Dontae Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior safety at The Pennington (N.J.) School, has verbally committed to North Carolina State.
Johnson chose the Wolfpack over Maryland and UConn.
“I called N.C. State today and told them,” Johnson said Sunday night. “I had a gut feeling from sitting down and visiting and talking to the coaches. I just felt comfortable there.”
Johnson visited the campus twice, once last spring and again in the summer.
He is ranked No. 30 nationally among safeties. Johnson said he wasn’t certain if he would redshirt next year or play right away.
“They say I’ll be playing the free guy back there,” Johnson said. “I’ll play whatever is needed, the pass or the run.”
A hall proctor and a member of the Peer Leadership Program, Johnson maintains a 3.7 grade GPA.
For now, he’s just glad to have the decision over with.
“Yeah, definitely it’s a weight of your shoulders now,” he said. “But the work’s never over. It’s never done.”
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