The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1389905
JULY/AUGUST 2021 ■ 31 RUNNING BACKS A Stacked Room BY JUSTIN H. WILLIAMS F or the second season in a row, NC State returns its top three rush- ers from the previous campaign. Sophomore Zonovan "Bam" Knight not only led the team in rushing yards last fall, he tallied the most among ACC running backs that are returning this fall. The 5-11, 210-pounder ran for 788 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and a team-high 10 touchdowns. He also reeled in 20 receptions for 136 yards and returned 14 kicks for 373 yards, including a 100-yard runback to the house against Miami. Junior Ricky Person Jr. was the second-leading rusher. On a team- high 147 carries, he gained 643 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. He also caught 18 balls for 136 yards. After dealing with nagging injuries in his first two seasons, Person was able to stay on the field and appeared in every contest for the first time in his career. Sophomore Jordan Houston may be one of the most proven third options in the country. The 5-10, 190-pounder averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a rookie in 2019, and has rushed for 669 yards and five scores on 143 attempts (4.7-yard average), plus hauled in 29 career receptions. Despite the talent in the running backs room, NC State finished 12th in the ACC and 1 0 7 t h n a - tionally with 122.5 rushing yards per game last fall. Improving the results in the ground game is one of the primary offseason objectives for second-year coordinator Tim Beck. SPOTLIGHT PLAYER SOPHOMORE ZONOVAN "BAM" KNIGHT Sophomore Zonovan Knight, a product of Southern Nash High in Bailey, N.C., was considered the No. 21 running back in the country and a four-star prospect in the 2019 class by Rivals.com. In each of his first two seasons at the college level, he led the Wolfpack in rushing yards, all-purpose yards, yards per carry and rushing touchdowns. He's also earned his nickname "Bam." According to Pro Football Focus, the 5-11, 210-pounder gained 61.7 percent of his 788 rushing yards after contact in 2020. Knight's 486 rushing yards after contact were the most in 2020 among returning ACC ball carriers. His average of 3.4 yards after contact per rush ranked 15th nationally among carriers with at least 125 attempts last fall. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART STARTER No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 7 Zonovan Knight So. 5-11 210 Bailey, N.C. RESERVES 8 Ricky Person Jr. Jr. 6-1 222 Wake Forest, N.C. 3 Jordan Houston So. 5-10 190 Waldorf, Md. 34 Delbert Mimms III R-Fr. 5-11 220 Indianapolis 6 Trent Pennix R-So. 6-3 236 Raleigh WAITING IN THE WINGS 26 Demie Sumo Fr. 6-0 200 Willingboro, N.J. ■ POSITIONAL GRADES ★★★★ Among country's best; ★★★ Among ACC's best; ★★ Solid or has potential; ★ Too unproven STARTERS: ★★★ Sophomore Zonovan Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. are arguably the best run- ning back duo in the ACC this fall. The Wolfpack's running backs unit was ranked first in the ACC in Phil Steele's 2021 College Football Preview. Athlon awarded both of the Pack's primary ball carriers preseason All-ACC honors, with Knight on the first team and Person on the fourth team. DEPTH: ★★★½ Knight and Person aren't the only two backs capable of producing in the run game. Sophomore Jordan Houston has five career starts and was the Pack's second-leading rusher in 2019 with 526 yards. Redshirt freshman Delbert Mimms III and redshirt sophomore Trent Pennix also provide more-than-capable options for carries. EXPERIENCE: ★★★ Excluding Person, the rest of the position group would be considered underclass- men after last year's frozen year of eligibility. Despite the appearance of youth on paper, the running backs room has a combined 27 career starts. The top three have rushed for 3,545 career yards and 29 touchdowns. OVERALL: ★★★ The talent at running back will be one of the Wolfpack's strengths this season. Knight and Person are proven running backs that will compete for all-conference honors, and the Pack has a room full of talented reserves that can pitch and help out of the backfield this fall. BY THE NUMBERS .28 Is sophomore Zonovan Knight's career broken tackles per rush attempt average, which ranks tied for seventh among active Football Bowl Subdi- vision running backs with at least 75 carries per Pro Football Focus. 22nd Is NC State's preseason ranking among running back units nation- ally in Phil Steele's 2021 College Football Preview. 84.2 Was Knight's season offensive grade according to Pro Football Focus, which led the team, and ranked fifth in the ACC and 22nd in the Power Five among running backs with at least 50 carries. PHOTO BY DENNIS NETT, SYRACUSE.COM