NC State tripled the size of its 2026 high school recruiting class in June, going from four committed prospects to 12. After picking up DL Carmelo McKenzie, RB Dylan McCoy, and S Markel Aguirre early on, these five also joined the party:
— Linebacker Zykir Moore, a consensus three-star prospect from Pennsylvania. Moore picked State over a few other ACC offers.
— Wide receiver Jaire Richburg, a consensus three-star prospect from North Carolina. He picked State over Virginia Tech.
— Cornerback Jordan Jackson, a consensus three-star prospect from Florida. He holds offers from Pitt, Mississippi State, and Syracuse, among others.
— Offensive lineman Landry Brede, a consensus three-star prospect from Ohio. Brede visited both Pitt and UNC this past month before picking the Wolfpack.
— Wide receiver Tyreek Copper, a consensus three-star prospect from North Carolina. Copper is an ECU legacy, and NC State was his first P4 offer.
If it feels like this cycle has been a little underwhelming for NC State so far, well, it has—but that’s a discussion I’m going to save for another post.