The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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104 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 During spring practice, NC State head coach Dave Do- eren said that true freshman running back Zonovan Knight may be putting together the best performance among the 15 early enrollee freshmen. Some of that may be because of the opportunity the Bailey, N.C., native received. With sophomore Ricky Person Jr. — who rushed for 471 yards and two touchdowns in nine games as a true freshman — sitting out the spring to get healthy, Knight was one of just two scholarship running backs partici- pating, joining redshirt freshman Trent Pennix. That meant Knight got reps with the ones and twos in practice, though he knows the competition will pick up when a healthy Person and two more freshmen in Jordan Houston and Delbert Mimms join the fold in the fall. "I feel like I have to step up more, especially when Ricky comes back," he admitted. "I think we'll both make each other better with competition. I feel like it will be good competition." The all-time leading rusher at Southern Nash High, with 5,073 yards, has already seen the benefits of enrolling early. He said that within two or three weeks he had gained 12 pounds to now check in at 6-0, 188 pounds. But there have also been adjustments, both off the field and within the program. "School takes a lot of studying," Knight said. "I wasn't used to that in high school. It's been a big adjustment for me to try to create good study habits. "[The] weight room, getting used to doing a lot of reps on the big weights." He added that it took time to get used to the routines and techniques of NC State football, and after a few practices in the spring he was starting to get a little tired. Fortu- nately spring break came along to give him a brief rest. Knight has also picked up some advice from a former NC State run- ning back — Nyheim Hines of the Indianapolis Colts. "I have seen two or three times since he's been by," Knight said. "I actually got a quick workout with him. … He's a pretty good guy. He's given me a lot of great tips." Ironically, Hines is a running back Knight has long been compared to — both are known for their big-play, open-field abilities. Knight ran for a single-season school- record 2,054 yards in 11 games last fall, averaging 16.6 yards per carry and scoring 26 touchdowns. Then in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game, Knight rushed 24 times for 151 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown run, en route to being named North Carolina's Offensive MVP. "I think I bring a lot of speed, almost like Hines when he was here," Knight stated. "He was a big speed guy and a big impact player in space. I feel like that's what I bring to the table." Offensive Newcomer To Watch ZONOVAN KNIGHT • FR. • RB Hunter Jenks can remember the first time he saw Savion Jackson on a football field. Before Jenks actually coached Jackson at Clay- ton (N.C.) High, he was at South Johnston High in Four Oaks, N.C., and playing against him. It was a JV game when Jackson was a freshman on the Com- ets playing against Jenks' squad. "They beat us bad, and it was because we couldn't block him," Jenks recalled. NC State is hoping that defensive coordinators and head coaches of opposing ACC teams will have a similar reaction to Jackson, starting as soon as this fall. During the course of his Clayton career, Jack- son emerged as a national-level recruit. He even- tually picked NC State over South Carolina the June before his senior season. ESPN and 247Sports rated Jackson a four-star recruit and top-five player in the state, while listing him among the top 200 prospects nationally. The star defender was also selected to play in the presti- gious Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando, Fla., and the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game. After those two winter postseason events, Jackson made his way to NC State as an early enrollee. Defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable saw a rapidly improving and more confident player by the end of spring drills. Defensive line coach Kevin Patrick also began to see the 6-3, 268-pounder's potential, noting "it was definitely fun to watch him this spring." "The power and speed and quickness that he has," Patrick noted. "He has one speed and just to see it so quick, it is definitely encouraging. The game has slowed down for him, too. I always say 4.2 [seconds in the 40-yard dash] is fast, but 4.2 in the wrong direc- tion isn't that fast. "Savion's deal is just learning the defense and learning football IQ. He just has to get better IQ for this game and understand how all of this fits. He'll then learn to be a much better player." If Jackson can master the defensive schemes, he can provide a boost for NC State's defense as a disruptive force off the edge. Over three varsity seasons at Clayton, Jackson compiled 22.5 sacks in 34 games. He also had 58.5 tackles for loss. And if fans see Jackson on the field this fall, that's a strong indication of his progress be- cause NC State returns four of the five defen- sive ends that saw extensive reps last season. Jackson has the kind of potential, though, that is easily spotted. Defensive Newcomer To Watch SAVION JACKSON • FR. • DE Knight showed his big-play ability in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas All-Star Game before enrolling early at NC State, rushing for 151 yards en route to being named North Carolina's Offensive MVP. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Jackson, who notched 22.5 sacks in 34 ca- reer prep games, was ranked as high as the No. 50 overall recruit nationally by ESPN. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN