The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1000643
JULY 2018 ■ 65 WIDE RECEIVERS BY MATT CARTER R ight from the opening possession of the 2018 season, ex- pectations for NC State's passing attack are going to be great. A lot of that will be due to the anticipation that sixth- year senior quarterback Ryan Finley will be a potential high pick in the NFL Draft. And a lot of it will be because of the receiving corps that Finley will be targeting with his passes. It's a group of talented, veteran wideouts that collectively could be the best to come through Carter-Finley Stadium in quite some time. NC State wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator George McDonald is not shying away from expectations either. "The goal here is to the best," McDonald said. "Even when everybody thought we were bad, our goal was always to be the best. I think those guys have been working really hard to put themselves in position to go out and get everyone's best every week we play. "That's kind of our mentality that we try to develop here re- gardless of the position — no different than the D-line last year. You put in the work, you grow, you get better, people notice that you've gotten better, and then you have to go out and play to the best of your ability every game." The headliner of the deep pass-catching corps is junior Kelvin Harmon, who hauled in 69 receptions for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns a year ago to become the first Wolfpack receiver since Jerricho Cotchery in 2003 to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. Harmon had six 100-yard receiving games, and his seven career 100-yard performances rank fifth in school history. "There's still so much more he can do, just from the drops he had towards the end of last season and maximizing every opportu- nity," McDonald said. "He's the same type of guy that came in as a true freshman and had some success. He really worked at it and took the next step, and he's doing the same thing this offseason. "I think there is no reason for him to not continue to improve his stats and improve his playmaking ability. He does a good job of always studying himself and seeing the things and areas he can improve on. I am excited to see him come back and continue to build on the things that he's done." Alongside Harmon is fifth-year senior Stephen Louis, who posted 37 receptions for 583 yards and two scores a season ago and has four career 100-yard receiving games himself. "It's exciting to have him back," McDonald said. "He's a big- play receiver; he's a leader. I think the biggest thing for him is just trying to stay healthy throughout the course of the year. "The last couple of years he's had injuries that have taken him out of a couple of games." The breakout performer last year was redshirt junior Jakobi Meyers, who notched 63 receptions for 727 yards and a team-high five touchdown catches while playing in the slot. McDonald noted the former quarterback has grown comfortable with being on the other end of throws. "He has a great skill set to catch the ball, to make people miss," McDonald added. "I think it was just a natural progression. It was him being comfortable at receiver and then maturing, in terms of working out and doing the things necessary to maximize his talent. "In the slot, he's hard to cover. There are not many guys that can cover him in the slot when he's really clicking." The three form a starting trio that will be tough for opposing Wide Receiver Roster STARTERS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 3 Kelvin Harmon Jr. 6-3 213 Palmyra, N.J. Emerged last season as one of the premier wide receivers in the ACC and became the fourth receiver in NC State annals to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a season. 1 Stephen Louis 5th-Sr. 6-2 217 West Palm Beach, Fla. Has a career average of 16.9 yards per catch, ninth best in school history. 11 Jakobi Meyers R-Jr. 6-2 203 Lithonia, Ga. One-time quarterback was a breakout performer last season, ranking eighth in the ACC in catches per game (5.3) and registering three 100-yard receiving games, which came against Florida State, Clemson and UNC. RESERVES No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 86 Emeka Emezie So. 6-3 209 Waxhaw, N.C. Hauled in 13 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown during his true freshman season, and is talented enough to take on a larger role. 19 C.J. Riley R-So. 6-4 204 Coconut Creek, Fla. The fastest player on the offense with a 4.48-second 40-yard dash time made nine catches for 142 yards during his rookie season. 87 Thayer Thomas R-Fr. 6-1 185 Wake Forest, N.C. Former walk-on was awarded a scholarship after the spring and will back up Mey - ers in the slot. Caught 74 passes for 965 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at Heritage High. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown 85 Devin Carter Fr. 6-4 205 Clayton, N.C. Had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons at Clayton High and caught 32 touch- downs passes during that span. Picked NC State over offers from Michigan State, Min- nesota and Wake Forest, among others. 83 Eric Collins R-So. 5-9 175 Tampa, Fla. Walk-on transferred into NC State after catching 13 passes for 174 yards and a score last season at Mississippi Valley State. 31 Tyler Dabbs R-So. 5-10 192 Eden, N.C. Walk-on played high school football at Morehead High. 80 Justin Dunn Fr. 6-1 200 Raleigh Walk-on played quarterback at Sanderson High until switching to wideout as a senior. He earned an invite to the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl, where he made two catches. 82 Max Fisher R-Fr. 6-2 205 Upper Marlboro, Md. After redshirting last season, he is expected to compete for playing time on special teams this fall. 84 Jasiah Provillon Fr. 6-3 180 Irvington, N.J. Rated by Rivals.com the No. 80 receiver nationally in the 2018 class after catching 57 passes for 687 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior. Picked NC State over offers from Louisville and Michigan State. ■ Preseason Analysis **** Among country's best; *** Among ACC's best; ** Solid or has potential; * Too unproven Starters ***½ Junior Kelvin Harmon is one of the top players at his position, certainly in the ACC if not the country. Redshirt junior Jakobi Meyers has a real chance of joining Harmon with another step forward like he took last season, and fifth-year senior Stephen Louis would be a headline receiver on a lot of other teams in the league. Experience **** NC State's wide receiver corps returns virtually intact from last season, losing only former walk-on Gavin Locklear (three receptions for 17 yards) and JuMichael Ramos (two catches for 49 yards and a score). Depth *** The feeling around NC State's offensive coaches is that sophomore Emeka Emezie and redshirt sophomore C.J. Riley would probably start for a lot of teams in the ACC, but instead they are having to wait their turns with the Wolfpack. Overall grade ***½ Last year proved to be the breakout season many were hoping for from the NC State re - ceiving corps, and in 2018 the expectation is for the group to dominate opposing defensive backs. With a potential NFL quarterback throwing them passes, the sky should be the limit for the position this fall.