Three Wolfpack recruits not ready

Chandler, Randolph, Underwood will play football at prep schools, work on grades

By: By Bill Cole | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: July 03, 2009

Three N.C. State football recruits will not enroll in the fall, and a reserve cornerback has decided to transfer to another school.

Coach Tom O'Brien said yesterday in a statement released by school athletics officials that Tyson Chandler, an offensive lineman from North Plainfield, N.J., Raynard Randolph, a defensive tackle from Brandywine, Md., and Bryan Underwood, a receiver from University Heights, Ohio, would not join the program for the coming season.

Sources at N.C. State said that the three are still committed to O'Brien's program and will attend prep schools in efforts to gain admittance. The losses dropped N.C. State's recruiting class to 21 players.

Randolph, a 6-2, 320-pound defensive tackle, said he fell short of qualifying academically after thinking he was going to meet all the NCAA standards.

He said he will attend Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., and try to qualify there so that he can enroll at State for the second semester in January.

"It's not a problem; I'm still going to be going to State," Randolph said. "If it was really meant for me to go to State as soon as possible, it would have happened.

"I'm just going to take it as a positive thing and keep it rolling."

Randolph was a four-year starter in high school. He had 68 tackles as a senior, and SuperPrep magazine ranked him as the No. 23 senior in the Mid-Atlantic area of Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C.

Chandler, a 6-6, 340-pound tackle, said he fell short of qualifying academically and that he learned Tuesday that he missed the minimum required Scholastic Assessment Test score by 30 points. Chandler said he was disappointed, but not shocked.

"I wasn't supposed to make it," he said. "I wasn't supposed to make the (NCAA) clearing house so I thought this might happen."

Chandler said he will attend Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy in the fall and also is hoping to qualify early and enroll at State for the second semester.

"I'm going to work out the rest of the summer and work hard on getting better at Fork Union," he said.

Chandler played mostly on the defensive line in high school and had 36 tackles, including 14 for losses, as a senior. He was ranked as the 20th-best senior in New Jersey after last season by SuperPrep.

Underwood is 5-11, 170 pounds. He had 16 catches for 156 yards and four touchdowns as a senior and 40 catches for 573 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. SuperPrep ranked him No. 92 among seniors in the Midwest.

Dominique Ellis, a rising sophomore cornerback, will complete his college career at another school after playing last season at N.C. State. He didn't indicate in a statement released by N.C. State officials which schools he is considering.

"I appreciate everything the N.C. State coaching staff has done for me and taught me," Ellis said. "I learned a lot from them but at this time, I think that for personal reasons, it's in my best interest to continue my career at another school."

Ellis, who attended East Wake High School, played in all 13 games last season and had 13 tackles, mostly on special teams.

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.