The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER DEFENSIVE LINE Patrick was very pleased with what he saw from the 6-3, 291-pound Murchison last fall and during the spring. "The strides he was making, and the domination and peak — and the impact his domination can make on our team and our defense," Patrick said of what excites him most about Murchison. McNeill was a decorated four-star recruit coming out of Ra- leigh Sanderson, but he also played linebacker in high school. After appearing in every contest last fall as a true freshman and finishing tied for fourth on the squad with 3.5 sacks, he is now listed at 6-2, 311 pounds and could play either of the defensive tackle positions. "You can take some bright spots every game, whether it be against Clemson or Florida State, you see Alim doing things he's very capable of doing," Patrick said. "The game just needs to slow down for him." NC State has numerous options at defensive end and defensive tackle for the second unit. Redshirt sophomore ends Xavier Lyas and Ibrahim Kante are being counted upon this season, with Kante also able to play defensive tackle. Redshirt freshman Joseph Boletepeli could also easily join the defensive end party this season. Whoever gets edged out in the McNeill-Martin battle will likely join redshirt freshman Derrick Eason inside on the second unit. Redshirt sophomore Dante Johnson and the two touted freshmen will also try to carve out roles. Harris, in particular, was impres- sive in getting seven tackles in the second half of the Kay Yow Spring Game, but still needs to shed some of his listed 352 pounds to be more effective. "All the freshman, including [defensive end] Terrell Dawkins, you can see why we recruited them," Patrick said. "We just have to keep sharpening those knives up and get them better, and in position to help us win ball games." ■ Xavier Lyas waited and waited and waited. Seven games into the 2018 season, the 6-4, 235-pounder had yet to get his name called and see the field. He finally made his NC State debut in the 47-28 win over Florida State Nov. 3, and the defensive end responded with two sacks. The Wolfpack players and coaches erupted on the sidelines after his first sack, as if he made the game-winning play. They were that happy for the Plant City, Fla., native, who has watched those sacks and the coinciding reaction over and over. Lyas couldn't stop the tears when he first re-watched his sacks, and he replayed them at least 15 times within 48 hours of the game ending. "When I got up after making the play and looked at everybody, I was more happy that I made my teammates proud than getting the sack," Lyas said. "I've been here for two years and I was waiting for that opportunity every single day. I didn't give up and I didn't quit. "The coaches were so happy because I've been through a lot." The Pack coaching staff kept encouraging Lyas during the stretch he wasn't playing. "The coaches have always said I had great potential, but it's just me coming to work every day," Lyas said. "I finally got my opportunity to show what they've been wanting me to do and what I have been working every day for." Lyas went on to play the in each of the final six games of the season and he finished with four tackles, 2.5 sacks and one pass broken up in 82 defensive snaps. "I got to finally be on the field and with my brothers," Lyas said. "I finally got to play with my family." Lyas was a late bloomer in the sport of football, partly because he went from 5-11 to 6-4 his junior year. He went out for the first time his junior year and had 15 tackles with two sacks for Durant High, and then impressed at NC State's camp in June 2016. He subsequently committed and went on to notch 65 tackles and three sacks his senior year. "I just went out there and fell in love with it," Lyas said of playing football. NC State redshirted the lanky defensive end, and according to the official roster he gained 28 pounds his first year on campus, but the player himself said it was even more than that, not to mention the other skills he developed. "I just had raw talent," Lyas said this spring. "I probably came in at 200 pounds and now I'm at 241 pounds. I had to work on my flexibility and bending the corner." Lyas comes from a military family and he thought that would be his future at some point. He was born in Fayetteville, N.C., and then moved to South Korea for two years before returning to Fort Bragg when he was around 4 years old. He eventually moved to Florida, where he lived in Tampa and Valrico before his family settled down in Plant City. "They wanted me to establish friends that could be with me for the rest of my life," Lyas said. "Me moving around, I had to make new friends, and I wasn't good at making new friends. "It was time to stay in one place and live out my childhood." NC State will be thrilled if Lyas can continue to emerge as a pass-rushing force at defen - sive end. He wants defensive line coach Kevin Patrick to trust him on the field even more after seeing double-digit snaps in four of the final six games of 2018. "I'm just ready to move forward and to take that job seriously," Lyas said. "I have to get bigger, be more focused and get my IQ up. I need to get my first two steps into the ground when I stay low." — Jacey Zembal Lyas (left) recorded a pair of sacks in his NC State debut versus Florida State last season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN Quick Facts Position Coach: Kevin Patrick (third season) Returning Starters: DT Larrell Murchison (13 career starts) and DE James Smith- Williams (12) Starters Lost: DT Eurndraus Bryant (20) and DE Darian Roseboro (14) FYI: Athlon ranked the NCSU defensive line fifth in the ACC … Fifth-year senior end James Smith-Williams was selected third-team All-ACC by Athlon this preseason … Alim McNeil was tabbed as a Freshman All-American by 247Sports in 2018 … Last year, fifth-year senior defensive tackle Larrell Murchison earned the team's Cary Brewbaker Award for Defensive Lineman of the Year and the Alpha Wolf Rising Award, which is given to the Most Improved Player … Redshirt sophomore defensive end Ibrahim Kante has put on almost 50 pounds since arriving at NC State in the summer of 2017, and stands 6-4, 250 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. ■ By The Numbers 3 Rivals.com four-star defensive line prospects have been signed in the last two years — Alim McNeill in the class of 2018, plus C.J. Clark and Joshua Harris in the class of 2019. All three were listed among the website's top 250 overall recruits nationally. 24 Sacks by the defensive line last year for NC State, only 3.5 of which have de- parted. The rest of the squad accounted for just 11. 131.5 Yards per game average by opposing rushing attacks in 2018, which ranked 29th nationally. Getting To Know: Xavier Lyas