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noted that he "just dropped all the high
school stuff" and instead focused simply
on working hard. He strived to become
more consistent as a sophomore. And he
was able to brush off what happened at
Wake Forest.
Next Man Up At Receiver
"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," wide receiv-
ers coach and co-offensive coordinator
George McDonald said. "I think [Emezie]
was around a lot of really good players that
taught him a lot and showed him the way."
One of those receivers was Kelvin Har-
mon, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard sea-
sons at NC State before leaving early for the
NFL Draft. Harmon was picked in the sixth
round by the Washington Redskins.
Harmon wore No. 3 while Emezie had
No. 86 over the past two years, but the
latter wasn't keen on keeping that number
forever. Harmon wanted Emezie to take
his No. 3.
Emezie had some hesitancy because he
is his own person, but ultimately decided,
"Why not?"
In addition to assuming No. 3 this fall,
Emezie is the likely face of a receiving
corps that also lost 1,000-yard producer Ja-
kobi Meyers early to the NFL and veteran
Emezie reeled in 53 receptions for 616 yards and five scores during his sophomore campaign last fall.
PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN
