RALEIGH, N.C. — Johnny Frasier arrived at NC State as the most heralded signing of Dave Doeren’s tenure, but that’s not what’s impressed his coach so far.

Doeren said coaches make a point of bringing incoming freshmen back down to earth, regardless of the stars they earned on the recruiting trail, but Frasier hasn’t needed the reminder.

“He was great with it,” Doeren said. “I love Johnny. He’s a really good kid, super humble, no ego.”

But none of that is to say Frasier is ready for college ball either. After rushing for 7,100 yards in high school, the 5-foot-10, 230-pound Frasier has found the work a bit tougher in fall camp.

“He’s at a stage of information overload,” senior tailback Shad Thornton said. “He can’t really play fast and be as physical as he needs to be because he’s always second-guessing if he’s doing the right thing.”

Thornton has taken Frasier under his wing, quizzing the freshman on the sideline about the playbook, and he sees progress. But the other issue for the former ESPN 300 recruit is purely physical.

“He’s a guy that has to get in college shape,” Doeren said. “From a diet standpoint, everything’s new.”

That means slimming down that frame a bit — which Doeren admits will take time. But the long-term outlook is impressive.

“Twelve months from now, Johnny’s going to look like Tarzan,” Doeren said. “He’s going to have no body fat. He’s going to be giant.”

The bigger question now is the short term.

At the moment, Frasier is probably fifth on NC State’s depth chart at running back, and Doeren said he’s reluctant to burn a redshirt for a guy who will only play on special teams.

No formal decision has been made, and Doeren said the next few weeks will tell a lot. What’s clear, however, is that the Wolfpack have a special talent on the roster — it’s just a matter of knowing when to deploy him.

“It’s just a matter of do we need him or not?” Doeren said. “I just want to make sure we’re making a good decision with his eligibility.”