When it comes to recruiting the state of North Carolina, few have done it better than Clemson assistant coach Billy Napier in recent years.

Napier has been especially effective in the Western areas of the state, where on Monday he landed yet another major prospect for the Tigers.

Defensive back DeVonte Holloman from Charlotte powerhouse Independence High School is the latest Tar Heel state star lured South by Napier. Holloman’s decision first became public about 8 p.m. Monday when TigerIllustrated.com reported the news.

The 6-foot-2, 213-pounder is considered one of the top two or three prospects in North Carolina’s recruiting Class of 2009 and is ranked among the top safety prospects in the nation by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M are just some of the schools Clemson beat out for Holloman’s services.

A two-year starter at Independence, he collected 96 tackles and four interceptions as a sophomore and 50 tackles with two interceptions as a junior while splitting time between quarterback and safety.

Holloman is the fourth significant defensive back prospect from North Carolina secured for Clemson by Napier in four years. The Tigers signed cornerback Crezdon Butler from Asheville in 2006, High Point cornerback Marcus Gilchrist in 2007 and Matthews safety Spencer Adams last February.

The Napier touch

Ryan Bartow, recruiting analyst and associate editor for TigerIllustrated.com, said that Napier’s success recruiting North Carolina players isn’t just luck.

“Number one, he’s fearless,’’ Bartow said. “He’s not afraid to go after any kid, no matter what the situation.

“Two, he’s young, so he relates to kids really well. He can share interests with them on and off the field. He really has a way of connecting with them.

“Three, he’s a bulldog. He’ll pursue a kid as much as the rules allow. He’s going to call and visit that kid as much as the rules allow.’’

Napier, at age 28, is one of the youngest assistant coaches in the nation. He was named the Tigers recruiting coordinator in 2007 and that same year was selected as one of the nation’s top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com.

The impact Napier has had on the North Carolina recruiting scene hasn’t been limited to just defensive backs. He’s also recruited players like offensive tackle Landon Walker from North Wilkesboro and defensive end Kourtnei Brown of Charlotte to Clemson over the last three years.

“Once he came here, he was assigned the Western half of North Carolina and made that a priority,’’ Bartow said. “When Clemson was in its heyday, one of the big foundations for that success was getting kids out of North Carolina. That kind of died off the first five years of the Tommy Bowden regime. But they’ve really tried to pick it up again.

“They’re looking for quality out of there (North Carolina), not so much quantity. They’ve gotten two or three of the top 10 kids in the state recently, and may get half of the top 10 kids in that state this year.’’

An emerging prospect

Offensive tackle Xavier Nixon may be generating most of the headlines out of Fayetteville’s Jack Britt High School these days, but he’s not the only Buccaneer receiving attention from college recruiters.

Quarterback Everett Proctor has continued to see his stock rise among major-college programs. The 6-2, 195-pounder has received scholarship offers from East Carolina, Maryland, N.C. State and three-time Bowl Championship Subdivision champ Appalachian State. Jack Britt head coach Richard Bailey also expects Proctor will soon receive offers from Georgia Tech, Illinois and West Virginia. Wake Forest has also begun showing an interest.

Most of those schools have expressed an interest in moving Proctor to another position like wide receiver or defensive back because of his 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

Appalachian State is the only school to have offered a scholarship and chance to play the quarterback position, which is what Proctor would prefer to do, according to Bailey. But Illinois, Georgia Tech and West Virginia are also considering him as a quarterback prospect.

“He may have to go to some places this summer and work out at another position, or show them (recruiters) in camp that he can play quarterback,’’ Bailey said. “But what I’m telling them is give him a chance at quarterback. If he doesn’t work out there, you’ve lost nothing because you still have one of the best athletes in North Carolina coming to your school anyway.’’

Despite all the attention from other schools, Maryland remains as Proctor’s favorite. He grew up following the Terps and his father works in Washington, D.C.

“If he ends up at the Division I level not as a quarterback, but as an athlete, I would expect he’d go to Maryland,’’ Bailey said. “He wears Maryland garb around school all the time.’’

The Fayetteville Observer named Proctor its Cape Fear region Player of the Year in 2007 after he rushed for 1,105 yards, threw for 754 yards and scored a total of 18 touchdowns.

Staff writer Sammy Batten can be reached at battens@fayobserver.com or 486-3534.