Remember when N.C. State's Dave Doeren talked about building a fence around North Carolina?

We don't want to get all political here. But that ... still hasn't seemed to come together.

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Make no mistake, that is no shot taken about the current Wolfpack team or the talent level they bring this week.

But they just don't win battles for in-state prospects.

The last time they scored a target ranked in the top five in North Carolina was 2019, and defensive linemen Joshua Harris and C.J. Clark were hardly contentious contests.

As we expressed in predicting the Wake Forest game, though, past outcomes don't mean the next one will follow form.

In that regard, Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game will be a recruiting showcase for both programs for several mutual targets.