NC State vying for pair of Power Five flip targets

It’s been a less than ideal start in Raleigh for Dave Doeren and NC State this season. The Wolfpack are 3-2 following a home loss to Louisville last week.

On the recruiting trail, they currently own just the No. 37 class in the 2024 cycle — per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking — which is good for only the No. 8 class in the ACC. With the December signing period coming closer, Doeren and his staff are trying to make some moves late in the cycle.

The Wolfpack has its sights set on two flip targets, one of whom has already decommitted from another ACC program and is currently trending to wind up on the NC State pledge list.

Christian Zachary decommits from Virginia

On Monday, Saint Matthews (S.C.) Calhoun County three-star wide receiver Christian Zachary announced his decommitment from Virginia nearly four months after he pledged at the beginning of June.

His decision came after taking an official visit to NC State over the weekend. Putting the pieces together, the next step for the wideout is likely a commitment to the Wolfpack. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), NC State now has a 54.4% chance to land the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder.

The Wolfpacker’s Ethan McDowell logged an RPM pick for Zachary to flip to NC State back on Sept. 26 ahead of his visit to Raleigh. Zachary would be the fourth WR pledge in the class, alongside Burlington (N.C.) Hugh M Cummings four-star Jonathan Paylor, Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley four-star Terrell Anderson and Anderson (S.C.) Westside three-star Jimmar Boston.

“Going into this weekend, I really like where the Wolfpack stands. Everything behind the scenes indicates that NC State is a strong contender here,” McDowell wrote.

Michigan State RB commit Anthony Carrie expected to visit NC State

Amidst the uncertainty surrounding Michigan State‘s program following the firing of Mel Tucker, many of the Spartans’ top commits are becoming flip candidates. NC State has offered Tampa Carrollwood Day four-star running back Anthony Carrie, MSU’s second highest-ranked pledge as of Oct. 3.

Carrie told McDowell that he is planning to take some visits over the fall as he works to finalize his recruitment, with NC State being one of the programs he intends to stop by. Running backs coach Todd Goebbel is leading the charge for the Wolfpack.

“It’s about the hard facts right now,” Carrie said. “The first commitment, I kind of ran it off of feel, what everybody says, the family feel, but the truth of the matter is none of that crap really matters, to be honest with you. 

“Does it make sense? Do the coaches have a plan for you? If they don’t have a plan for you, then that means that they don’t plan on using you. If they’re not intentional about the things that they want you to do, that means they have no plan for you.”

Carrie is the No. 311 overall prospect and No. 24 RB in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 40 player in Florida.