3-star LB Kelvon McBride flips to NC State from Vanderbilt

Mobile (Ala.) Cottage Hill Christian Academy three-star linebacker Kelvon McBride flipped his commitment to NC State from Vanderbilt on Friday. He was previously pledged to the Commodores since June 5.

McBride is the No. 994 overall prospect and No. 93 linebacker in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 38 player in Alabama.

#1Pack1Goal 🐺 pic.twitter.com/ZNCRFjIdhm

— Kelvon McBride (@kelvonm3) November 25, 2022

On3 rates McBride higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Even though he is not ranked in the 2023 On300, McBride is the No. 75 linebacker and No. 31 player in Alabama.

McBride took an official visit to NC State on Nov. 11. He spoke about the experience with Ethan McDowell of The Wolfpacker.

“Their environment, the energy everybody had,” McBride said. “Even the players, you could tell that they’re good people. I was around them a lot.”

“I think we’re building a good relationship,” he added about his connection with defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. “When we met, he was like I am one of the top priorities for him right now. He said I was one of the first players he actually flew out to visit.”

Following McBride’s flip, the Wolfpack have 14 commits in their 2023 recruiting class. NC State’s group is No. 36 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 6 in the ACC.

For more NC State recruiting intel, check out The Wolfpacker.

The Wolfpack have pledges from two four-stars and 14 three-stars. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage four-star safety Daemon Fagan is NC State’s highest-ranked commit as the No. 294 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus.

The other four-star pledged to head coach Dave Doeren and his staff is Havelock (N.C.) four-star tight end Javonte Vereen, the No. 300 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus. He chose NC State on April 9.

A 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect, McBride has an On3 NIL Valuation of $6K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.