WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

N.C. State signing day preview

By Ryan Craig

Feb 3, 2009

As college football's national signing day approaches, more and more is made of each program's recruiting class, and rating services from all over the nation compare and contrast the athletes from whom various schools have earned oral commitments.

Prep school players and transfers from across the country are labeled with stars and, if they are good enough, invited to All-Star games in which they get to represent their future collegiate institution.

Any college football fan or coach knows that success starts with recruiting talented athletes, but there is no fool-proof formula for predicting which high school standouts will have the greatest impact at the college level.

Sometimes the "best" players in the nation pan out and become tomorrow's All-Americans, while other times they're busts. On the other hand, every year we see so-called sleeper prospects, those who didn't garner much in the way of star rankings or recruiting attention, but who blossom on the collegiate field.

Here is a look at the players from the Wolfpack's 2008 recruiting class who had the most impact on Tom O'Brien's team last season, along with their rankings at the time of their commitments.

(All rankings and measurements according to Rivals.com)

1.) T.J. Graham: 2-star wide receiver

Graham electrified the conference with his kickoff-return abilities, most notably his 100-yard touchdown scoring effort in the team's 38-31 loss to Boston College. Graham finished the year first on the team in all-purpose yardage with 1,405 and seventh on the squad in receiving with 251 yards on 16 catches. With the ability to turn the tide of a game on a single play, Graham quickly earned respect from opposing coaches, who told their kickers to angle the ball out of bounds rather than kick to the freshman speedster, a respect usually reserved for veteran return specialists.

2.) Shea McKeen: 3-star defensive end

McKeen missed time at the end of the season with a leg injury, but still finished the year with 32 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. McKeen's biggest play was his sack of ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney during overtime of the rivals' game early in the 2008 season. The sack and ensuing forced fumble iced the game for State and gave it the team's first win against an FBS team on the year.

3.) Dwayne Maddox: 3-star linebacker

Maddox was forced into a starting role when superstar Nate Irving was knocked out of the lineup with a high ankle sprain. Maddox would go on to make several starts for the Pack, tallying 28 tackles, a half sack and a fumble recovery in the process.

4.) Leroy Burgess: 3-star defensive tackle

The defensive line was one of many areas where N.C. State was hit by the injury bug, and Burgess, a junior college transfer, took advantage of his opportunities during his first season with the Pack. The 6-foot-1, 300-pounder clogged the middle of the line of scrimmage to the tune of 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss as a junior.

5.) Sterling Lucas: 3-star linebacker

Lucas, like Maddox, saw more time than O'Brien would have liked in his true freshman season. The linebacker from Orangeburg, S.C., made 10 tackles, including 1.5 for loss while playing several positions.

As for the 2009 recruiting class, here are the players that have either signed, or intend to sign, their letter of intent with N.C. State:

Already signed:

Name	Position	Stars	Ht	Wt	40 Time (in sec.)	Hometown
Nathan Mageo	DT	3	6-4	280	5.1	Roswell, NM

Expected to sign with the Pack:

Name	Position	Stars	Ht	Wt	40 Time (in sec.)	Hometown
Jarvis Byrd	DB	4	5-10	173	4.5	Pahokee, FL
Tyson Chandler	DT	3	6-6	344	5.4	North Plainfield, NJ
Rickey Dowdy	LB	3	6-1	229	4.6	High Point, NC
Raynard Randolph	DT	3	6-3	300	5.2	Brandywine, MD
Bryan Underwood	WR	3	5-9	162	4.4	Cleveland Heights, OH
Morgan Alexander	ATH	3	5-10	180	4.5	Cartersville, GA
Denzelle Good	OL	3	6-6	325	5.25	Gaffney, SC
Deion Roberson	DT	3	6-4	258	4.9	Tucker, GA
Brian Slay	DT	3	6-2	276	4.9	Ashburn, VA
James Washington	RB	3	5-10	170	4.43	Orlando, FL
Camden Wentz	OL	3	6-2	276	--	Marietta, GA
Brandan Bishop	DB	3	6-1	200	--	Boca Raton, FL
Ryan Cheek	LB	3	6-0	232	4.51	Lancaster, OH
Duran Christophe	OL	3	6-6	275	--	Woodstock, GA
Sylvester Crawford	DE	3	6-5	230	4.62	Charlotte, NC
Quintin Payton	WR	3	6-3	190	4.49	Anderson, SC
Everett Proctor	ATH	3	6-1	190	4.45	Fayetteville, NC
Hans Rice	LB	3	6-3	195	4.5	Eufaula, AL
Asa Watson	TE	3	6-4	210	4.69	Rock Hill, SC
Darryl Cato-Bishop	DE	2	6-3	238	4.65	Dorchester, MA
Donald Coleman	LB	2	6-0	210	4.5	Princeton, NJ
Rashard Smith	ATH	2	5-10	180	4.5	Dublin, GA
Chris Ward	K	2	6-1	170	--	Fayetteville, GA
Dean Haynes	DB	2	6-0	180	4.5	Tunnel Hill, GA
Anthony Talbert	TE	2	6-4	230	4.75	Cincinnati, OH
A.J. Ferguson	DE	2	6-2	250	4.8	Southport, NC