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Wake Forest Football Recruiting
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CaptRenault
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A couple mentions of WF in this article from the N&O:
Sunday afternoon, Providence Day wide receiver Jordan Shipp, a top 10 college football recruit in North Carolina, committed to Mack Brown’s Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Among the Class of 2024, that’s becoming a rarity — a top N.C. high school football recruit staying home. Only six players in 247 Sports’ ranking of the top 25 recruits in North Carolina are staying in North Carolina: Fuquay-Varina’s Malcom Ziglar (UNC), Shipp (UNC), Cape Fear’s Jeremiah Melvin (Wake Forest), Reagan’s Landan Callahan (Duke), Northwest Guilford’s Trenton Cloud (East Carolina) and Providence Day’s Brody Barnhardt (N.C. State). Michigan has three commitments among the state’s top 25 recruits — more than any in-state school. Notre Dame also has three. In the Class of 2023, 11 of the top 25 players went to in-state schools. In 2022, 17 of the top 25 stayed in state. Times are changing fast. Providence Day’s head coach Chad Grier speaks to the team during a game against Weddington at Providence Day in Charlotte “If anybody in the state can figure out how to keep all of our kids in state, we can have a top five national powerhouse every year,” Providence Day coach Chad Grier said. “In North Carolina, you have so many great schools with great fan bases and traditions, it’s hard for one (school) to dominate, and it’s hard to say now why kids are leaving the state. But I think part of it is our kids are now on more of a national level.”
SOME OF THE AREA’S BEST ARE HEADING OUT Grier’s quarterback, Jadyn Davis, is the reigning N.C. Mr. Football and is ranked No. 1 in North Carolina, regardless of position. He’s heading to Michigan. No. 2 Amaris Williams of Clinton has committed to Florida. No. 3 Alex Taylor of Greensboro Grimsley is likely heading to Clemson, and No. 4 Cayden Jones of Christ School has committed to Alabama. “Listen,” Grier said, “Atlanta’s been Atlanta for awhile, and Charlotte is now being viewed as being as fertile a recruiting ground as Atlanta, but with a little less competition. It used to be the MAC schools would come here and now Power 5s are all over Charlotte, and it’s statewide, too. They’re coming from everywhere.” Grier said another big factor is the NFL’s Carolina Panthers moving to Charlotte in the mid 1990s. Charlotte-area high school football quickly rose to prominence and other areas in the state began to emphasize the sport to catch up. “Back in the day,” Grier said, “Fayetteville seemed like it was where the best football was played in North Carolina. As Charlotte has grown, you have more families moving here. NFL players and their friends are coming here, too, settling down, having kids. Some of them are coaching and you now have players coming up with higher IQs, and these pros are in town training and developing them. Charlotte has become the most dominant place for high school football, but Greensboro’s got great kids. Raleigh, the last couple of years, too. The football level’s just been raised in North Carolina.” POWER 5S TAKING NOTICE West Charlotte coach Sam Greiner said the big name Power 5 schools are taking notice of just how high that level has risen. West Charlotte’s head coach Sam Greiner speaks to the team after a game against Garinger at Waddell High School in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. West Charlotte beat Garinger 48-8. Alex Slitz alslitz@charlotteobserver.com “Everybody is now recognizing North Carolina as one of the best recruiting places in the nation,” Greiner said. “Some of the top-tier schools — Oklahoma, Michigan and even Southern California — have dipped their toe into the N.C. water this past year. They know if they get a kid from this area, they are going to perform at the next level. The ‘miss’ ratio (with a recruit not panning out) is a lot better. You know you’re not missing when you get a kid from the Charlotte-area. That’s the key.” Greiner points to recent recruits like Clemson All-ACC star Will Shipley and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, a potential Heisman candidate this fall, having breakout seasons and careers. Both are from the immediate Charlotte-area. Greiner said that type of success attracts the attention of coaches from traditional powers like Michigan, Georgia and Alabama. And Greiner said that helped change the perception of N.C. recruiting really, really fast. “Think about Will Shipley going to Clemson (three years ago),” Greiner said. “Everybody was saying, ‘I don’t know if Shipley can play there.’ He became the first ACC player to make all-conference in three categories. Look at (Maye), who went to Chapel Hill two years ago. I was on record saying he was the best I’d ever seen in high school, and now he could win the Heisman. “
NC COLLEGE STRUGGLES AND NIL Greiner points to a few other factors that he thinks may be influencing some top-tier talent to leave— school performance and NIL (name, image and likeness deals.) “You’ve got Michigan, Oklahoma, (Southern Cal), and at those schools those kids are getting a minimum (NIL deal) of $50,000,” Greiner said. “The top dogs from North Carolina, they’re still going to get their NIL money, but kids are looking at that. Now that shouldn’t be the prime reason they go somewhere else. “North Carolina schools will develop a guy. Look at all the 2- and 3-star guys from N.C. State the last few years. By year three, they’re (NFL) draft pick quality. You go to (Southern Cal), and if you’re a guy that has to wait three years, they want you to transfer. So some kids are not looking at the big picture.” Greiner said kids are also looking really hard at how local schools are performing on the field. Get unlimited digital access Try 1 month for $1 CLAIM OFFER North Carolina hasn’t had a double-digit winning season since 2015. The Tar Heels have also had three losing seasons since then, often struggling on defense. N.C. State has had three straight winning seasons but hasn’t played in the ACC championship game since it began in 2005. Wake Forest, which beat Georgia Tech in 2006, is the only N.C. team to win the ACC Championship game. And no N.C. team has reached the College Football Playoff. “North Carolina schools haven’t performed well lately,” Greiner said, “and it’s hurt them.”
‘BETTER OPPORTUNITIES OUT OF STATE’ Greiner’s star player at West Charlotte this season is 17-year-old linebacker Jaden Smith. Smith committed to Michigan earlier this summer and 247 Sports ranks him as the state’s 13th best overall prospect. West Charlotte High linebacker Jaden Smith Smith said playing for a big-time winning program — with a big-time tradition — is something that attracted him and other players like him to look outside North Carolina for college. Michigan was the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff this past season, and lost to No. 3 TCU in the semifinals. “I think there are better opportunities out of state than in-state,” Smith said. “I think some people are tired of being in-state and want to go somewhere far. Some kids who do go in-state, they probably think they’ll have a better chance to start freshman year than out of state.” Smith said when he visited programs like Southern California, the feeling he got was much different than in-state schools with less history and tradition. “When I went to N.C. State, I was happy to go there,” he said, “and I go there, and it’s like the coaches didn’t (spend time) with me like I thought they would. I barely got to talk to my position coach, and I never met the head coach. I was there to be there. I went to Southern Cal and the energy was just different.” Smith said he ultimately chose Michigan for the chance to play for a Big 10 championship and a shot at the CFP. “That’s a very big deal for me,” he said. “I know I may have to wait and might not start automatically, but it’s amazing to be part of a good team that’s been winning championships. “It’s better than being in-state.”
247 SPORTS NC TOP 25 Rank Name School Pos. College 1. Jadyn Davis Providence Day QB Michigan 2. Amaris Williams Clinton DL Florida 3. Alex Taylor Grimsley WR Undecided 4. Cayden Jones Christ School LB Alabama 5. Malcolm Ziglar Fuquay-Varina S UNC 6. Jonathan Paylor Cummings ATH Undecided 7. Micah Gilbert Charlotte Christian WR Notre Dame 8. Channing Goodwin Providence Day WR Michigan 9. Jordan Shipp Providence Day WR UNC 10. James Nesta Hough LB Oklahoma 11. Ethan Calloway Lake Norman OT LSU 12. Jack Larsen Charlotte Catholic TE Notre Dame 13. Jaden Smith West Charlotte LB Michigan 14. Bryce Young Charlotte Christian DL Notre Dame 15. Kai Greer Marvin Ridge OL Stanford 16. Eagan Boyer Hough OT Penn State 17. Terrell Anderson Grimsley WR Undecided 18. D’Nas White JM Robinson DL Undecided 19. Jeremiah Melvin Cape Fear WR Wake Forest 20. Evan Taylor Cuthbertson ATH Nebraska 21. Landan Callahan Reagan ATH Duke 22. Trenton Cloud Northwest Guilford WR East Carolina 23. Nnamdi Ogboko South Garner DL Georgia 24. Ben Black Mallard Creek ATH Rutgers 25. Brody Barnhardt Providence Day S NC State
Sunday afternoon, Providence Day wide receiver Jordan Shipp, a top 10 college football recruit in North Carolina, committed to Mack Brown’s Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Among the Class of 2024, that’s becoming a rarity — a top N.C. high school football recruit staying home. Only six players in 247 Sports’ ranking of the top 25 recruits in North Carolina are staying in North Carolina: Fuquay-Varina’s Malcom Ziglar (UNC), Shipp (UNC), Cape Fear’s Jeremiah Melvin (Wake Forest), Reagan’s Landan Callahan (Duke), Northwest Guilford’s Trenton Cloud (East Carolina) and Providence Day’s Brody Barnhardt (N.C. State). Michigan has three commitments among the state’s top 25 recruits — more than any in-state school. Notre Dame also has three. In the Class of 2023, 11 of the top 25 players went to in-state schools. In 2022, 17 of the top 25 stayed in state. Times are changing fast. Providence Day’s head coach Chad Grier speaks to the team during a game against Weddington at Providence Day in Charlotte “If anybody in the state can figure out how to keep all of our kids in state, we can have a top five national powerhouse every year,” Providence Day coach Chad Grier said. “In North Carolina, you have so many great schools with great fan bases and traditions, it’s hard for one (school) to dominate, and it’s hard to say now why kids are leaving the state. But I think part of it is our kids are now on more of a national level.”
SOME OF THE AREA’S BEST ARE HEADING OUT Grier’s quarterback, Jadyn Davis, is the reigning N.C. Mr. Football and is ranked No. 1 in North Carolina, regardless of position. He’s heading to Michigan. No. 2 Amaris Williams of Clinton has committed to Florida. No. 3 Alex Taylor of Greensboro Grimsley is likely heading to Clemson, and No. 4 Cayden Jones of Christ School has committed to Alabama. “Listen,” Grier said, “Atlanta’s been Atlanta for awhile, and Charlotte is now being viewed as being as fertile a recruiting ground as Atlanta, but with a little less competition. It used to be the MAC schools would come here and now Power 5s are all over Charlotte, and it’s statewide, too. They’re coming from everywhere.” Grier said another big factor is the NFL’s Carolina Panthers moving to Charlotte in the mid 1990s. Charlotte-area high school football quickly rose to prominence and other areas in the state began to emphasize the sport to catch up. “Back in the day,” Grier said, “Fayetteville seemed like it was where the best football was played in North Carolina. As Charlotte has grown, you have more families moving here. NFL players and their friends are coming here, too, settling down, having kids. Some of them are coaching and you now have players coming up with higher IQs, and these pros are in town training and developing them. Charlotte has become the most dominant place for high school football, but Greensboro’s got great kids. Raleigh, the last couple of years, too. The football level’s just been raised in North Carolina.” POWER 5S TAKING NOTICE West Charlotte coach Sam Greiner said the big name Power 5 schools are taking notice of just how high that level has risen. West Charlotte’s head coach Sam Greiner speaks to the team after a game against Garinger at Waddell High School in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. West Charlotte beat Garinger 48-8. Alex Slitz alslitz@charlotteobserver.com “Everybody is now recognizing North Carolina as one of the best recruiting places in the nation,” Greiner said. “Some of the top-tier schools — Oklahoma, Michigan and even Southern California — have dipped their toe into the N.C. water this past year. They know if they get a kid from this area, they are going to perform at the next level. The ‘miss’ ratio (with a recruit not panning out) is a lot better. You know you’re not missing when you get a kid from the Charlotte-area. That’s the key.” Greiner points to recent recruits like Clemson All-ACC star Will Shipley and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, a potential Heisman candidate this fall, having breakout seasons and careers. Both are from the immediate Charlotte-area. Greiner said that type of success attracts the attention of coaches from traditional powers like Michigan, Georgia and Alabama. And Greiner said that helped change the perception of N.C. recruiting really, really fast. “Think about Will Shipley going to Clemson (three years ago),” Greiner said. “Everybody was saying, ‘I don’t know if Shipley can play there.’ He became the first ACC player to make all-conference in three categories. Look at (Maye), who went to Chapel Hill two years ago. I was on record saying he was the best I’d ever seen in high school, and now he could win the Heisman. “
NC COLLEGE STRUGGLES AND NIL Greiner points to a few other factors that he thinks may be influencing some top-tier talent to leave— school performance and NIL (name, image and likeness deals.) “You’ve got Michigan, Oklahoma, (Southern Cal), and at those schools those kids are getting a minimum (NIL deal) of $50,000,” Greiner said. “The top dogs from North Carolina, they’re still going to get their NIL money, but kids are looking at that. Now that shouldn’t be the prime reason they go somewhere else. “North Carolina schools will develop a guy. Look at all the 2- and 3-star guys from N.C. State the last few years. By year three, they’re (NFL) draft pick quality. You go to (Southern Cal), and if you’re a guy that has to wait three years, they want you to transfer. So some kids are not looking at the big picture.” Greiner said kids are also looking really hard at how local schools are performing on the field. Get unlimited digital access Try 1 month for $1 CLAIM OFFER North Carolina hasn’t had a double-digit winning season since 2015. The Tar Heels have also had three losing seasons since then, often struggling on defense. N.C. State has had three straight winning seasons but hasn’t played in the ACC championship game since it began in 2005. Wake Forest, which beat Georgia Tech in 2006, is the only N.C. team to win the ACC Championship game. And no N.C. team has reached the College Football Playoff. “North Carolina schools haven’t performed well lately,” Greiner said, “and it’s hurt them.”
‘BETTER OPPORTUNITIES OUT OF STATE’ Greiner’s star player at West Charlotte this season is 17-year-old linebacker Jaden Smith. Smith committed to Michigan earlier this summer and 247 Sports ranks him as the state’s 13th best overall prospect. West Charlotte High linebacker Jaden Smith Smith said playing for a big-time winning program — with a big-time tradition — is something that attracted him and other players like him to look outside North Carolina for college. Michigan was the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff this past season, and lost to No. 3 TCU in the semifinals. “I think there are better opportunities out of state than in-state,” Smith said. “I think some people are tired of being in-state and want to go somewhere far. Some kids who do go in-state, they probably think they’ll have a better chance to start freshman year than out of state.” Smith said when he visited programs like Southern California, the feeling he got was much different than in-state schools with less history and tradition. “When I went to N.C. State, I was happy to go there,” he said, “and I go there, and it’s like the coaches didn’t (spend time) with me like I thought they would. I barely got to talk to my position coach, and I never met the head coach. I was there to be there. I went to Southern Cal and the energy was just different.” Smith said he ultimately chose Michigan for the chance to play for a Big 10 championship and a shot at the CFP. “That’s a very big deal for me,” he said. “I know I may have to wait and might not start automatically, but it’s amazing to be part of a good team that’s been winning championships. “It’s better than being in-state.”
247 SPORTS NC TOP 25 Rank Name School Pos. College 1. Jadyn Davis Providence Day QB Michigan 2. Amaris Williams Clinton DL Florida 3. Alex Taylor Grimsley WR Undecided 4. Cayden Jones Christ School LB Alabama 5. Malcolm Ziglar Fuquay-Varina S UNC 6. Jonathan Paylor Cummings ATH Undecided 7. Micah Gilbert Charlotte Christian WR Notre Dame 8. Channing Goodwin Providence Day WR Michigan 9. Jordan Shipp Providence Day WR UNC 10. James Nesta Hough LB Oklahoma 11. Ethan Calloway Lake Norman OT LSU 12. Jack Larsen Charlotte Catholic TE Notre Dame 13. Jaden Smith West Charlotte LB Michigan 14. Bryce Young Charlotte Christian DL Notre Dame 15. Kai Greer Marvin Ridge OL Stanford 16. Eagan Boyer Hough OT Penn State 17. Terrell Anderson Grimsley WR Undecided 18. D’Nas White JM Robinson DL Undecided 19. Jeremiah Melvin Cape Fear WR Wake Forest 20. Evan Taylor Cuthbertson ATH Nebraska 21. Landan Callahan Reagan ATH Duke 22. Trenton Cloud Northwest Guilford WR East Carolina 23. Nnamdi Ogboko South Garner DL Georgia 24. Ben Black Mallard Creek ATH Rutgers 25. Brody Barnhardt Providence Day S NC State
TimmyClutch
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To circle back, Wake does not have any official offers out to any else at Parkview. That's not to say they are not showing interest. I remember talking to a young man from my high school a couple years ago, who had committed to Cuse. He said that Wake called him the first night he was allowed to talk to coaches, and continued to reach out, but never actually offered him.
Complacent Deac
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"North Carolina schools haven't performed well lately, and it's hurt them." Hmmmm...
WF: we went 8-5 in 2019/Covid/2021 we go 11-3 and then 8-5 last year. That's performing well. Perhaps not very well depending on your criteria, but well.
The Big 4: in 2022, it was UNC 9-5; Duke 9-4; Wake 8-5; NCS 8-5. That's good. Perhaps not very good, but good.
So, instead, THIS is why top talent is leaving NC imo: “You’ve got Michigan, Oklahoma, (Southern Cal), and at those schools those kids are getting a minimum (NIL deal) of $50,000.”
WF: we went 8-5 in 2019/Covid/2021 we go 11-3 and then 8-5 last year. That's performing well. Perhaps not very well depending on your criteria, but well.
The Big 4: in 2022, it was UNC 9-5; Duke 9-4; Wake 8-5; NCS 8-5. That's good. Perhaps not very good, but good.
So, instead, THIS is why top talent is leaving NC imo: “You’ve got Michigan, Oklahoma, (Southern Cal), and at those schools those kids are getting a minimum (NIL deal) of $50,000.”
Yep.
They need to take the deal, then. Michigan is a good school. Southern Cal is not academic chopped liver.
BarcaDeac
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Biff never posted about Georgia til Kirby put on the visor
AuburnPanic40
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Sign up for RTQ if you want to keep kids in-state. Every bit helps, it can be the great equalizer for schools like Wake.
AuburnPanic40
Well-known member
“Staff came by (Parkview) last spring to check out Carson Wilson, Josh Haynes, and Terrance Curtis.”
Anybody know if Quincy Bryant be in the mix at CB this year?
Anybody know if Quincy Bryant be in the mix at CB this year?
Very much in the mix at LB.
AuburnPanic40
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Thanks Cam, will have to go look at updated roster he must’ve put on some weight.
TimmyClutch
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A 170 lb LS committed. Get this kid an NIL deal with Chick Fil an and see if we can get him to 220 befor he steps on campus.
WakeFanAdam
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Bojangles would work faster.
Fayettenam
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Didn’t see it posted but a kid to keep an eye on (for a few years… I guess).
Deaconblue
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He's 6-4, 185 Pro style QB class of 2026. So yeah, a few years to watch him. If the height is correct, he would be the tallest QB at Wake in several years.
Deacfreak07
Ain't played nobody, PAWL!
Any relation to Chamique?
Fayettenam
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He transferred in to Christ from Wren and actually has reclassed to 2027...
Deaconblue
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So this guy will be a ninth grader academically this fall? Most guys who reclassify go the other way, that is from 2026 to 2025. The reclassification gives him more years to accumulate HS statistics.
If they're good, he won't be at Wake in 2026 or 2027. He will go where four and five star QBs get paid to go.
dc9deac
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Not early in HS. Reclassing to fall back a year when you change schools is the norm at that point -- more time to develop and get exposure at the new program.
Then if you have good options, you reverse it and graduate "early" -- here, in 2026.
Tobacco Road
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By the time he graduates, that will be Wake Forest.
