The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
JULY/AUGUST 2024 ■ 25 receiver was the clear focal point of NC State's offense. Concepcion recorded at least 72 offensive yards in each of the team's final eight games, scored a pair of touchdowns in four of those matchups and racked up a career-high 186 total yards in a win over North Carolina. He lined up in the slot, out wide and in the backfield. NC State asked a lot of the freshman, and he continued to perform. This offseason, he's working on his durability. "It takes a lot of energy, it takes a lot of body care to go through what he did last year," NC State coach Dave Doeren said. "At the end of the year, he was pretty worn out. He wants to be able to sustain his best level of performance week after week." Concepcion is listed at 5-foot-11, 187 pounds on NC State's offseason roster. That's seven pounds above his listed weight at this time a year ago, and Do- eren said numbers don't fully reflect the physical transformation that Con- cepcion has undergone since the end of last season. "His body is different," the coach explained. "He has worked hard in the weight room. He's a bigger version of what he was last year. It may not appear it, but he is. He has definitely put on lean muscle, and he's stronger, and that will help him, not only with durability, but in his blocking and things without the ball." Offensive coordinator Robert Anae has seen this story before. In his 37 years of coaching, the Wolfpack inside receiv- ers coach has watched players star as freshmen then fail to replicate that suc- cess the following season. He praised Concepcion's breakout 2023 campaign, calling it "amazing" how he outperformed other NC State receivers who had been with the pro- gram for years. The players who do not continue their upward trajectory typi- cally do not have the same urgency they did when they were younger. It's almost time to see the results of Concepcion's offseason work, and Anae is eager for his return to action. "I do believe the results will be the barom- eter," he said. 'A Modern-Day Reggie Bush' Ferebee believes Concepcion's love for the game separates him from many other players. Some high school athletes play for glamor, Ferebee said, but the NC State star just loves football. The former Chambers coach, who is now at Matthews (N.C.) Butler High, compared him to one of the greatest college football players of all time. "He's a modern-day Reggie Bush- type of kid," Ferebee said. Concepcion makes defenders miss with his quickness, but he will not hesi- tate to run through a defender either. In high school, he played both sides of the ball at times and dominated on special teams. NC State knows that next-level work ethic and intensity make him special. "I think that's part of his DNA, and it's our job to remind him of that, obvi- ously," Doeren said. "But that's what makes a guy that's his size bigger — his toughness and his grit, and he has that. That's one of his strengths, so he has to play to that." Ferebee has high hopes for Concep- cion's second year in Raleigh. He will likely make the preseason All-ACC squad and could garner some All- America hype. His former coach sees even greater potential for the sophomore. Said Fere- bee, "I think there are some things that they've done at NC State to showcase his talent that are going to put him in those conversations about the Bilet- nikoff [Award] and maybe the Heisman before it's all said and done." ■ " He has worked hard in the weight room. He's a bigger version of what he was last year. It may not appear it, but he is. He has definitely put on lean muscle, and he's stronger, and that will help him. Dave Doeren on Concepcion