The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1436409
TRACKING THE PACK 16 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Several Key Players To Return For 2022 Football Season When The Wolfpacker went to press Dec. 8, a few football players still had yet to announce their plans for next year, but a handful of their teammates had already said they will return to NC State for another season. The definite returners are headlined by redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary, who threw for 3,433 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns in the regular season, and first-team All-ACC defensive tackle Cory Durden, a redshirt junior transfer from Florida State who took over as the starting nose tackle when C.J. Clark was lost for the year in week three and finished with 31 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. Others who will be back for the fall of 2022 include senior safety Cyrus Fagan, who like Durden transferred from Florida State but was injured early this fall; red- shirt junior linebacker Isaiah Moore, who was named honorable mention All-ACC despite missing the final five contests due to a knee injury; redshirt junior corner- back Derrek Pitts Jr., the transfer from Marshall who started 11 games; and redshirt junior center Grant Gibson, who has started every game over the last three seasons. All six should slide into expected starting roles next season if they're healthy. The only Wolfpacker who has not run out of eligibility but will definitely turn pro, as of Dec. 7, is running back Ricky Person Jr. Sophomore offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu is a projected first-round pick, so it would be a shocker if he returned. Other players who could move on include sophomore running back Zonovan Knight, redshirt junior wideout Thayer Thomas, redshirt sophomore wideout Devin Carter, redshirt junior offensive lineman Bryson Speas, redshirt junior defensive end Ibrahim Kante, redshirt junior linebacker Vi Jones, redshirt sophomore line- backer Payton Wilson, junior safety Tanner Ingle, junior nickel Tyler Baker-Williams, redshirt junior punter Trenton Gill and junior kicker Christopher Dunn. However, several of those names, including Wilson, are expected to return. TheWolf- packer.com will be tracking players in real time as they announce their intentions. ■ RED AND WHITE NOTEBOOK First-team All-ACC defensive tackle Cory Durden is among the starters who have already announced their return for next fall. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Six From Football Named First-Team All-ACC The Wolfpack boasted eight All-ACC selections (not counting honorable mentions) this fall, a total that tied for third in the league. But more impressively, NC State had the most first-team performers in the conference, with six. That tied Dave Doeren's 2018 squad for the Pack's highest tally in a season since 1992. Tackle Ikem Ekwonu, winner of the ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy for the conference's best offensive lineman according to league head coaches and defensive coordinators, was the team's lone first-team offensive honoree. The Pack placed three players on the first-team defense, a total that trailed only Clemson's four. Linebacker Drake Thomas was the second-leading point getter in the voting on that side of the ball, and was joined on the first team by safety Tanner Ingle and defensive tackle Cory Durden. Thomas ranked fourth in the ACC and led the team with 100 tackles. He also posted team highs with 13.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and three interceptions. Mean- while, Ingle ranked second on the squad with 82 stops, and Dur- den notched 31 tackles, with 3.5 sacks and seven hurries. Two of the league's three honored specialists also represented NC State — punter Trenton Gill and returner Zonovan Knight. Gill tied for first in the league with a 45.1-yard average and had nine more punts placed inside the 20 than anybody else (31), while Knight led the conference by nearly seven yards and ranked No. 1 nationally in average kickoff return (34.4). He ran two back 100 yards for touchdowns, becoming only the second player in school history to have two such returns in a career. Wrestling Signs What Will Be Its Fifth Top-10 Class In Seven Years Wrestling recruiting class rankings are never released until classes are finalized in the late spring, but it's safe to say head coach Pat Popolizio has inked another top-10 group, which will mark the pro- gram's third straight and fifth in the last seven cycles. Saying the class will finish among the nation's top 10 is a con- servative prediction. This year's crop features four consensus national top-25 recruits according to the sport's two major outlets, MatScouts and FloWrestling, and an additional top-100 prospect according to both: 141/149-pounder Finn Solomon — No. 72 Flo, No. 86 MatScouts 149 Jackson Arrington — No. 20 Flo, No. 21 MatScouts 174 Matty Singleton — No. 14 Flo, No. 11 MatScouts 184/197 Dylan Fishback — No. 5 Flo, No. 9 MatScouts 285 Chase Horne — No. 22 Flo, No. 23 MatScouts Pennsylvania state placer and 125-pounder Troy Hohman also signed, and the group will continue to grow. The Pack's newcomers are largely viewed as the No. 2 class na- tionally based on who has signed so far, trailing only Ohio State, which inked the nation's top three overall prospects. The Wolfpack had the only class with four top-25 big-boarders according to MatScouts, and in Flo's rankings NC State and Ohio State were the only programs to ink more than two top-25 prospects. Popolizio is also off to a hot start in 2023 recruiting, with a handful of commits, including three top-200 prospects per MatScouts: No. 21 Koy Buesgens, No. 58 Jeremiah Price and No. 179 Jackson Baglio. — Ryan Tice