The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1153250
54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ›BY JACEY ZEMBAL N C State fifth-year senior defensive end James Smith-Williams was excited to learn he was a two-time "freak." Smith-Williams was ranked No. 27 on writer Bruce Feldman's list of college foot- ball freaks for 2018, and then rose up to No. 3 in the country in Feldman's latest in- stallment for The Athletic this summer. The former 195-pound nickel for the Wolfpack is now checking in as a 6-3, 265-pound defensive end, which is actually 10 pounds less than a year ago. This summer, the local standout from Raleigh Millbrook High did 27 bench press reps at 225 pounds, has a 40-inch vertical jump and ran an electronically timed 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash. His vertical would've tied for first among edge rushers and defensive linemen at the 2019 NFL Combine, while his 40 would have been the fastest among linemen and fourth among edge rushers. "That's awesome," Smith-Williams said of the No. 3 ranking. "I had an idea it was coming, but to go from No. 27 to No. 3 — I'm appreciative to Bruce Feldman for writing that about me. "I think it was deserved and it is awe- some recognition." Smith-Williams had clocked a 4.53 40- yard dash at NC State's summer camp in June 2014, but he was around 196 pounds then. The former Rivals.com two-star pros- pect had 146 tackles, 36 stops for loss and 19 sacks his senior year at defensive end. NC State and Boston College were his lone Power Five offers. "I probably have gained 70-80 pounds [since high school]," Smith-Williams said. "It's a huge deal. You take care of your body, it will take care of you. What you put in is what it will put out." Smith-Williams compiled 37 total stops, 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks last sea- son in his first year as a starter. This offsea- son he also earned the honor of the donning the No. 1 jersey, special recognition head coach Dave Doeren has given one member of the team every year since 2014. A few more freaks could be in the NCSU pipeline coming up. Sophomore defensive tackle Alim McNeill, listed at 6-2 and 315 pounds, joined the 600-pound squat club in August. Smith-Williams has also known about 6-4, 262-pound redshirt freshman defen- sive end Joseph Boletepeli, who attended Millbrook High his first three years before transferring to Wake Forest (N.C.) Heri- tage, for a long time. Boletelpeli was given the team's Future Wolf Award, which is given to the top underclassman for his work in the offseason. "I was a senior and he was a freshman at Millbrook," Smith-Williams said. "He is a good kid. He has come on strong. He is an awesome guy and wants to learn the defense." Wolfpack Offense Expected To Use Committee Of Running Backs Head coach Dave Doeren expects to use a running back by committee approach in replacing the departed Reggie Gallaspy. Gallaspy rushed 228 times for 1,091 yards and 18 touchdowns in a storybook senior year, in which he played through WOLFPACK FOOTBALL James Smith-Williams Takes 'Freak' Tag In Stride Bruce Feldman of The Athletic ranked Smith-Williams No. 3 in the nation on his 2019 college football freaks list. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN