N.C. State Football Recruiting: Wolfpack offer Darin Smalls
North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren has been extremely busy on the recruiting trail recently, and he extended yet another offer to a recruit in the 2014 class. Yesterday’s recipient? Summerville cornerback Darin Smalls.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Not yet ranked by recruiting services, Smalls has received some major offers in his recruitment from South Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and now N.C. State. He is one of the most underrated players in the 2014 class among ACC circles, and he has even received interest from the Oregon Ducks, Notre Dame, and Tennessee.
The Gamecocks are the favorites to land the 5’11”, 182 pound in-state prize at CB, as Darin Smalls named South Carolina the favorites in his recruitment. If Everette Sands can get his signature, then the Gamecocks will have their second recruit in the 2014 class and lock up the CB (of the 14 they have offered) that they are in the best chance of landing.
But just because South Carolina is the leader for Smalls doesn’t mean they have him locked up just yet, because Smalls also has significant interest in another in-state school in the rival Clemson Tigers. Smalls, however, did visit South Carolina in mid-December and is viewed as someone who will peg the Gamecocks.
N.C. State is the most recent ACC team to hop on and offer Darin Smalls, but it doesn’t look like the Wolfpack will be able to net Smalls’s services over South Carolina and Clemson. Although Notre Dame hasn’t offered, he is considering the Fighting Irish as well, but South Carolina is the leader for good reason. Smalls enjoyed a terrific junior day in Columbia, so that’s something to watch for closely.
Smalls is the Pack’s eighth offer at the cornerback position and is their top target after the offer. Doeren and N.C. State will do all they can to pry Smalls north of the border, so we’ll see how much success the Pack have in doing that since it’s still very early. Three-star Swansboro CB DeAndre Thompkins is the offered 2014 CB highest on State, even though the top 15 in-state recruit is also high on UNC and is viewed as a Penn State lean.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.