10/17/2017 football Edit

North Carolina DL on UMD official visit: "They all made me feel welcome."

Adam Friedman • Rivals.com

National Recruiting Analyst

Adam Friedman joined Rivals.com as the East Coast Recruiting Analyst in 2012 and covers D1 CFB recruits from SC to Maine & out to PA & WV. Media requests- RivalsFriedman@gmail.com

Defensive lineman Joseph Boletepeli is getting closer to a decision. The Raleigh (N.C.) Heritage stand out just took an official visit to Maryland, has one more coming up this weekend, and there are a lot of schools still in the mix.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

“There are a lot of schools that are recruiting me well right now like North Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Louisville, Maryland, Georgia Tech, and Michigan State,” Boletepeli said. “The plan is to make my last round of visits. I need to check out the schools that are showing a lot of interest in me and then go from there.

“I visited Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Wake Forest this offseason,” he said. “I went to Maryland last weekend for an official visit and I’m going to Michigan State next weekend for an official visit. I am going to some other official visits. Those schools know who they are. I think I’ll commit in a few weeks.

“My Maryland visit went pretty good,” said Boletepeli. “I love just how charismatic everyone was. They all made me feel welcome. The coaches were telling me they need me badly. I think I would fit there very well. Cam Spence and I sat down and ate with the coaches and talked about why he chose to go to Maryland. I’ve developed a good relationship with coach Buh, coach Brumbaugh, coach Lembo, and the head coach.

“I was surprised Michigan State beat Michigan,” he said. “That was a good game. I was kind of shocked when they offered me because I wasn’t really expecting it. I’ve been talking to coach Burton, the defensive line coach. He’s come to see me at the school.”

RIVALS’ REACTION…

Maryland put themselves in good position with Boletepeli, an early graduate, and it will be interesting to see how he reacts to his Michigan State visit. He hasn’t decided anything just yet but it appears N.C. State is in a bit of a better position than the rest of the in-state teams Boletepeli mentioned. He will certainly keep everybody on their toes until he announces his commitment.