BREAKING: JUCO DL AJ Prim commits to NC State
NC State picked up its first junior college commitment of the 2025 cycle Saturday when AJ Prim, a defensive lineman from Poplarville (Miss) Pearl River Community College, pledged to the program less than a week after wrapping up his official visit.
The three-star sophomore is the No. 18 JUCO recruit in the country and a second-team All-America selection with two seasons of eligibility remaining. Prim plans on enrolling with NC State in January.
He spent the past couple of years at Pearl River after graduating from Foley (Ala.) High and developed into a Power Four prospect. The lineman picked the Wolfpack over Houston, Boise State, Washington State and others.
Prim officially visited NC State the weekend of Nov. 9, watching his future school host Duke in front of a sold-out senior day crowd. He shut down his recruitment soon after. Standing 6-3, 267 pounds, the lineman projects as a defensive end in the Pack’s system.
When NC State offered him Oct. 31, Prim spoke highly of the program and quickly locked in his early-November trip to Raleigh.
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“It was great,” Prim said. “It really exceeded expectations…The game day was great. You can tell everybody really loves NC State football.”
He spent a weekend with Boise State before traveling to see the Wolfpack. Prim said he went into that trip wanting to learn more about the program’s culture. He heard enough to make his commitment privately earlier this week.
Prim finished his sophomore season with 49 total tackles over 8 games along with 2.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception. As a freshman, he recorded 21 total tackles (5 for loss) and 2.5 sacks. On3 considers Prim the No. 8 JUCO defensive lineman in the country and the No. 13 prospect in Mississippi.
Defensive line coach Charley Wiles was his primary recruiter. The Wolfpack now holds three defensive line commits in its 2025 class— Colby Cronk, Omarian Abraham, and Prim. Expect the Pack to aggressively pursue at least one more nose tackle in this class.
