The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
100 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 Offensive Player To Watch EMEKA EMEZIE • JR. • WR There was a time where NC State wondered if Emeka Emezie was going to even come to Raleigh. Emezie pulled a rarity in recruiting. He committed to the Wolfpack in the summer before his senior year only to back out a couple months later. Weeks after that, his recruitment came full circle and he was back in the class. Since then NC State's coaches have seen the 6-3, 210-pounder blossom both physically and mentally, and this fall he is expected to ease the losses of 1,000-yard receivers Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers, who both left after their junior seasons to enter the NFL Draft. Harmon was picked by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round, while Meyers signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots. Emezie hopes to follow in their footsteps, and he is even donning Har- mon's old No. 3 after previously wearing No. 86 his first two years. If last fall is an indication, Emezie is up to the task. He caught 53 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns in 2018, quite a jump from a freshman campaign during which he hauled in 13 receptions for 163 yards and a score but was unfortunately perhaps remem- bered for a fumble lost at the goal line at Wake Forest, going for what could have been a game-winning touchdown. Emezie did not hide or shrink from that moment. He con- fessed following his freshman year that he repeatedly watched the play, even seeing it on YouTube before going to bed at times. "I have to [torture myself]," he admitted then. The Waxhaw. N.C., native's breakout sophomore season was huge for the Pack. Returning starter Stephen Louis was not able to have the fifth-year senior season he was hoping to enjoy due to multiple inju- ries, including hurting his ankle against Clemson and needing sea- son-ending surgery to repair it. That left Emezie to fill the void and alleviate the pressure on the star tandem of Harmon and Meyers. Emezie's ability to overcome that fumble and then thrive impressed his position coach and new co-offensive coordinator George McDonald. "I think any time you have adversity when you are younger and you bounce back from it and overcome it, it's just go- ing to make you stronger," McDonald said. "I think he was around a lot of really good players that taught him a lot and showed him the way. "I think he's trying to do that this summer with a lot of the younger players, just trying to lead by example. He's played a lot of football. You would think he's a senior. I'm excited to see him go out there and take his part of the offense and really excel at it." Without Harmon and Meyers, Emezie will be counted upon to help the new quarterback find a quick comfort zone in the passing attack and serve as the Pack's go-to weapon out wide. Emezie went from 13 receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown as a freshman to 53 for 616 yards and five scores last season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN