E.J. Whitley Decides Today on ESPNU

General NCS Football42

3 Star Safety E.J. Whitley decides between NC State and Virginia Tech today on ESPNU.

Whitley was previously rumored as a strong lean to NC State before taking a last minute trip to Virginia Tech last week. He is ranked as one of the top 20 high school players in the state of North Carolina and is an important target for NC State; especially in light of losing the contest for Chris Culliver last season.

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General NCS Football

42 Responses to E.J. Whitley Decides Today on ESPNU

  1. BoKnowsNCS71 07/23/2007 at 9:19 AM #

    Any idea on time of the event?

  2. one00_proof 07/23/2007 at 10:59 AM #

    3-4

  3. Pack92 07/23/2007 at 11:07 AM #

    Other than what SFN posted does anyone have a feel which way he is leaning?

  4. JimValvano 07/23/2007 at 11:25 AM #

    Noah acted as if he felt that Whitley was a lean towards the Pack…though he didn’t say it in so many words. It was more of a interpretation of a comment he made which said something the the effect of “we should be getting some good news in the near future” then when someone asked if it pertained to Whitley…noah’s response was something in the ballpark of “hopefully”

  5. thebigwood 07/23/2007 at 12:41 PM #

    Does anyone know why he is giving his commitment on ESPNU? What show is he on?

  6. McPete 07/23/2007 at 12:42 PM #

    well, in light of chris culliver it should be noted just how meaningful an early commitment may be. considering he can’t sign an LOI until Feb. even if he does commit today.

  7. waxhaw 07/23/2007 at 2:23 PM #

    He’s from Charlotte and ESPNU broadcasts out of Charlotte.

  8. BoKnowsNCS71 07/23/2007 at 2:56 PM #

    I’ve heard all the rumors. That he cancelled his trip t visit up there to some other things. Should know soon.

    Always better to be in NC.

  9. GAWolf 07/23/2007 at 3:18 PM #

    He’s a 3 star and appears to love the attention. I can’t think of too many times this type of hype was good for NC State’s football program. Either we don’t get the recruit or we get the recruit and the product never lives up to the hype. Either way, this whole thing is silly to me.

  10. noah 07/23/2007 at 3:23 PM #

    This situation isn’t comparable to Culliver’s.

    I think he did take a visit to VPI, just a little later than he thought.

    We’ll know soon.

  11. PamlicoPack 07/23/2007 at 3:27 PM #

    remind me of what happened with Culliver…did someone whisper in his ear about Amato’s abysmal record with staff turnovers or the like?

  12. JimValvano 07/23/2007 at 3:29 PM #

    I had to look at your name again GAWolf…for a second I thought your name would be Noah…with all the negativity and all.

    lol

    Well, I hope its good news and he commits. I think that despite the fact that a lot of players end up being nothing but hype…it does help us to land other highly rated commitments which in general have a better chance of panning out than the lower rated prospects.

  13. GAWolf 07/23/2007 at 3:49 PM #

    My point was… there’s an awful lot of fuss over this 3-star who is having a press conference on ESPNU to announce his decision. If he has two different hats and does that whole thing I think I might just chuckle and not care whether we get him or not. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have him adn your point is well taken JimValvano, but at some point a line has to be drawn or we’ll be doing this over 1 star commitments announcing for Louisburg in years to come. It’s just all a bunch of silliness.

  14. waxhaw 07/23/2007 at 3:51 PM #

    True but if he picks us it’s good publicity……actually even if he doesn’t pick us it’s good publicity because we’ll be mentioned on tv with a good recruit.

  15. GAWolf 07/23/2007 at 3:52 PM #

    Holy hell!?!?! I just read on another site that he’s got a torn up knee?!?! Are you freaking kidding me? Who does this guy think he is? Am I the only one that thinks this whole thing is just way to much overkill? Is he not the third best player in his highschool’s defensive backfield?

    I hope the kids’ knee heals up and I hope he has a stellar collegiate career, but where in the world do we draw the line with this recruiting hype? We’re not talking about a Mario Williams here.

  16. StateFans 07/23/2007 at 3:52 PM #

    I have had many of the exact same thoughts as GAWolf re: the amount of attn being put on a player barely ranked in the top 20 in NC

    I think part of the attention is contagion generated by the expectation that both Whitley and Terrell Manning were going to commit last week.

    – Jeff

  17. GAWolf 07/23/2007 at 3:53 PM #

    too… damn. i got so fired up i forgot the difference between too, to and two.

  18. GAWolf 07/23/2007 at 3:55 PM #

    Jeff: Is there some connection between the two? Are they pitching themselves as a package? Do they even know each other? If we don’t get EJ are we out with Manning? Am I missing something?

  19. primacyone 07/23/2007 at 3:56 PM #

    I believe it is about ESPN (U) making some money off the kid and getting some attention for themselves. I have been to the ESPNU website today, and I believe that it was the first time I have ever visited the site.

  20. McPete 07/23/2007 at 4:00 PM #

    Pamlico Pack:
    Culliver commited to NC State before his recruitment took off. Once the regional powers showed major interest, he backed off his commitment to State, and signed with South Carolina. The parallel between the two is that an early verbal is non binding and these are 17 year old kids who change their minds frequently.

  21. noah 07/23/2007 at 4:06 PM #

    McPete – And I would argue that since that is not likely to happen to Whitley, it makes the comparison pretty shakey.

    GaWolf – Where am I being negative? I’ve said that I think Whitley comes here.

    Jeff – I agree about the two hats thing. I also hate it when a recruit says, “I’m going to shock the world!” Yeah, as though the world gives a damn what you do.

    The only thing that would shock me is if a recruit showed some individuality and original thinking.

  22. BoKnowsNCS71 07/23/2007 at 4:06 PM #

    Cornerback Whitley to announce today on ESPNU
    Eddie Whitley is set to choose between the N.C. State Wolfpack and Virginia Tech Hokies on ESPNU today at 4 p.m. eastern, ESPN’s Craig Haubert reports.

    6 more minutes

  23. waxhaw 07/23/2007 at 4:09 PM #

    I know I never did anything when I was 16, 17 and 18 that seems pretty silly in retrospect. In fact, I had a pretty low opinion of myself and never blew things out of proportion.

    Cut him some slack. Most of you would still act like idiots to get on television.

  24. Trout 07/23/2007 at 4:10 PM #

    I’m hearing it is VT

  25. noah 07/23/2007 at 4:13 PM #

    I know that when I was 16, 17 and 18, I did lots of things that were silly and immature. And that’s when I usually got smacked in the head and was told to grow up.

    That’s how I…ya know…learned.

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