The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY ETHAN MCDOWELL ev i n " KC " Co n ce p c i o n is unaccustomed to slow starts. He won the 2023 ACC Rookie of the Year award a f te r d o m i n a t i n g t h e league as NC State's do- it-all slot receiver. A few years prior, he had done much the same, emerging onto the North Carolina high school football scene as a freshman. Concepcion played varsity all four years at Chambers High in Charlotte. Eight games into his first season, the Cougars trailed Mooresville Lake Nor- man by two scores with two minutes remaining. The receiver caught a shal- low cross and turned upfield for a long touchdown. Chambers ended up recovering the ensuing onside kick, scoring again and pulling off the victory on its way to a 13-2 season. It was one of 43 victories that the Cougars amassed during Con- cepcion's four seasons, and it was the moment in which Glenwood Ferebee, Chambers' coach at the time, realized that the young receiver could be a dif- ference-maker. "That right there let me know that he was fearless, and the moment was never going to be too big for him," Fe- rebee said. NC State secured Concepcion's com- mitment over North Carolina the sum- mer before his senior year. He officially joined the Pack just a few months later and instantly established himself as one of the team's top playmakers. The rumblings that followed an im- pressive spring game turned into a roar by the Wolfpack's fourth contest of the 2023 season. Concepcion emerged as the team's No. 1 receiver in a 24-21 win over Virginia, with the freshman hauling in 6 passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. "It is definitely amazing," Con- cepcion said after the game. "I can't even put words on it, but best believe that ball is going to my mom." Everyone agrees: Concepcion loves the big moments. More often than not, he shows up in a huge way. After catching 71 passes for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman, the All-ACC receiver has be- come the face of NC State's program. He is one of the most well-known college football players in the country and will have the nation's eyes fixated on him this fall. For now, while everything is quiet and fall camp is still a month away, Concepcion is put- ting in the work be- hind the scenes to avoid a sophomore slump. 'His Body Is Different' By the middle of the 2023 season, the first-year Wolfpack K QUICK STRIKE Sophomore Receiver Kevin "KC" Concepcion Looks To Turbocharge NC State's Offense As a true freshman last fall, Concepcion ranked third in the ACC with 71 catches, while his 839 receiving yards were the league's fifth-most. PHOTO BY GREGG FORWERCK/ NC STATE ATHLETICS