NC State landed a commitment to could help ensure it has more meaningful football in years ahead.
Defensive lineman Alim McNeill was a coveted prospect from Sanderson High in Raleigh. On the morning of his pre-announced decision date, No. 1 Alabama threw its hat into the ring for his services. Michigan tried to get McNeill to officially visit for its annual rivalry game with Ohio State. Florida State convinced him to check out its season opener in Atlanta against Alabama and then sent a coach to one of his early-season games.
In other words, the who’s who of college football wanted McNeill. That means little once he arrives at NC State, but McNeill does fill a position of need on the defensive line, which will lose four senior starters after this season and begin a massive rebuilding job. McNeill also brings athleticism to the defense. In the spring of 2016, before his junior season at Sanderson, McNeill tested out sixth beset in the Nike Rating, a measure of pound-for-pound athleticism, during the Opening Regional in Charlotte, an event that featured hundreds of participants, including most of the top prospects in the Carolinas region.
With his size (6-3, 280 pounds) and athleticism, McNeill has the capability of being an interior or edge player on the defensive line in college, and do not be surprised if he is on the field sooner rather than later.
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