N.C. State recruit Teal could make Shrine splash

I was impressed with Bennettsville (S.C.) Marlboro County DT Thomas Teal during my day at Shrine Bowl practice earlier this week, and apparently he has kept up the good work.

“Thomas has a very good combination of size and speed,” Boiling Springs (S.C.) OL Logan Stewart told the Spartanburg Herald Journal. “He's also very smart and is always around the football. I don't see North Carolina being able to block him one on one at all. He'll be double-teamed automatically.”

Stewart should know; he’s had to block him. And not always successfully. In the same article, Boiling Springs QB Dylan Thompson said, “There have been two or three times where I've turned to hand it off and he's hit me before I can even do it.

“I think he can shut down their inside game for sure. You've got to be alert where he is at all times, he makes that kind of impact.”

Teal is a 6-foot-2, 325-pound load who just missed making our SC Top 25 Prospects list. After the Shrine Bowl, we may have to reevaluate.

--Stan Olson