Javonte Vereen, On3 Consensus four-star, commits to NC State

On3 Consensus four-star tight end Javonte Vereen from Havelock (N.C.) High originally anticipated being patient with the recruiting process.

But his plans changed.

“After talking with my family, I decided to do it early,” Vereen said. “It’s a lot of stress on your mental health. I wanted to get it over with and have the opportunity to enjoy my senior year.”

That proved to be to NC State’s benefit. Vereen announced his verbal commitment to the Wolfpack on Friday, April 1.

Vereen acknowledged he had already informed NC State tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel on Wednesday, March 30, and then Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren on Friday.

“Everybody was excited about it,” Vereen recalled.

Ultimately, NC State was able to sell Vereen on simply being the best fit for him.

“The environment and coaching staff were great,” Vereen said. “The way that they use the tight end fits me. Everybody about that school fits me. They will use me better than any other school.”

Vereen said that telling the coaches “felt great,” and confirmed he was excited, but he more anticipated announcing to the world in front of his family his choice Friday at Havelock High.

Vereen had three hats on the table, with Maryland and Louisville joining NC State. He also had offers from Boston College, Duke and Georgia.

NC State, though, always enjoyed an advantage with Vereen.

“They were the leader for a while,” Vereen admitted. “There was a time where Georgia was tied up with the No. 1 spot with them. Maryland came up and then Louisville came up, but there was only one constant.”

Related link: Coach discusses Vereen’s upside

Related link: Javonte Vereen commitment analysis

Javonte Vereen Is Highly Regarded

The On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, has Vereen rated four stars, the No. 14 tight end nationally in the 2023 class, the No. 203 overall rated junior in the country and No. 6 prospect in the state of North Carolina.

The On3 rankings has Vereen rated higher, checking in at No. 123 overall in the nation, the No. 6 tight end and No. 4 player in the state.

As a junior, Vereen caught 39 passes for 1,050 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense, while also contributing 45 tackles and two interceptions on defense. For his efforts, the HighSchoolOT website named Vereen to its two-way player All-State team.

It was Vereen’s third year on the varsity at Havelock, which is an annual contender for the state championship at the 3-A level. He earned a late-season promotion to the varsity during the Rams’ run to the state 3-A quarterfinals as a freshman, then became a two-way starter as a sophomore. Vereen caught 20 passes for 323 yards and 10 scores during that COVID-abbreviated 2020 season as Havelock advanced to the state 3-A finals.

The son of a retired U.S. Marine, Vereen developed his athletic skills in a competitive household  featuring two older brothers. Oldest brother, Jermaine, is a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 11.8 points and 9.6 rebounds at Johnston Community College this past season. Middle brother Jashun is a 6-5, 220-pound freshman defensive end at N.C. Central University who recently announced he was entering the transfer portal.

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