Florida DT chooses N.C. State

N.C. State’s early interest in Chris Jones has paid off with a commitment from the Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines High defensive tackle.

“They came in early and stayed on him through thick and thin,” said Raines coach Deran Wiley, who said Jones also considered North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa State.

That contrasts with the Wolfpack’s success gaining other recruits this month. N.C. State recruited well late in the process to gain commitments from kicker Niklas Sade of Wakefield High, safety Rodman Noel of Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y., and wide receiver Hakeem Flowers of Wade Hampton High in Greenville, S.C.

All three had previously committed – Sade to Nebraska, Noel to Maryland and Flowers to Michigan. Noel and Flowers changed their minds after the coaches at their initial chosen schools were fired.

Jones, the latest recruit, is 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds.

“He’s a big kid, a hard-working kid, a good student of the game,” Wiley said. “. . .He has all the tools.”

Jones is the first commitment in the current N.C. State class from Florida. The Wolfpack still ranks last in the ACC ratings for the Class of 2011 on recruiting sites scout.com and rivals.com.

Ken Tysiac