Wolfpack adds a tight end, too

Newark (Del.) High football coach Butch Simpson said you don't hear the ball hit David Grinnage's hands when Grinnage catches a pass.

"He has incredibly soft hands," Simpson said. "Catching the ball is probably the best thing that he does."

The 6-foot-5, 243-pound senior committed to N.C. State on Tuesday.

"I think that N.C. State is looking at him as a tight end, but we run a spread and he was more of a slot back, an H-back for us," Simpson said. "We had four good receivers ahead of him at the start of last season, but he kept getting better and better and started catching passes and scoring touchdowns."

Newark finished 6-4 in 2010, but averaged 37 points per game.

Grinnage is a great athlete, Simpson said. Grinnage was a wrestler and hit clean up for the Newark baseball team.

-- Tim Stevens

N.C. State gets commitment from OG (with video)

Eddie Gordon, a 6-foot-2, 315-pound offensive guard, announced Tuesday that he will accept a football scholarship to N.C. State.

Gordon made his commitment on his 17th birthday.

"I knew I wanted to go to N.C. State and I decided to announce on my birthday," he said.

Boiling Springs (S.C.) High coach Bruce Clark said Gordon had made himself into an outstanding prospect.

"He is an exceptional blocker," Clark said. "He has tremendous feet, changes direction well and is excellent blocking downfield. He has great movement as a pass blocker."

Clark said Gordon was a year younger than many of his classmates.

"Eddie is going to continue to get better," Clark said. "He is still growing and maturing. If he had two more years of high school instead of just one, he'd be a monster."

Gordon also had offers from East Carolina and Furman.

"N.C. State was the first school to show interest in me. It invited me to its camp after my freshman year," Gordon said. "And State was the first school to offer me a scholarship, too.

"After I visited there, I really liked Coach [Tom] O'Brien and his staff, the players and the players that are coming in. The facilities are fantastic and I really like the school. I knew it was the place for me."

-- Tim Stevens

Tar Heels land QB prospect

North Carolina has received a commitment from quarterback Patton Robinette of Maryville (Tenn.) High School, according to Inside Carolina's website.

Tar Heels add football commitment

Justin Meredith, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end at Anderson (S.C.) Hanna, turned down more than 30 other scholarship offers to commit to the University of North Carolina.

Meredith already has accepted a spot in the UnderArmour All-America football game next spring. Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and LSU were among the offers he most seriously considered.

“He is your prototype tight end,” said Hanna coach Kenya Fouch. “He is a big kid with long arms who is quick and strong. He makes good grades and has good character. He is exactly what college coaches are looking for.”

Meredith was on the Hanna varsity as a freshman. The school has a strong football tradition and currently has graduated players on the rosters of Wake Forest, N.C. State, Kentucky and South Carolina.

Hanna was 7-6 in 2010 but lost three games to teams that advanced to the state championship game in their classification.

-- Tim Stevens