The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1285691
30 ■ THE WOLFPACKER After the offensive line lost multiple start- ers to season-ending injuries throughout the front half of the schedule, the true freshman was called upon to be the next man up and moved into the starting lineup at left tackle for game six. "A lot of younger guys were forced to play," NC State offensive line coach John Garrison said. "If those in- juries didn't happen, Ickey probably wouldn't have gotten that experience. "It quickly became ap- parent that he was one of our best offensive linemen last year. As a true fresh- man, it's unheard of." The numbers back up Garrison's claim. In seven starts and 12 total appearances, Ekwonu earned the highest season-long of- fensive grade among all Wolfpack players with an 80.5 rating (out of 100) according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Of the 974 col- lege linemen who played at least 100 snaps in 2019, that mark tied for 50th nationally — and it wasn't far behind the 81.3 grade awarded to Louisville's Mekhi Becton, the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Ekwonu really shined in run blocking, where he led ACC offensive linemen who played at least 500 snaps with an 85.0 rating according to PFF. The outlet also noted he did not allow a sack in 369 pass-blocking plays and gave up a pressure rate of just 4.6 percent, which ranked fourth among fresh- man tackles who logged at least 100 snaps. Although three NC State blockers earned more snaps than Ekwonu's 640, he led the team with 37 pancake blocks last season. "He's extremely physical and his energy was just outstanding," Garrison said. "He's one of those guys that just took off." Following his breakout performance, Ekwonu was named a Freshman All-Amer- ica by the Football Writers Association of America and included on PFF's All-Fresh- man team. He also earned second-team All-ACC honors from PFF and was an All- ACC Academic performer after making the Dean's List with a 3.4 GPA while majoring in business management. Additionally, he shared the team's Philip Rivers Award for Most Valuable Freshman (with running back Zonovan Knight) and was the co-recipient of the Jim Ritcher Of- fensive Lineman of the Year Award (with guard Joshua Fedd-Jackson). Now an anticipated starter on a healthier and more ex- perienced line, he has ap- plied the same mindset of self-improvement this off- season after the success he found on and off of the field as a freshman. "I have worked a lot on my flexibility, like in pass blocking, and taking a lot of steps about two to three times a week," Ekwonu said. "I've just tried to get O-line related workouts in, so I can get better with the technical side of it. "That's pretty much all I did during the quarantine phase." On top of working on his individual game, he's also had to learn a new offensive system " It quickly became apparent that he was one of our best offensive line- men last year. As a true freshman, it's unheard of. " Offensive line coach John Garrison on Ekwonu Ekwonu led the Wolfpack with 37 pancake blocks last fall despite starting only seven games and being a rookie. He was named a Freshman All- American by the Football Writers Association of America and Pro Football Focus for his outstanding debut. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS