Wolfpack Continues Recruiting Surge With Three-Star Defensive Lineman

RALEIGH — NC State continued its work in the 2027 recruiting cycle over the weekend, bringing in 11 high school players for their official visits and already making some tremendous traction with key players. The program even earned a pair of commitments over the last 24 hours, the latest coming Monday after players and their families left the area.

Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack earned a commitment from three-star prospect Julius LaRosa, a defensive lineman from University Christian School (Fla.), per an announcement from the lineman on social media. LaRosa became the second defensive player to commit to NC State, signaling a shifting focus from the surge of offensive additions to bringing in the future of the program's defense now.

What LaRosa's commitment means for NC State

LaRosa was the second commitment from a player who visited NC State over the weekend, joining Georgia linebacker Jake Godfree, a fellow three-star with an impressive pedigree. The Wolfpack hosted mostly defensive players and offensive linemen during this set of official visits, even though the entire recruiting class before Godfree consisted of offensive players, many of them at skill positions.

As for LaRosa, there were already some connections to the Wolfpack that made the recruiting process easy. The basketball program, now led by Justin Gainey, indirectly helped the Doeren and the football team by adding three-star guard Kingston Whitty to the mix in its roster rebuild. Whitty happens to be the LaRosa's cousin, according to On3.

NC State moved quickly in its recruitment of the 6-foot-1, 285-pound defensive lineman, submitting an offer on April 13, less than a month before his commitment to the school. Even with a coaching change in LaRosa's position group, there was enough of an appeal from the Wolfpack that he couldn't say no, ultimately making his decision after what proved to be a successful weekend.

As a prep, LaRosa showed signs of power conference capability during his junior season, bursting on the scene for University Christian. The defensive lineman racked up 59 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2025. The Wolfpack's defensive line took some hits during the 2026 offseason, so adding a player like LaRosa improves the depth of the future, especially if his development goes well.

The defensive lineman became the sixth hard commitment to the Wolfpack for the 2027 recruiting class, with the program showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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