With the departure of seven seniors, mostly starters or heavy-minute contributors off the bench, the NC State men’s soccer team has reloaded in the offseason with another standout recruiting class.

Three players have already enrolled at NC State in January: forwards Tanner Roberts and Stephen Elias and midfielder Ben Locke, while four more are verbally committed to the program but have yet to officially sign with the Wolfpack. The new group of players will join the existing 2014 recruiting class ranked No. 1 in the ACC by Top Drawer Soccer.

The trio of Roberts, Elias and Locke has already begun training with the team as the Pack looks ahead to the spring preseason, which will serve as important game preparation for the regular season in the fall.

“All three players have a winning mentality,” head coach Kelly Findley said. “They’re committed, willing and driven guys.”

That mentality will bolster an NC State team that sometimes struggled to find the back of the net in winnable games against the top teams in the ACC.

Roberts, a tall target forward and Huntersville, North Carolina native, was a standout striker for the Carolina Rapids and is described by Findley as a pure goal scorer.

The 6-foot 2-inch striker will replace the departing Nick Surkamp and will most likely feature either in a strike duo or a rotation with freshman Ade Taiwo, who missed most of last season with an injury.

“Tanner is a true forward, similar to Ade,” Findley said. “Both are good target players and complement each other athletically. Their size makes them dangerous in the box.”

During the 2014 season, the Pack heavily depended on the dribbling skills of freshman attacking midfielder Zach Knudson and sophomore winger Travis Wannemuehler. The addition of winger Elias should ease the burden.

Elias has tremendous pedigree, with experience in the U.S. Youth Men’s National Team setup and trials with professional teams in Mexico and England, Pachuca in the former and West Ham in the latter. Top Drawer Soccer rates him as the No. 1 prospect in New York for 2015.

A wide player with a standout work rate and physical tools, the Red Bull Academy prospect should provide an instant impression in either of Findley’s preferred formations, the 4-2-3-1 and the 4-4-2.

“He’s got a winning mentality,” Findley said. “That’s the number one thing. In college soccer there’s so much parity that many times it comes down to which team is willing to do what it takes on that day to get a result.”

Adding to a robust, deep midfield in 2015 is former Charlotte Academy and all-state midfielder Ben Locke. A versatile “utility midfielder,” Locke is capable of slotting in nearly anywhere, and should provide a capable option off the bench.

“He’s an all-around soccer player,” Findley said. “His technique is very good and he has a great understanding of the game. He can play in multiple roles which is important because off the bench you need guys that can transition depending on team needs.”

While the Pack is heavily upgrading its offensive prowess and boosting its rotation quality, one question still remains: How will the team contend with the loss of Conor Donovan?

The freshman center back and U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team defender recently chose to forego the next four years of college and sign a Generation Adidas contract, allowing him to sign a contract with Major League Soccer here in the United States.

While most expected Donovan to spend at least another year at NC State, his rapid ascent, national-team prestige and high potential meant waiting nearly nine months for the NCAA regular season was nearly impossible.

“It’s a great thing for Conor and obviously we’re excited,” Findley said. “That’s the kind of program we want to be. We want to develop players to help win our conference, to do well nationally, and to be a good program, but ultimately we want to produce guys who can play in the professional ranks.”

With Donovan and the seniors missing in 2015, Findley said the newcomers may see significant time during their underclassmen years. Considering their pedigree, it’s a fair assertion that the 2015 recruits will contribute from day one.