The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER TRACKING THE PACK BY THE NUMBERS Sponsored by Colony Tire & Service www.colonytire.com PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS 2 Former Wolfpack players made The Ath- letic's countdown of the top 50 pending NFL unrestricted free agents for 2021: quarterback Philip Rivers checked in at No. 19 overall and third among quarterbacks, while of- fensive lineman Joe Thuney — who the New Eng- land Patriots franchise tagged last offseason and had not allowed a sack or even a quarterback hit through the first eight games of 2020 — was listed two spots lower, at No. 21 (fourth among offensive linemen). "There's no perfect place to put Rivers on a list like this," NFL expert Sheil Kapadia wrote. "If we go by annual salary, only [Cowboys quarterback Dak] Prescott is likely to make more. If we go by where he ranks compared to peers at his position, he belongs lower. … If the Colts win the AFC South, they'll likely be motivated to keep Rivers. Another one-year deal could make sense for both sides." 7 Times former NC State wide receiver Torry Holt has been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame modern-era semifi- nalist list. Holt, who played with the St. Louis Rams from 1999-2008 and suited up his final season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009, has made the list of 25 every year since 2015. Only two players on the list have been named semifinalists more times than Holt: former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety John Lynch (nine) and for- mer Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Tasker (eight). Fifteen from the list will become finalists that are presented to the selection committee on "Se- lection Saturday," the day before Super Bowl LV. Between four and eight new Hall of Famers will be announced Feb. 6. 19th Is NC State's standing in CBS Sports' All-Time Greatest College Basketball Program Rankings that were released in November 2020. The list was based on weighted score values for various accomplishments such as national championships, regular-season conference titles and overall wins since 1938-39. The Wolfpack was fifth among ACC programs with a total score of 671.6. NC State's two national championships (guard MOE RIVERS cutting down the net after the 1974 title is pictured below), three Final Four appearances, seven regular-season conference titles and 346 weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 helped the program earn the prestigious standing. 90.7 Is the Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade (out of 100) through 11 games for junior nose tackle Alim McNeill. As of Dec. 9, his mark ranked higher than any other defender in a Power Five conference with at least 175 snaps played (McNeill logged 488). The 6-2, 320-pounder had 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack in the regular season. He also has one forced fumble, a fumble recovery and one interception, which he returned for an 18-yard touchdown in the 38-20 road win over Virginia. McNeill has already announced he'll turn pro early. 2nd Is NC State's national ranking in the final U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Poll of the 2020 fall segment as of Nov. 24. The Wolfpack returned to the No. 2 spot for the first time since 2016 following its fifth straight ACC title. Fifth-year senior DOMINIQUE CLAIRMONTE (left) placed first individu- ally in the conference meet and senior HANNAH STEELMAN (right) finished third to lead the Wolfpack to its sixth con- ference championship under head coach Laurie Henes. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS