The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JULY/AUGUST 2022 ■ 31 Finding New Runners BY MATT CARTER N C State offensive coordinator Tim Beck is not oblivious to the amount of produc- tion lost at the running back position. Zonovan "Bam" Knight and Ricky Person both left with eligibility remaining to try to make the NFL. Collectively, the duo accounted for 1,389 of NC State's 1,512 team rushing yards last season and all but three of the Pack's 11 rushing touchdowns. They also made 49 receptions, including two for scores "Ricky was a really good leader for us and brought a lot of physicality, a lot of toughness to the offense," Beck said. "Bam was a talented back. We have to replace 50 catches. We have to replace 1,400 yards rushing. We've got to find that somewhere. How do we do that?" Fourth-year junior Jordan Houston is well prepared to assume some of that responsibility. As a true freshman in 2019, Hous- ton split carries with Knight while Person was injured and ran 101 times for 526 yards and 2 scores. "This is his time. Sometimes they've got to wait," Beck noted. "While you wait, make sure you're working, you're preparing, you're learning so that when your time comes, you're ready. I feel like that with Jordan." Beyond Houston is far less experience. Sophomore Demie Sumo-Karngbaye excites Beck with his poten- tial. Fourth-year redshirt sophomore Delbert Mimms III is a physical back, and true freshman Michael Allen was an On3 Consensus four-star pickup. Walk-on Demarcus Jones II could be a wildcard. "They could probably all play for us — it's just hard to split it up," Beck noted. "As long as we stay healthy … we are going to play the guy who produces, whoever that may be. "That's going to be a great fall battle." RUNNING BACKS BY THE NUMBERS 5 Games that Jordan Houston led the Pack in rushing yards during his true freshman season in 2019, including four of the eight ACC contests. 99 th Where NC State finished in yards rushing per game last season (126.2) among 130 teams in the FBS. 940 Career total yards rushing and receiving for Houston – 752 on the ground and 188 in the air. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART STARTER No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 3 Jordan Houston Jr. 5-10 192 Walford, Md. RESERVES No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 34 Delbert Mimms III R-So. 5-11 215 Indianapolis, Ind. 0 Demie Sumo-Karngbaye So. 6-0 210 Willingboro, N.J. WAITING IN THE WINGS 24 Michael Allen Fr. 5-9 200 Greenville, N.C. 22 Micah Crowell R-Fr. 6-1 215 Winston-Salem, N.C. 28 Demarcus Jones II R-So. 5-10 210 Wake Forest, N.C. ■ POSITIONAL GRADES ★★★★ Among country's best; ★★★ Among ACC's best; ★★ Solid or has potential; ★ Too unproven STARTER ★★ Fourth-year junior Jordan Houston immediately im- pressed coaches when he arrived for his first fall camp, and he proved a quick success on the field. However, over the past two seasons Houston gave way to the duo of Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person, and between those two seasons Houston accumulated just 62 rushes for 226 yards and three scores. EXPERIENCE ★★ Although his carries were limited the last two sea- sons, Houston still has played a role for three years at NC State and has 163 career rushes for 752 yards. He is no stranger to the offense or playing in ACC games. Af- ter Houston, however, there are just 6 combined carries in the Wolfpack offense. DEPTH ★½ Although the offensive coaches have been particularly excited about the potential of sophomore Demie Sumo- Karngbaye, he only played on special teams in five games last season. Fourth-year redshirt sophomore Delbert Mimms III's only carries have come in lopsided games. While potentially talented, the group is unproven. OVERALL GRADE ★★ The position group as a whole may actually be an upgrade in athleticism and versatility over their pre- decessors. Houston and freshman Michael Allen were prized for their speed and quickness. Hous- ton, Allen and Sumo-Karngbaye have more prior experience in the passing game than Knight and Person did coming to NC State. However, they must prove that can be trans- lated to success in the fall. SPOTLIGHT PLAYER SOPHOMORE DEMIE SUMO-KARNGBAYE On a veteran-loaded roster last year, only one member of the 2021 sign- ing class played enough games to burn his redshirt — running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, who may have been one of the biggest sleepers signed in that class. Sumo-Karngbaye was a playmaker at Willingboro (N.J.) High. He scored 21 touchdowns on 98 touches in 12 games as a junior, including 11 times on 64 carries that covered 648 yards. He also caught 21 passes for 430 yards and 8 scores that year. That is one score for every 4.7 touches. Yet Sumo-Karngbaye's other offers by the time he committed to the Wolfpack were Buffalo, Northern Illinois, Temple and Toledo. If NC State coaches are right, the Wolfpack is going to look smart by taking a chance on the 6-0, 210-pounder. Sumo-Karngbaye has an oppor - tunity to be a primary runner in 2022 alongside fourth-year junior Jordan Houston. "I think Demie has a chance to be really special, just because he's all- purpose," NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck stated. "He can do pretty much everything. "He's big enough to run inside and block. He's got really good hands. He's elusive and quick enough and strong enough to be an outside runner. He's not as fast as Jordan, but he's hard to tackle. He runs really low to the ground." DEMIE SUMO-KARNGBAYE PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS