The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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112 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2019 Name Pos. Starts Tony Adams OL 47 One of the rare offensive linemen to not only play but start as a true freshman. Was named second-team All-ACC as a junior and senior, and ended last year on the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots' practice squad after going undrafted in 2018. Kyle Bambard K 24 Greyshirted, which meant he delayed his enrollment to the spring of 2015. Was the off-and-on placekicker for three seasons (2015-17), during which he made 16 of 32 field goals, with a long of 48 yards, and 92 of 98 extra points. Handled kickoffs during his senior season. Shawn Boone S 27 Provided a steady presence in the secondary and strong leadership on the defense. Was likely headed to Penn State before a coaching change there opened the door for NC State. Had 158 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, eight passes broken up and three interceptions. Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans in 2018, but did not make the team. Garrett Bradbury TE/DT/OL 39 A two-star tight end that became one of the top offen - sive linemen in school history. Moved from tight end to defensive tackle before ending up back on offense. The Rimington Trophy winner was a consensus All-American in 2018, then selected by the Minnesota Vikings with 18th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Bradley Chubb DE 38 One of the best defensive players in school history. He won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in 2017 and was a unanimous All-American that year. Also set school records for career tackles for loss (60) and sacks (26), breaking marks previously held by Mario Williams. Was drafted fifth overall in 2018 by the Denver Broncos, and last year's 12 sacks broke the team record for a rookie. A.J. Cole P 52 Greyshirted and proceeded to become one of the best punters in school history. Averaged more than 41 yards per punt in each season at NCSU and finished with a career average of 42.4 yards, third highest in school history. Had third-most punts (220) and second-most punting yards (9,288) ever at NC State. Was honorable mention All-ACC as a junior and signed with the Oakland Raiders following the 2019 NFL Draft. Cole Cook TE 0 Had an offer from Florida State, among others, but caught only 11 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown at NCSU. Was so well regarded as a blocker that he earned an NFL tryout in 2018 with the Atlanta Falcons. Is now coaching as a graduate assistant at Appalachian State. Coult Culler LB/DT/OL 32 Was a hard-hitting, tackling machine in high school, but injuries forced him to retire from football before his redshirt sophomore sea - son. The linebacker signee played in four games during the 2015 season at defensive tackle before moving to offensive guard the following spring, then giving up the sport. Elliott Davis DB/WR 0 Signed as a cornerback and redshirted in 2014. Moved to wide receiver, but was dismissed from the team two games into the 2015 season. Signed with UAB after that, but never made it to their campus. Name Pos. Starts B.J. Hill DT 44 Picked up an offer after a good performance at NC State's summer camp in 2013, and five years later was drafted in the third round by the New York Giants. The four-year starter finished his career with 187 tackles, 26.5 stops for loss, nine sacks, 13 QB pressures, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and eight passes broken up. Started 12 games as a rookie for the Giants in 2018. Bo Hines WR 24 One of the ringleaders of the 2014 class was an instant success, leading the Pack with 45 receptions for 616 yards as a true freshman, including a 54-yard TD catch against FSU. Hines' political aspirations, however, led to a transfer to Yale following the season. Shoulder injuries limited him to just more than four quarters of action at Yale, where he caught 11 passes for 134 yards, before retiring from football. He is attending law school at Wake Forest. Deonte Holden DE 2 Overcame a persistent foot injury to finally play a full season in 2018, and notched 21 tackles, 9.5 stops for loss and 3.5 sacks. Was granted a sixth season by the NCAA and could be a starter for the Pack this fall. Justin Jones DT 29 Four-star lived up to his billing, accumulating 115 stops, 21.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, eight QB pressures, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries during his career. Was picked in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers and started both of their playoff games, notching his first career sack during the postseason. Tyler Jones OT 45 Originally committed to Mississippi State before sign - ing with NC State and becoming a stalwart left tackle for the Wolfpack. Was named first-team All-ACC by the sportswriters as a redshirt junior and by the conference as a fifth-year senior. Signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets in 2019. Stephen Louis WR 23 Was headed to Central Michigan until his stock ex - ploded as a prep senior. Played as a true freshman and then missed the 2015 season due to an injury. Broke out in 2016 and enjoyed two productive seasons, but his final campaign was derailed by injuries. Finished with 91 career receptions for 1,487 yards and five touchdowns. Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans in 2019. Name Pos. Starts Kalen McCain S 0 Switched his pledge from Virginia Tech to NC State and enrolled early, but after redshirting he only played two games in 2015 and left after that season. Originally in- tended to transfer to East Carolina but ended up at North Carolina Central, where he played in only one game. Jalan McClendon QB 0 Strong-armed quarterback lost the starting battle with Ryan Finley in 2016. Completed 26 of 47 passes for 262 yards with a TD and four picks in three seasons, and also rushed 46 times for 223 yards and two scores before leaving as a graduate transfer to Baylor. Played nine games in 2018 for the Bears, completing 55 of 91 passes for 715 yards with three scores and three picks. Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. Deshaywn Middleton DT/OL 0 Redshirted in 2014 and did not get any snaps in 2015. Tried a move to offensive line in the spring of 2016 and in the summer transferred to Norfolk State. Started 28 games at nose guard over three seasons there and amassed 80 tackles, six stops for loss and two sacks. Airius Moore LB 43 Was a blueshirt, which is a recruit who shows up on the first day of preseason camp as a preferred walk-on and is immediately put on scholarship, after originally com - mitting to Indiana. Played as a true freshman and started four games. Became a full-time starter and led the team in tackles as a sophomore (77). Finished career with 267 hits, 26 stops for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 10 passes broken up and four interceptions (all of which came as a senior when he led the team in picks). He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals but did not make the club. Germaine Pratt S/LB 12 Played two seasons as a reserve safety before shoulder surgery led to a redshirt in 2016. Moved to linebacker that year with great success, and in 2018 was first-team All- ACC after leading the Pack with 105 tackles. Finished his career with 238 tackles, 17.5 stops for loss, six sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, nine passes bro - ken up and three interceptions (one pick-six). Was drafted in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. Terronne Prescod OL 28 After picking NC State over Auburn, struggled to get on the field as a redshirt freshman, but dedicated himself to getting into shape and capped his career as an All- American, named first-team by ESPN and Sporting News, second-team by Sports Illustrated and third team by the Associated Press. Signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2019. Will Richardson OL 30 The one-time Virginia commit overcame the oc- casional off-the-field issues to break out as a red- shirt junior, when he was named second-team All-ACC. Turned pro early after that campaign and was picked in the fourth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he missed last year with an injury. Jaylen Samuels TE 35 One of the most unique offensive weapons in NC State history. The lightly recruited prospect is the Pack's all-time leading receiver with 202 catches, which went for 1,855 yards with 19 touchdowns, the fourth most at NCSU. Also ran for 28 career scores, sixth most in school history. His 47 career scores rank second in school history behind only Ted Brown's 51. After being named first-team All-ACC in 2017 and a third- Class Of 2014 Summary Defensive tackle B.J. Hill was a four-year starter for the Pack. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN