4-star LB Elijah Groves signs with NC State
Elijah Groves flipped from Kentucky to NC State after spending months committed to the Wildcats. He joined the SEC program’s class in July, but the Wolfpack maintained its interest and officially received his letter of intent Wednesday morning.
The elite linebacker prospect skyrocketed up the rankings and signed with NC State as a four-star prospect after the program offered him in the spring. He received a handful of Power Five offers but chose to run with the Pack as the third-highest ranked commit in the class.
Position: Linebacker
School: Cross Plains (Tenn.) East Robertson High
Height/Weight: 6-3, 210 pounds
Ranking: No. 264 nationally, No. 23 linebacker, No. 5 prospect in Tennessee
Other offers: Kentucky, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Memphis
Senior year stats: 76 tackles (66 solo, 15 for loss), 1 sack, 4 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns), 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 4 defended passes and a blocked a field goal. Offensively, he contributed 30 receptions for 506 yards and 6 scores, 2 completed passes on 2 attempts for 102 yards, 16 carries for 117 yards and a 1 more score. The Wolfpack commit also returned punts (11.4 yards per attempt) and kicks (35.2 yards per attempt, 1 touchdown).
Accolades: U.S. Army All-American Bowl, region 3-2a most valuable special teams player.
How Elijah Groves ended up at NC State
NC State offered Groves in the spring and locked in an official visit for June 23-25. His decision came down to the early hours of his commitment date, but he picked Kentucky over Purdue and the Wolfpack. Over the next few months, NC State’s staff maintained its interest in the linebacker and traveled to see Groves in Tennessee twice. He flipped to the Pack after the coaching staff’s in-home visit.
Why Elijah Groves considered NC State
“I want to go to college to play defense, and I know NC State’s got a really good defense,” Groves said shortly after receiving an offer from NC State in May.
