The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1502339
36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Next Man Up BY MATT CARTER F or most of the past three seasons, there have been two consis- tent themes to the NC State linebacker corps: three standout starters and the injury bug. For the first time since taking over as NC State's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2020, Tony Gibson cannot count on rolling out a trio of Isaiah Moore, Drake Thomas and Payton Wilson, when healthy. Moore exhausted his eligibility, and Thomas turned pro early. However, Moore missed half of the 2021 season with a knee in- jury, and Wilson was forced to sit out almost the entire campaign. Both Thomas and Wilson did not play in the 2020 Gator Bowl loss to Kentucky, and Wilson also missed a pair of games last season. In their place, other linebackers gained experience, notably super senior Jaylon Scott and fourth-year junior Devon Betty. Scott has started nine games in his Wolfpack career and played in 43 contests overall. Betty started four times in 2021, when he finished the year with 39 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. He played every game last year. Betty will likely replace Moore in the middle, while the versatile Scott is the leading contender to take over Thomas' spot in the defense. "I feel really good about those two," Gibson stated. The X-factor in the linebacker room may be redshirt sophomore Caden Fordham, whom NC State head coach Dave Doeren noted is battling for a starting job. Fordham played primarily special teams last year. LINEBACKERS Other candidates to add depth include fourth- year redshirt sophomore Jayland Parker, redshirt sophomore Jordan Poole and promising freshman Kamal Bonner, who impressed in the spring after enrolling early. "It's going to be hard to replace Drake and Isa- iah," Gibson conceded. "But I think that we have some depth, and we may need to use four, five, six guys." ■ POSITIONAL GRADES ★★★★ Among country's best; ★★★ Among ACC's best; ★★ Solid or has potential; ★ Too unproven STARTERS ★★½ If healthy, super senior Payton Wilson, returning for his sixth season of eligibility, is an All-ACC candidate. He could even warrant All-America consideration if he plays up to his highest potential. The other projected starters — super senior Jaylon Scott and fourth-year junior Devon Betty — are both experienced but lack the proven playmaking capabilities of Wilson. EXPERIENCE ★★½ Wilson, Betty and Scott have all played a lot of football. But after that, the level of experi- ence outside of special teams work rapidly decreases. DEPTH ★★ There is genuine excitement among the NC State defensive coaches about the upside of redshirt sophomore Caden Fordham. With a strong fall camp, Fordham could push Scott for a starting job. However, there are larger questions about depth beyond Fordham. OVERALL GRADE ★★½ Health is the key here. A starting trio of Betty, Scott and Wilson can get the job done on a good defense, and Fordham brings added upside to the group. If there were a series of injuries at linebacker, though, the Pack could face big question marks. SPOTLIGHT PLAYER REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE CADEN FORDHAM One of the best parts of spring practice is when a player begins to fulfill the potential that the coaches saw in him. For Tony Gibson, NC State's defensive coor- dinator and linebackers coach, there was a shining example of that in 2023. "Caden Fordham really came on," Gibson said. "It's going to be hard to keep him off the field." The redshirt sophomore was a special teams mainstay last year and finished with 5 tackles. He got his feet wet the year before while preserving his redshirt, playing in three games and assisting on 3 hits. With the departure from the linebacker corps of longtime starters Isaiah Moore and Drake Thomas, an opportunity has arrived for Fordham. The 6-1, 228-pounder has the genes. His father, Todd Fordham, was a four-year letterman on the offensive line at Florida State and then played 10 years in the NFL, including a stint with the Carolina Panthers. PROJECTED DEPTH CHART STARTERS No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 26 Devon Betty Jr. 6-1 225 Carver Ranches, Fla. 2 Jaylon Scott Sr. 6-1 225 Shelby, N.C. 11 Payton Wilson R-Sr. 6-4 242 Hillsborough, N.C. RESERVES No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 10 Caden Fordham R-So. 6-1 228 Ponte Vedra, Fla. 27 Jayland Parker R-So. 6-1 215 Macon, Ga. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 34 Kamal Bonner Fr. 6-2 200 Moultrie, Ga. — Rohan Davy Fr. 5-9 195 Silver Spring, Md. 33 Jordan Poole R-So. 6-0 225 Oakboro, N.C. — Kelvon McBride Fr. 6-3 210 Mobile, Ala. 31 Daejuan Thompson R-Fr. 6-2 200 Whiteville, N.C. 42 Torren Wright R-Fr. 6-2 217 Kannapolis, N.C. BY THE NUMBERS 5 Where Phil Steele ranks the linebacker unit in the ACC. 24 Tackles needed for Jaylon Scott to reach 100 for his career. 264 Career tackles for Pay- ton Wilson. The super senior needs 78 tackles to tie Oli- ver Hoyte for 10th most in program history. PAYTON WILSON PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP