The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472609
JULY/AUGUST 2022 ■ 29 BY ETHAN MCDOWELL t only took a couple of plays for graduate transfer Cory Durden to make his presence felt in the NC State starting lineup. The first piv- otal moment of the defensive line- man's debut season with the Wolf- pack came on his second snap in last year's victory over Clemson. Durden lined up across from Clemson's center, an opponent he remembered from prospect camps in high school. The de- fensive tackle blew past him, easily shed- ding his block and hitting Tigers quarter- back DJ Uiagalelei. From that moment on, Durden said the game, and even the season, felt like a dream. "When I hit him, I just told him, 'It's going to be a long game,'" Durden re- called. "The rest of the season was his- tory. I had my confidence." Turns out, each opposing quarterback Durden and the NC State defense went up against for the rest of the season was in for a similarly rough day. A versatile lineman who can play inside or outside, Durden became a fixture on the NC State defensive front. He started the final seven games of the sea- son following an injury to starting nose tackle C.J. Clark and posted 31 tackles and 3.5 sacks. " We t h o u g h t he was going to be that kind of player," defensive coordina- tor Tony Gibson said, reflecting on last season. "We just didn't know he could be that kind of player that quickly." The lineman's play as a key member of a dominant defense led to first-team All- ACC honors, and he also earned a spot on the ACC All-Academic team in 2021. Durden assumed a leading role in the NC State defense just a few months after transferring from Florida State. Prior to his decision to leave the school, he played Clemson four times, and none of those games went well for the lineman. He credits God and his faith for the jour- ney to get to where he was on that Sep- tember afternoon and also recognizes he was in a completely different place physi- cally and mentally than he was in the past. "Everything about me was different, and I realized that after the game," Durden said. "My mental state was different from where I was in the past, and my body felt different. I had confidence in my team- mates, and it all showed on the field." The four-star recruit out of Newberry, Fla., redshirted as a freshman, and then saw action in 12 games in 2018 and made 15 starts in the two seasons that followed. Durden is not a big social media guy, other than his Instagram profile. He doesn't read Twitter and refers to Face- book as "Family-book." Because of that, he has been able to avoid some of the noise surrounding NC State's 2022 prospects. That does not mean he is unaware of the hopes and expectations surrounding him and the Wolfpack this season. He has been a part of hyped teams before. During his freshman year, the Seminoles started out as the preseason No. 3 team in the As- sociated Press poll before finishing with a 7-6 record. Durden said that experience taught him lessons that will help him at NC State this year. "I've been in situations where I've been surrounded by hype, and I let it overtake my mind," he said. "Being a seasoned player who has been somewhere else and then came here, I understand that, and I'm able to help my teammates with it." Durden said the team has the right mindset to handle the hype. From top to bottom, on both sides of the ball, this team is stacked with experience. In order to maximize that potential, Durden knows the Pack has to be prepared to work. "We've got the possibility of being the best defense in the country, but if we don't come to work every day and do what we're supposed to, all we're going to be is a possibility," Durden said. The lineman's focus is clear, and head coach Dave Doeren appreciated Durden's mentality from when he first arrived on campus last year. "He didn't come in here with an ego or 'I'm all this,'" Doeren said. "It was more like, 'I'm thankful to be here, and what can I do to help?' His mindset was re- freshing." Durden is poised to lead the Wolfpack from the center of a defense that is pro- jected to be among the nation's elite, and the entire squad is ready to put in the work necessary to make that happen. W h e n h e w a s a t F l o r i d a S ta te , h e wo u l d a t te n d player-led practices where almost no one showed up. At NC State, the competi- tion is so strong that if you aren't on time to m e e t i n gs, yo u could be out of a starting job. In the defensive line room alone, there are at least six athletes who could con- tribute this season. That competition is setting the tone for the rest of the year. "If you're late to workouts this week, you are not going to be the starter," Dur- den said. "That's how it goes, and every- body understands that." ■ I TACKLING EXPECTATIONS Cory Durden Is Ready To Help NC State's Defense Maximize Its Potential " We've got the possibility of being the best defense in the country, but if we don't come to work every day and do what we're supposed to, all we're going to be is a possibility. " Durden