The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476803
TRACKING THE PACK 20 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY THE NUMBERS Sponsored by Colony Tire & Service www.colonytire.com PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS 5 Number of NC State football players named to the ACC's preseason all-conference team, as determined by a vote of 164 media members attending the league's Football Kickoff in July. Only Clemson had more, with six of its players selected. Leading the Wolfpack's parade of honorees was redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. In addition, NC State was represented by super senior center Grant Gibson, fourth-year junior linebacker Drake Thomas, redshirt junior linebacker Payton Wilson and super senior safety Tanner Ingle. 13th Was NC State's spot in the preseason As- sociated Press poll. It was the Wolfpack's first appearance in the preseason AP rank- ings since 2003, when the team was 16th to begin the season. The other three seasons in which the Pack opened as a ranked team were 1974 (18th), 1975 (13th) and 1993 (25th). NC State will be looking to get off to a better start than the '03 team did. While the Pack thrashed Western Carolina 59-20 to open the campaign, it followed with consecutive road losses at Wake Forest and Ohio State and finished the season unranked at 8-5. 81st Was JAMEESE JOSEPH'S ranking on TopDrawerSoccer's list of the top 100 players in collegiate women's soccer this year. The senior forward from Beltsville, Md., is coming off a 2021 season in which she led the Wolfpack with 9 goals and 20 points and was named to the second-team All-ACC squad. This year, she's a pre - season all-conference honoree. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN I think we're the only staff in the ACC that had all 10 assistants return. We had at one time the fewest number of players in the country in the portal leaving our roster. We had a lot of players return. All of those things are indicators that it's a great place not just to play, but to work. I'm very proud of that. It hasn't always been that way. It's taken time not just on my behalf, on the players' behalf, the coaches' behalf, the chemistry, getting it right. It's fun to be a part of that transformation, and I'm very proud of it. — DAVE DOEREN, head football coach, on the continuity within his program "All that's going to matter is how we perform on Saturdays. If we pre- pare each and every week like we're supposed to and perform the way we're supposed to and are capable of doing, I think this could raise the standards of this program tremendously." — DEVIN LEARY, redshirt junior quarterback, on the high expectations for the Wolfpack this year 19th Was redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary's place on ESPN.com's list of the top 100 players in college football this year. Coming off a 2021 season in which he threw for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns, Leary was the fourth quarterback on ESPN's list, trailing only Alabama's Bryce Young (second), Ohio State's C.J. Stroud (third) and USC's Caleb Williams (10th). Also making the list was fourth-year junior linebacker Drake Thomas at No. 82. A year ago, Thomas was first on the team and fourth in the ACC in tackles with 100. "Thomas has been a stalwart on the Wolfpack linebacker unit — one that players believe is the best in the country," ESPN noted. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS