ROCKINGHAM — Another Richmond Senior High School football player will be heading to play his college ball at an Atlantic Coast Conference program.
On Tuesday morning, junior wide receiver Jakolbe Baldwin took to Twitter to announce his verbal commitment to North Carolina State University.
The 6-1, 180-pound wide receiver joins fellow class of 2021 teammate Caleb Hood as the second Raider to commit to an ACC school. Hood committed in mid January to the University of North Carolina.
In his tweet, accompanied by a photo of him decked out in NC State red and white, Baldwin wrote, “First, I would like to thank God for allowing me to play the sport I love. Thank you to all the schools and coaches who have recruited me and given me this opportunity.
“I’d like to thank my family and coaches for supporting me along the way, being there with me throughout the recruiting process and pushing me every day to be the best person and football player that I can be,” he added.
Baldwin became the Wolfpack’s second class of 2021 verbal commit, and he chose the red and white over several other Division I offers. He also fielded scholarship offers from fellow ACC schools Duke and Wake Forest, as well as from Appalachian State, East Carolina, Akron, Coastal Carolina, UNC Charlotte and Liberty.
The relationship between Baldwin and the Wolfpack started this past summer before his junior campaign. Baldwin attended a camp at the school in June and was rated as one of the top wide receivers in attendance.
That trip put him in contact with Wolfpack wide receivers coach George McDonald and tight ends coach Todd Goebbel, both of whom were integral in recruiting Baldwin. From his participation in the camp, Baldwin received an official offer from NC State toward the end of July, his first official offer.
As a junior this past fall, Baldwin led the Raiders in receptions with 34 catches and was second on the team behind fellow junior Dalton Stroman in reception yards (687 yards), reception yards per game (52.8 yards) and receiving touchdowns (8).
Baldwin’s biggest performance came against Myers Park High School in the third round of the NCHSAA 4AA state playoffs, when he hauled in a career-high six receptions for a career-high 124 yards.
He also eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a 48-13 bashing of rival Scotland High School in the regular-season finale to clinch Richmond’s second straight conference title.
Last month during head coach Bryan Till’s State of the Program address, Baldwin was named to the Raider Leadership Council and will serve as one of the 12 members during his senior season.
Richmond begins its spring practices in the coming weeks and Baldwin will be among a strong senior class guiding the Raiders to a hopeful state championship.
An updated version of this story including quotes from Baldwin will be published later on Tuesday.
