The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532241
40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY ETHAN MCDOWELL C State secured 10 com- m i t m e n ts d u r i n g t h e winter transfer window, and all of those players officially joined the pro- gram in January to begin the spring semester. The Wolfpack bolstered its offensive line and defense, adding experience and tough- ness to both sides of the ball. During the weeks in which the coaches were pursuing potential roster additions, they were also dealing with significant changes within their own ranks, most notably the hiring of new offensive and defensive coordinators. With 17 players leaving via the por- tal, NC State finished last in the ACC in On3's Transfer Portal Index, which weighs arrivals against departures to de- termine whether a team has improved its overall talent level during the transfer window. While the Pack did not score highly in On3's metric, its grade does not line up with how the coaches view their incoming talent. Among the most intriguing of the new players are graduate safety JJ Johnson, graduate linebacker Tra Thomas and se- nior tight end Cody Hardy. NC State lost a few critical members of its secondary and brought in Johnson as a part of the response. The experi- enced All-Sun Belt Conference safety recorded 69 total tackles and defended 6 passes as a senior at Georgia State. He has one season of eligibility left and chose to spend it in Raleigh, picking the Wolfpack over Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech. Johnson was the first safety commit for Charlton Warren, who was recently hired as the Pack's co-defensive coordi- nator and safeties coach. "JJ is a very versatile, explosive player who has a tremendous football IQ, and that's something that's really underrated," Warren said. "A lot of guys can jump, a lot of guys are talented, a lot of guys can run, but can they process information?" N Former Georgia State safety JJ Johnson is a contender to fill one of NC State's vacancies in the secondary. PHOTO COURTESY JJ JOHNSON IMPACT IMPACT PLAYERS PLAYERS Wolfpack Coaching Staff Eager To See This Year's Transfer Class In Action