The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
JULY/AUGUST 2024 ■ 35 ❱ ❱ ❱ DEFENSIVE BACKS DEEP AND TALENTED BY ETHAN MCDOWELL A fter an eventful offseason, NC State's secondary looks like it could be the strength of the defense in 2024. Senior cornerback Aydan White is back for another season and is looking to earn All-ACC honors for a third consecutive year. In addition, there's plenty of hype around sophomore cornerback Brandon Cisse, who played almost exclusively in the Pack's dime package last season. Competition will be fierce in the Wolfpack secondary, especially at cornerback. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson expressed confidence in that group going into the summer, noting that the Pack is "deeper than we've been since I've been here." Gibson said he be- lieves NC State has four or five cornerbacks who are poised to contribute after adding a couple of key transfers. Cisse generated a lot of excitement behind the scenes with the way he attacked winter workouts and made an instant impact during spring practice. He will have to compete with some more-experienced defensive backs, but Cisse looks like the frontrunner to start op- posite White. "I feel like he's going to be one of the best corners in the country," Gibson said. In previous seasons, the Wolfpack had to move versatile safeties like graduate Devan Boykin around from game to game in order to fill holes created by injuries or other issues. The Wolfpack's defensive coordinator believes the team's depth has improved to the point where that won't be necessary this fall. With Boykin recovering from an ACL injury, the Pack knew it needed to add depth to complement senior Bishop Fitzgerald, so the staff welcomed Ja'Had Carter from Ohio State, KJ Martin from Akron and Donovan Kaufman from Auburn. They're all versatile and could likely play multiple spots, but Gibson sees Fitzgerald at strong safety. When healthy, Boykin can play anywhere. Kaufman will play free safety, Martin can play both safety positions and Carter will play either nickel or strong safety but could play any of the three spots. "The key for us is to be able to play five to six guys in that rotation— three safety spots," Gibson said. "And we feel like we can do that right now." ■ POSITIONAL GRADES ★★★★ Among country's best; ★★★ Among ACC's best; ★★ Solid or has potential; ★ Too unproven STARTERS ★★★★ Aydan White is one of the top cornerbacks in the country and has the accolades to back that up. There's plenty of hype around Brandon Cisse, and if that translates to competition this fall, the Pack will have one of the nation's best cornerback duos. Bishop Fitzgerald, Donovan Kaufman, Ja'Had Carter, KJ Martin and Devan Boykin will form a formidable rotation at safety as well. EXPERIENCE ★★★★ Cisse might be the only underclassman to see the field this fall. White has two seasons of starting experience with the Pack, Carter played rotation snaps with Ohio State last year and was a previously a multiyear starter at Syracuse, Kaufman was a contributor at Auburn, and Fitzgerald played both safety positions last fall. DEPTH ★★★★ Coordinator Tony Gibson said NC State is deeper at cornerback and safety than at any previous point in his tenure in Raleigh. For example, transfers Corey Coley Jr. and Devon Marshall are both starter-caliber defensive backs who might be the Pack's third and fourth cornerbacks this season. Freshman Ronnie Royal III and redshirt freshman Zack Myers are promising prospects at safety as well. OVERALL ★★★★ NC State's secondary should be the strength of the defense and perhaps the team. The Wolfpack has unprecedented depth at each position after recruiting the portal hard, and there's All-ACC and All-America potential throughout the squad. SPOTLIGHT PLAYER SENIOR CORNERBACK AYDAN WHITE White has 8 career interceptions and made the third-team All- ACC squad last year after being a first-team choice in 2022. He is a dominant player on the outside, and after a brief stint in the portal, he decided Raleigh was still the best place for him. His bonds with cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell and defensive coordinator Tony Gibson helped him reach that conclusion. "It was a group of guys that I felt like I just couldn't leave," White said. He will try to shut down his side of the field for his third season as a starter and fifth in Raleigh overall. BY THE NUMBERS 0 Number of career touchdown com- pletions allowed by Aydan White, per NC State. 124 Donovan Kaufman's career tackle total. 47.4 Completion percent- age (on 57 targets) against corner- back Devon Marshall when he was playing for Villanova last season. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP PROJECTED DEPTH CHART STARTERS No. Name (Pos.) Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 3 Aydan White (CB) Sr. 6-0 189 Asheville, N.C. 2 Brandon Cisse (CB) So. 6-0 182 Sumter, S.C. 5 Donovan Kaufman (S) Sr. 5-10 204 New Orleans 12 Devan Boykin (S) Gr. 5-10 195 Greensboro, N.C. 11 Ja'Had Carter (S) Sr. 6-1 205 Richmond, Va. RESERVES No. Name (Pos.) Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 19 Bishop Fitzgerald (S) Sr. 6-0 195 Woodbridge, Va. 6 Corey Coley Jr. (CB) Sr. 6-1 180 Jacksonvillle, Fla. 16 Devon Marshall (CB) Jr. 5-11 193 Boston, Mass. 19 KJ Martin (S) Gr. 6-2 195 Charleston, W.Va. 24 Zack Myers (S) R-Fr. 6-1 188 Arden, N.C. WAITING IN THE WINGS No. Name (Pos.) Year Ht. Wt. Hometown 25 Ronnie Royal III (S) Fr. 5-9 173 Gulf Shores, Ala. 22 Jackson Vick (CB) R-So. 5-11 182 Bailey, N.C. 15 Tamarcus Cooley (NIC) R-Fr. 5-11 205 Knightdale, N.C. 20 Daemon Fagan (S) R-Fr. 6-3 190 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 14 Renté Hinton (S) Jr. 6-3 205 Mobile, Ala. AYDAN WHITE