The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1456098
TRACKING THE PACK 14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER NC State Director Of Athletics Boo Corrigan Receives Significant Honor Get ready to see NC State director of athletics Boo Cor- rigan on ESPN quite a bit this upcoming college football season. That's because Corrigan will be the chair of the College Football Playoff Management Committee, which ranks the teams in the official top 25 that determines who par- ticipates in the four-team playoff and in some cases who receives bids to the coveted New Year's Six bowls. Corrigan just served his first year on the committee. He will be replacing Iowa AD Gary Barta, who has served as the chair for the past two seasons. "I thoroughly enjoyed my first year on the committee," Corrigan said in a prepared statement. "It was a privilege to serve alongside the other members. I'm honored to be asked to serve as committee chair and look forward to working with an outstanding group of individuals who are deeply committed to college football." Corrigan is in his third season at the helm as NC State AD, having replaced Debbie Yow in 2019. He helped navigate the Wolfpack through the COVID-19 year with - out a budget shortfall, and NC State finished 23rd in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings last season, its second- highest placement in program history. The Wolfpack is ranked 16th in this year's Directors' Cup after the fall, largely on the strength of women's cross country winning the department's first NCAA title since the famous 1983 Cardiac Pack men's basketball squad prevailed in the NCAA Tournament. Corrigan also recently announced a $15 million renova - tion of NC State's Doak Field for the baseball program, which is coming off a College World Series appearance and received preseason top-10 rankings. — Matt Carter ■ RED AND WHITE NOTEBOOK Corrigan will serve as the chair of the College Football Playoff Management Committee in 2022. PHOTO BY RYAN TICE CHARTING THE PACK Pack Pros Have Played In Nine Straight Super Bowls Two NC State football alums, defensive tackle B.J. Hill and linebacker Germaine Pratt, started for Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI. The Bengals lost a 23-20 thriller against the Los Angeles Rams in a game that was played in Los Angeles. It marked the ninth consecutive Super Bowl in which at least one former NC State player participated. Super Bowl Player Team Result (Opponent) LVI B.J. Hill Cincinnati Bengals L, 23-20 (Rams) Germaine Pratt Cincinnati Bengals LV Ted Larsen Tampa Bay Buccaneers W, 31-9 (Chiefs) LIV Dontae Johnson San Francisco 49ers L, 31-20 (Chiefs) Kentavius Street San Francisco 49ers LIII Joe Thuney New England Patriots W, 13-3 (Rams) LII Joe Thuney New England Patriots L, 41-33 (Eagles) LI Jacoby Brissett New England Patriots W, 34-28 (Falcons) Joe Thuney New England Patriots L Jerricho Cotchery Carolina Panthers L, 24-10 (Broncos) XLIX Stephen Hauschka Seattle Seahawks L, 28-24 (Patriots) J.R. Sweezy Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks XLV III Stephen Hauschka Seattle Seahawks W, 43-8 (Broncos) J.R. Sweezy Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks Nate Irving Denver Broncos L, 43-8 (Seahawks) Three NC State Players Headed To NFL Combine NFL Combine invites were officially an- nounced in February, and three NC State football players will be in Indianapolis March 1-7 for the showcase event. They are offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, running back Zonovan Knight and punter Trenton Gill. Ekwonu is the headliner of the three. SportsBettingDime.com has him with the fourth-best odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has Ekwonu going with the third overall pick to the Giants in a projected trade with the Houston Texans. ESPN's Todd McShay and Pro Football Focus have Ekwonu going one pick later to the New York Jets. In 2021, Ekwonu became only the third unanimous consensus first-team All-American at NC State, joining center Jim Ritcher in 1979 and defensive end Bradley Chubb in 2017. Ekwonu was one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, an honor given to the na - tion's top lineman. He was also the recipient of the ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy, the first winner from NC State football since Ritcher in 1979. Ekwonu finished the regular season with 67 pancake blocks and 18 knockdowns, and was a two-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week. The 6-4, 320-pounder allowed just two sacks in 829 snaps. Knight was a first-team All-ACC selection as a specialist. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, and finished the year with an average of 34.4 yards on his 16 returns. That was the best mark of any Power Five returner. Knight's career kickoff return average of 35.2 yards is also a school record. Knight was also honorable mention All-ACC as a running back after carrying 140 times for 753 yards and three scores, and mak - ing 21 receptions for 156 yards. He finished his career with 419 rushes for 2,286 yards, averaging an NC State football record of 5.45 yards per rush, edging out the mark held by Roland Hooks since 1974. Knight's 3,546 career all-purpose yards are the 10th most in school history. Gill, who will receive his master's degree in the spring, was also first-team All-ACC after pinning 30 punts inside the 20, nine more than any other kicker in the conference. The former walk-on averaged 44.4 yards on his 65 attempts during the season. Gill's career average of 45.8 yards per punt is an NC State football record, breaking Johnny Evans' mark of 44.0 yards that had stood since 1977. — Matt Carter