On Friday, Mount Tabor High School 12th-grader Shamarius Peterkin pulled off a rare surprise in the world of player recruiting. Peterkin announced that he has committed to play for Virginia Tech.
Before the commitment deadline, Peterkin had a 100% 247Sprots Crystal Ball rating to choose NC State. The Wolfpack’s chances of getting Peterkin on the On3 Recruiting Machine were over 90%.
Peterkin, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver, is rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals. Only 247 has him listed in its national talent rankings. The portal has him ranked as the No. 209 best prospect in the country. On3 and ESPN consider Peterkin a 3-star prospect.
His top three schools were UNC, NC State and Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech was able to make the difference by offering Peterkin a preferred walk-on spot on their basketball team. Peterkin is also the star of the Mount Tabor basketball program.
As a football player, Peterkin was selected to the 2023 HighSchoolOT All-State Football Team as a returner. He scored a kickoff return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. As a junior, he caught 43 balls for 824 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
Mount Tabor finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 8-5 and advanced to the third round of the NC High School Athletic Association 4A West playoffs.
