virginia Tech this summer.
Twitter ID: @ChaseMonroe58
Links: 247 profile
January Update: 129 tackles in his junior season. Made a game-clinching INT in Davidson Day’s state championship game. Visited Wake Forest, Clemson, Northwestern and Southern Miss in the fall. His father played football at Southern Miss. Remained a 2-star on Rivals, but is now the #35 overall recruit in North Carolina.
Drew Jordan (North Gwinett HS / Suwanee, GA)
Rating: 3-star (5.7), #26 OLB in the country, #41 recruit in Georgia
Other P5 Offers: Boston College, Duke and Nebraska
Offer Date: July 16
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: n/a
Notes: Camped at Duke this summer. Has not named any favorites yet.
Twitter ID: @End2EndZone
Links: 247 profile
January Update: Visited Duke, Georgia Tech and Clemson this fall. Received a 247 Crystal Ball for Duke.
Jamal Brooks (Bessemer City HS / Bessemer City, AL) **new addition**
Rating: Unrated
Other P5 Offers: Louisville
Notes: Recorded 168 tackles in his junior season. Has a 3.8 GPA. A member of student government. Sixth man on the basketball team. Plays 3B on the baseball team.
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2749432/jamal-brooks
Twitter ID: @jbroo26
ROVERS
Solon Page III (Kell HS / Marietta, GA)
Rating: 3-star (5.5)
Other P5 Offers: Tennessee
Offer Date: July 18
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: July 18
Notes: Wake is the only school to offer in 2015. The Tennessee offer is from a camp in 2014. Took unofficial visits this summer at Wake Forest, Auburn, Michigan and Vanderbilt.
Twitter ID: @solonpage
Links: 247 profile /
HUDL
January Update: Visited Auburn in October.
CORNERBACKS
Madison Cone (East Forsyth HS / Kernersville, NC)
Rating: 3-star, #24 recruit in NC
Other P5 Offers: Boston College, Duke, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin
Offer Date: 2014. One of the staff’s first offers for the 2017 class.
Last Confirmed Visit to Wake: July 18 (for underclassman camp)
Notes: Teammate of 2017-commit Christian Beal. Virginia Tech and Duke were reportedly leading Wake, but that was before the Wisconsin offer. Plays basketball for Team CP3.
Twitter ID: @_the_future21
Links: 247 profile
January Update: Now up to 21 career interceptions. Added an offer from Virginia. Received a Crystal Ball prediction for Duke. Lots of unofficial visits: NCSU, UNC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest (for the Wake-Duke game) and Duke (he was at the Duke-Miami game). In his last interview he mentioned only Wisconsin, Virginia and Duke, but the interviewer asked him specifically about those schools. He declined to name a favorite. He’s in a lot of contact with Tennessee, Georgia, Clemson, UNC and NCSU and is waiting to see if those schools offer. Named All-Area by the Winston-Salem Journal. Plans to study business, so that puts Wake in a great position. Cone measured 5’8.5 at the Nike Combine in May 2015. He’s already got a great offer list for a CB that height (and we are still a year away from signing day). That validates that the kid must be a player.
Dameon Williams (Norcross HS / Norcross, GA) **new addition**
Rating: 3-star (5.5)
Other P5 Offers: Duke, UNC and Iowa
Notes: Offered by Wake Forest on December 3. Duke was his first offer (November 2). Visited Duke on October 31.
Twitter ID: @Dameon_08
SAFETIES
Ryan Huff (Cedar Shoals HS / Athens, GA) **new addition**
Rating: Unrated
Other P5 Offers: None
Notes: Rivals reported that Huff was offered by Wake Forest on 8/24. Visited Clemson and Georgia in September, and Vanderbilt in November. Looks to have a strong connection to App State. He has visited there multiple times and named them his early leader.
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2705616/ryan-huff
Twitter ID: @RyanHuff44
Eugene Brown (Stephenson HS / Stone Mountain, GA) ** new addition **
Rating: 3-star (5.5)
Other P5 Offers: Kentucky, N.C. State and Illinois
Notes: Offered by Wake on October 17. Physical safety. Nicknamed “Rambo”. Attends the same HS as safety Cameron Glenn.
Hudl Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4749618/eugene-brown
Twitter ID: @GloBoy_J