BREAKING: Top priority RB Kentrell Rinehart commits to NC State
For the second-consecutive recruiting cycle, NC State landed a commitment its No. 1 running back target. Three-star rising senior Kentrell Rinehart announced Friday evening that he is joining the Wolfpack’s 2025 class, picking the program over Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa and others.
NC State expanded its recruiting footprint into the midwest to land the rising star from Columbus (Ohio) Westland High. Rinehart silently committed to the Wolfpack during his June 21-23 official visit and made the decision public almost two weeks later.
Last year, the staff signed top priority running back Duke Scott, who eventually rose up the rankings and enrolled with NC State as a four-star prospect. Rinehart sits on a similar trajectory. The 6-2, 200-pound Wolfpack commit is the No. 35 running back nationally in the On3 Industry Rankings and the No. 459 prospect overall.
Two recruiting services already consider him a four-star recruit. He is the second-highest ranked commit of NC State’s 2025 class, slotting in behind three-star wide receiver Jerel Bolder.
The Wolfpack started to built positive momentum with Rinehart when he visited Raleigh for the first time in March. After offering Dec. 1, 2023, running backs coach Todd Goebbel made it clear that the rising senior stood very high on NC State’s recruitment board when he visited in March.
“He said it was going to be one of the best visits I’ve been on, and it definitely lived up to the expectation,” Rinehart told TheWolfpacker.com after the visit. “I was definitely blown away.
“I felt like I was definitely the priority on this visit… I’m the No. 1 running back on his board right now, so that kind of just spoke for itself really.”
NC State made sure he felt needed by the Pack. He is the second running back commit of the 2025 class, joining three-star prospect RJ Boyd.
Minnesota was the only other program to host Rinehart on an official visit. He also scheduled trips to Syracuse and Iowa but did travel to either school. NC State had emerged as the clear behind-the-scenes favorite in his recruitment by official visit season.
Goebbel prioritized tall, physical running backs in this class, and Rinehart certainly matches that description. He ran for 2,837 yards on 341 carries as a junior, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt and scoring 42 touchdowns.
“He really likes the bigger backs, and that’s exactly what I am,” Rinehart said in March. “They’re going to be graduating [Jordan Waters], so he said that I’d basically just be replacing him.”
Rinehart is the No. 14 commit in NC State’s 2025 class, which ranks No. 50 nationally and No. 12 in the ACC.
