The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY 2018 ■ 105 SPECIAL TEAMS BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State special teams coordinator Eddie Faulkner returns one of the best punters in the country and is excited about finding a potential solution at kicker. Senior punter A.J. Cole, who is entering his fourth year as a starter, averaged 43.7 yards per attempt in 2017. He posted a long of 69 yards, landed 23 inside the 20-yard line on his 54 attempts and forced 14 fair catches. Cole has averaged 42.1 yards per try for his Wolfpack career, and has had 67 downed inside the 20-yard line on 171 career punts. His punting average last season ranked fifth in the ACC and 25th nation- ally, and marked the fifth-best single-season effort in school history. Faulkner, who also coaches the fullbacks and tight ends, believes Cole will have a legitimate chance to be an NFL punter. "He'll have his opportunity if he does what he is supposed to do, which you know he will," the coach said. "He'll have his opportu- nity to show what he can do at that level." While Cole excelled, the other aspect of NC State's kicking game struggled. Wolfpack placekickers combined to go just 10 of 20 on field goals and 49 of 52 on extra points last season. Because of that, the Pack was eagerly awaiting the arrival of freshman Christopher Dunn, who verbally committed to NC State on June 24, 2016. He enrolled in January after graduating from Lexington (N.C.) North Davidson early, and immediately tossed his hat into the ring for the placekicking job. "I'm proud of what he's done coming in so far, but he's been here a semester," Faulkner said of Dunn. "There's a lot ahead for that kid. "Because there's going to be a certain degree of pressure that's already there and existing, there's no reason for us as coaches to apply any more than what it should be — other than the fact that he's on course, doing a good job and has a bright future." The 5-8 Dunn converted 30 of 48 field goals with a long of 57 yards and 175 of 184 extra points in his career at North Davidson, but those numbers were skewed by an 8-of-17 senior season where his team faced the struggles of breaking in a new long snapper. Specialist guru Chris Sailer ranked the all-state pick as the No. 7 kicker nationally in the class of 2018. "He's legit and what we thought he would be," Faulkner said. "… He could be great in practice and we'll see things, but it has to translate to what we'll see on game day. "But I'm encouraged and we'll see how he continues to develop." Replacing punt and kick returner Nyheim Hines, who entered the NFL Draft a year early, will not be easy. The Indianapolis Colts drafted the speedster in the fourth round after last year's breakout season. He averaged 12.3 yards per punt return and brought one back for a touchdown, while he posted a 22.3-yard clip on 21 kickoff returns. NC State could split the duties up among a variety of players. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Thayer Thomas and fifth-year Special Teams Roster STARTERS No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 90 A.J. Cole III P Sr. 6-4 220 College Park, Ga. Averaged a career-high 43.7 yards on 54 punts last year. The All-ACC candidate ranks fifth in NCSU history in number of punts (171) and overall punting yards (7,212). 32 Christopher Dunn K Fr. 5-8 170 Lexington, N.C. Enrolled early and was able to kick in the Kay Yow Spring Game, making a 27-yard field goal and all three extra points in rain-soaked conditions. Has already been dubbed the starter by head coach Dave Doeren. 57 Tyler Griffiths LS Sr. 6-1 250 Indian Trail, N.C. Has snapped the ball 376 times in his Wolfpack career between extra points, field goals and punts. Was named the second-team All-ACC long snapper by Phil Steele's. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 92 Kyle Bambard K Sr. 5-8 190 Wixom, Mich. Handled the kickoff duties and eventually won back the starting kicker job when gradu - ate transfer Carson Wise struggled. Went 4 of 8 on field goals with a long of 41 yards, and made 14 of 15 extra points. Has gone 16 of 32 on field goals (long of 48) and 92 of 98 on PATs in his three-year Wolfpack career. 99 Trenton Gill P R-Fr. 6-4 204 Hillsborough, N.C. Walk-on who made 8 of 12 field goals and 41 of 44 extra points his senior year at Cedar Ridge High. 60 Griffin Hicks LS Fr. 6-1 165 Charlotte Walk-on from Charlotte Christian High. 50 Jackson Quiggle LS R-So. 5-11 214 Sanford, N.C. Walk-on from Southern Lee High. ■ Preseason Analysis **** Among country's best; *** Among ACC's best; ** Solid or has potential; * Too unproven Starters ** NC State has been spoiled with experienced and talented starters on special teams, but has a transition year coming up. Senior punter A.J. Cole and senior long snapper Tyler Griffiths both return and are among the best at what they do in the ACC. Senior kicker Kyle Bambard could still end up doing kickoffs, but freshman kicker Christopher Dunn was de - clared the starter after signing with NC State. The departure of star return man Nyheim Hines to the NFL a year early has opened up the punt and kick return duties. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Thayer Thomas, fifth-year se- nior wide receiver Stephen Louis, fifth-year senior cornerback Maurice Trowell and redshirt junior wide receiver Jakobi Meyers could be in the mix. Experience ** NC State has a blend of experience with some key newcomers, with Cole leading the away. Cole has the third-best career punting average in NC State history (42.1 yards) and will be a rare four-year starter, as will Griffiths. Depth * Creating depth in the return game will be big, not just this season but also for the future. In that regard, freshman nickel Tanner Ingle could be a newcomer to watch as a returner, and the Wolfpack coaches are confident in Thomas, despite being a redshirt freshman. Overall grade ** NC State's special teams will come down to whether Dunn proves to be consistently ac - curate. Also, the Wolfpack are hoping to find a punt and kick returner to continue the recent tradition of success, following in the footsteps of Darrell Blackman, T.J. Graham, Tobais Palmer, Rashard Smith and Hines. Year FG PAT Punt Avg. 2017 10-20 49-52 42.9 2016 9-17 42-45 39.7 2015 7-14 55-57 41.8 2014 12-17 46-48 45.4 2013 19-23 31-31 42.0 Year FG PAT Punt Avg. 2012 13-23 44-46 38.4 2011 11-16 46-47 37.2 2010 21-27 49-50 37.8 2009 10-12 46-47 37.1 2008 16-19 33-34 38.2 Year-By-Year Kicking Stats ■ By The Numbers 10 Special teams tackles for fifth-year senior nickel Stephen Morrison, which led the Wolfpack last year. 38 Of senior A.J. Cole's 171 career punts (22.2 percent) have traveled at least 50 yards. He set a career high last year when 27.8 percent of his attempts went that far, and he also boasted a new personal best with 42.6 percent of his tries (23 of 54) landing inside of opponents' 20-yard line. 89 Yards on kickoff (68) and punt returns (21) last year by returning players. Fifth-year senior cornerback Maurice Trowell returned two kickoffs for 57 yards, and senior running back Reggie Gallaspy had one kickoff for 11. Defensive players Germaine Pratt, an outside linebacker, and Tyrone Riley, a former defensive end now playing offensive line, were credited with two punt returns for a combined 21 yards.